Driving with Headlights on

interstellaflyer

alastairq wrote: »

It appears you fail to understand what the driving tests really are all about.

For a driving test, the candidate is required to demonstrate they can keep up with the flow of traffic.

This is a measure of competence......only!

No I don't fail to understand what the driving test is about. I was taught, all be it 30 years ago that yes, you should be keeping up with traffic, but also that you should be driving at a reasonable speed for the conditions, 30 on a 50 or 60 mph limit decent A road in good conditions is unacceptable and would show an examiner you lacked confidence and competence. Also, worth bearing in mind that trucks are only allowed to do 40 mph on single carriageways and they will be using a lot more fuel stuck needlessly at 30 than they would at 40 and also, it's not about peoples inability to overtake slower vehicles, the weight of on coming traffic often makes that difficult and obviously if you are driving an artic that's stuck behind one of these idiots then you are screwed. One more thing, judging by Aardvarks previous comments and attitude, he would be the sort of person that would do all he could to prevent people over taking him.

alastairq

he thinks that driving at 30mph in a 60 area is acceptable

I,too, find such action totally acceptable.

It is simple enough to overtake and get on your way, if it causes you an inconvenience.

alastairq

interstellaflyer wrote: »

No I don't fail to understand what the driving test is about. I was taught, all be it 30 years ago that yes, you should be keeping up with traffic, but also that you should be driving at a reasonable speed for the conditions, 30 on a 50 or 60 mph limit decent A road in good conditions is unacceptable and would show an examiner you lacked confidence and competence. Also, worth bearing in mind that trucks are only allowed to do 40 mph on single carriageways and they will be using a lot more fuel stuck needlessly at 30 than they would at 40 and also, it's not about peoples inability to overtake slower vehicles, the weight of on coming traffic often makes that difficult and obviously if you are driving an artic that's stuck behind one of these idiots then you are screwed. One more thing, judging by Aardvarks previous comments and attitude, he would be the sort of person that would do all he could to prevent people over taking him.

As with everyone else, you were taught to pass the test.

Regarding an LGV?

30mph is but 25% less than that LGV's speed limit.

Presenting the LGV driver with less of an inconvenience, than that LGV presents to a following car.

And, If that LGV driver is complying with the Law, much of that vehicle's own speed will often be nearer 30 than 40.


There is no interest to be expected with regards to the fuel consumptions of others.

This is really all about justifying taking a pop at other drivers simply because of one's own personal inconvenience.

interstellaflyer

alastairq wrote: »

As with everyone else, you were taught to pass the test.

Regarding an LGV?

30mph is but 25% less than that LGV's speed limit.

Presenting the LGV driver with less of an inconvenience, than that LGV presents to a following car.

And, If that LGV driver is complying with the Law, much of that vehicle's own speed will often be nearer 30 than 40.


There is no interest to be expected with regards to the fuel consumptions of others.

This is really all about justifying taking a pop at other drivers simply because of one's own personal inconvenience.

Yaaawwwwnnnn


Anyways, in the case of the OP, driving at 30 mph was a deliberate act to get one up on the car behind, purely because he had his headlights on during the day, the OP blatantly admits this, why are you trying to defend his actions?

RichardD1970

alastairq wrote: »

I,too, find such action totally acceptable.

It is simple enough to overtake and get on your way, if it causes you an inconvenience.

It is not always simple enough to overtake, that depends a lot on the road, oncoming traffic, visibility and any number of other factors.

Just a couple of examples

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/lorry-driver-fined-250-for-driving-too-slowly-on-a9-1.340369

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016721/Slow-drivers-dangerous-roads-cause-crashes.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3694201.stm

TradePro

alastairq wrote: »

I did read your post.....and I read some very restrictive conditions in it.

Why does your acceptable slow vehicle have to be a tractor?

I didn't say it had to be a tractor, I used a tractor as an example of a vehicle that has limited choice in how fast it can move.

I explicitly said that I had an issue with vehicles that were capable of moving more quickly, but that were driven by self-centered individuals that get some kind of kick out of holding everyone up!

Your whole attitude to this matter is 100% wrong.

Sabato

My car has DRLs but they can be turned off in one of the menus. In the winter when it's gloomy then I have no problem keeping them on. When it's the middle of summer and we're in bright sunshine then they're turned off.

lemontart

better to be seen than not as makes you safer - and it amazes me the number that fail to use lights in poor light

mattyprice4004

As a result of this thread I thought I'd see what driving with my lights was like, and if it made any difference to other road user's actions.

It didn't make a jot of difference, however my clock was illuminated and much easier to read - so I'll be leaving them on all the time in future.

Thanks OP!

GolfBravo

I can't believe this thread is over 150 replies now.

It appears that some people really don't understand the purpose of driving with the headlights or DRLs on. This is not about making a fashion statement, nor about annoying other road users. This is about the "look at me", in a good way - the only purpose of using DRLs or headlights during daytime is to make cars more visible to other users. They are very useful when it comes to seeing and avoiding other vehicles - they are not used to help the driver see better but to make the vehicle more conspicuous.

It is really the same concept as pilots using taxi lights during the daytime for takeoff and approach. And nobody complains about that.

People notice some unusually shaped DRLs on Audis and Citroens, and immediately think this is just to bling up a car. But the main thing is that people notice them - they are doing their job then.

BTW factory fitted DRL's are way better than dipped beams: lower fuel consumption (headlights can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%), better longevity (average H7 lightbulb lifespan is only around 350-500 hours), no beam cutoff.