Do cars need to have their taillights on?

oscarward

owen_money wrote: »

The last two cars I've had the lights go on and off their own, you dont need to 'remember' to switch them on/off. Dont all new cars do this? Maybe the budget/cheap ones dont?

My recent cars have this feature, problem is that leaving the lights in auto is fine until the car goes in for service where it is turned off. Cue driving with just DRL lights at night.....

z1a

owen_money wrote: »

The last two cars I've had the lights go on and off their own, you dont need to 'remember' to switch them on/off. Dont all new cars do this? Maybe the budget/cheap ones dont?

Safer to turn this feature off. If you go under a bridge or are briefly in a shadow, lights will come on, and could be seen as a signal that you're letting someone out.

Loanranger

z1a wrote: »

Safer to turn this feature off. If you go under a bridge or are briefly in a shadow, lights will come on, and could be seen as a signal that you're letting someone out.

My lights are always on auto and never come on under a bridge or briefly in shadow.

EssexExile

z1a wrote: »

Safer to turn this feature off. If you go under a bridge or are briefly in a shadow, lights will come on, and could be seen as a signal that you're letting someone out.

I was following a CR-V a while back & his lights were going off and on all the time, under trees? lights on. Face into sun? Lights off. Turn away from sun? Lights on...

I also drive a CR-V but I never have the lights on auto for that reason, although the fact that the dash is always illuminated is a nuisance. The only sign inside that the lights are on is a little green indicator that is hidden by the steering wheel.

Alanp

Perhaps it would have been better to have made auto lights mandatory instead of drls, then the front and back would be illuminated if the driver forgot to turn the lights on.. or maybe manufacturers should make the rear lights as drls,as well

edde

Alanp wrote: »

Perhaps it would have been better to have made auto lights mandatory instead of drls, then the front and back would be illuminated if the driver forgot to turn the lights on.. or maybe manufacturers should make the rear lights as drls,as well

The research showed having lights at the front of the car on all the time made for less accident regardless of day or night.

It's illegal not to have your lights on and auto lights would have to be able to be swiitched off hence how is that a benefit to what we have today.?

JackeeBoy

edde wrote: »

The research showed having lights at the front of the car on all the time made for less accident regardless of day or night.

I do wonder how they assessed that. I am 99.99% sure that statistic is bull.

Nasqueron

Loanranger wrote: »

My lights are always on auto and never come on under a bridge or briefly in shadow.

I have mine on auto as I do sometimes manage to set off without them on (usually after the garage has had the car and turned them off). They do come on in extended periods of dark shadow/tunnels but normally talking several seconds, not instantly

sevenhills

edde wrote: »

The research showed having lights at the front of the car on all the time made for less accident regardless of day or night.

If you read my earlier post, I have read about research in the USA and Canada, where the introduction of DRL caused more accidents for motorbikes.
I am sure auto and LED lights have some advantages, as people don't seem to know when to turn them on, and how to fix them when a bulb blows.

Nasqueron

owen_money wrote: »

The last two cars I've had the lights go on and off their own, you dont need to 'remember' to switch them on/off. Dont all new cars do this? Maybe the budget/cheap ones dont?

My old 206 from 2005 had auto lights as an option (which you can switch on and off), my current car is much better spec and also has this.


The DRL on mine come on when the handbrake is released, I ought to check at night with the main lights off and see if the DRL come on