General Daytime Running Lights

[306maxi]

It's my personal opinion and we've had this discussion on DRL's before, but ours aint switched on, they aint getting switched on and to be honest, I don't ever have any difficulties seeing other road users. If it gets gloomy, the sidelights go on. When it's no longer gloomy, they go off. Simples!

The problem with new Fiat's is giving people the option to switch them on or off. If ours came with them permanently on, I would just suck back and live with it, but because I absolutely hate DRL's with a passion (sorry all! ) and we have been given the option to switch them off, then they're off.

If one really has difficulties seeing traffic coming towards thee, then one should perhaps visit the optician. I do so every two years without fail. Ensuring one's eyes are in good health is left up to the individual. Let's bring in compulsory eye testing for all motorists at least once every five years. That in itself might actually prevent a few accidents.

There, rant over.

Sorry, but they're parking lights, not sidelights. The key to their useage is in the name.

 

[306maxi]

This type of forum thread discussion is bound to get some people's backs up!

Look, I don't particularly agree with many of the arguments here about DRL's. There appears to be far too much pontification on the subject imo.

Personally, I think DRL's are being been forced upon us all by Eurocrats who honestly believe running (sorry, ruining) our lives, is their full time job.

I'm sorry, but, yes, boring I know, but having now been driving quite happily and successfully for 25 years without notable incident (none of us are perfect though and I admit I've done some silly things!), I'm quite happy that I know when to operate my sidelights, dipped beam, headlights etc. The moment I need some professional advice, I know where to come!

But it's hardly the biggest imposition, something which has little or no impact upon you as a person and which may possibly save lives.

I'm all for interference being lessened but this is hardly a problem.

 

[306maxi]

Don't worry, this topic gets regularly bounced around the forum every few months, with largely predictable responses from the regulars .



Whether you choose to turn them off or leave them on, you needn't be concerned about forgetting at night - on the 500, you'll notice the lack of speedo illumination long before you legally need to put the lights on.

When sidelights are fitted, the risk is real, since the dash illuminates whenever the sidelights are on.

Exactly and exactly.

If some dingleberry wants to run around with parking lights during the day for some reason then whatever, if it makes you feel warm inside then great, but the fact that parking lights illuminate the instruments mean that said dingleberries often drive around with sod all illumination when it is actually needed. If they couldn't see their speedo they'd reconsider whether headlights were needed.

 

[frupi]

Sorry, but they're parking lights, not sidelights. The key to their useage is in the name.

Maxi, you're just being pedantic.

Quite frankly.......I've said enough

 

[Robnw67]

If you take a look at the advice from the government website:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/travelandtransport/highwaycode/dg_070302

it seems that you can drive in the hours of darkness with only sidelights on if the street is externally lit . This seems to go against everything I was taught. Am I reading it right?

 

[306maxi]

If you take a look at the advice from the government website:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/travelandtransport/highwaycode/dg_070302

it seems that you can drive in the hours of darkness with only sidelights on if the street is externally lit . This seems to go against everything I was taught. Am I reading it right?

you are.

 

[Andy Monty]

If you take a look at the advice from the government website:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/travelandtransport/highwaycode/dg_070302

it seems that you can drive in the hours of darkness with only sidelights on if the street is externally lit . This seems to go against everything I was taught. Am I reading it right?

and subject to a 30mph or < speed limit

 

[babbo_umbro]

Although it's largely ignored - of course - it's been obligatory to have either dipped headlights or DRLs on all the time in Italy for some time; initially just on out of town roads but now everywhere. I haven't seen any figures for how this has affected accidents but the excuse/reason was that everyone else in Europe is doing it. I assume this is the the 500's lights behave as they do.

 

[RobinPJ]

VW certainly want you to keep the DRLs on in the MarkVI Golf - it is so complicated a process to turn them off that I genuinely can't remember what you have to do - it involves turning the ignition off, signalling left, flashing the main beams and then turning the ignition on until it beats 6 times I recall.

 

[TRS]

As this thread is groundhog day, I may as well repeat my opinion too

I keep mine switched off. If you can't see other traffic in daylight, then your eyesight is not sufficient to keep your driving licence. However, I particularly object to the ridiculous DRL's on Mercs, Citroens and it seems ever increasing models, where they are so bright they merely dazzle/blind oncoming traffic. When these darn things were thought up, there should have been laws on what types of bulbs/max brightness etc, but of course the Eurocrats wouldn't have the intelligence to think of that....

 

[dombooth]

Light output and beam pattern for starters, how they are operated, and what is operated with them.

Due to the light output and beam pattern differences their visibility is completely different in either really bright or rainy conditions to each other. Ie DRLs visible, parking lights often are not.

To many idiots who seems to think that parking lights are adequate when it's chucking it down heavily with rain :bang:



Well not really tbh, if it moves and is lit up then you'll know to avoid it.

Motorbikes are smaller than cars hence they are less easy to see to the average driver.









This'll really upset some people: I regularly keep my sidelights on on the drive to the shop and home due to needing to see the speedo without concentrating on it for any longer than necessary.

Dom

 

[TRS]

And just to add, in 25 years of driving I honestly cannot recall a single incident where I have had an issue being able to see other vehicles in reasonable conditions. (I.e. excluding cars unlit in thick fog and suchlike).

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

AIUI, sidelights are legally sufficient on any road for the period half an hour before sunrise & half an hour after sunset provided visibility is not seriously reduced. At night (between the above times), sidelights alone can legally be used (though I wouldn't recommend it) only where there is lit street lighting.

If you don't have sidelights, you must use headlights between sunset & sunrise.

Full rules here.

Yet point two of 113 states otherwise to the first point you've made unless in a residential area like I previously said

As this thread is groundhog day, I may as well repeat my opinion too

I keep mine switched off. If you can't see other traffic in daylight, then your eyesight is not sufficient to keep your driving licence. However, I particularly object to the ridiculous DRL's on Mercs, Citroens and it seems ever increasing models, where they are so bright they merely dazzle/blind oncoming traffic. When these darn things were thought up, there should have been laws on what types of bulbs/max brightness etc, but of course the Eurocrats wouldn't have the intelligence to think of that....

I'll just copy link to my previous post and do similar to you then

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/304205-daytime-running-lights.html?p=3051693

Motorbikes are smaller than cars hence they are less easy to see to the average driver.

To be honest at 1/2 mile away your average car won't be much different in size when looking along a straight road.

The whole you won't see a bike now is very vague. If there is a group of 20 bikes in convoy, some riding side by side etc, are you any less likely to see a single biker because all the others have dipped beam headlights on also








This'll really upset some people: I regularly keep my sidelights on on the drive to the shop and home due to needing to see the speedo without concentrating on it for any longer than necessary.

Dom

 

[dombooth]

Yet point two of 113 states otherwise to the first point you've made unless in a residential area like I previously said



I'll just copy link to my previous post and do similar to you then

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/304205-daytime-running-lights.html?p=3051693

Which bit was in reply to me? :S


Dom

 

[RobinPJ]

Couldn't we talk about something we haven't thrashed to death so much - like maybe winter tyres?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Which bit was in reply to me? :S


Dom

My motor bike bit

Basically went along the lines that motorbike and cars will look similar in size at over half mile to a mile away. And the arguement that they become harder to see with other cars with DRLS on isn't really that strong as if a group of 20 bikes in convoy came along a road together, some abrest etc, all with lights on, a single bike will be no less visible than any of the others in the group really.

 

[dombooth]

Nothing, iPad multi quote fail

Haha.

Dom

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Haha.

Dom

iPad and iPad user fail - then remembered that I had written something, so now edited my above post but then you quoted before I'd completed :doh: lol

 

[dombooth]

My motor bike bit

Basically went along the lines that motorbike and cars will look similar in size at over half mile to a mile away. And the arguement that they become harder to see with other cars with DRLS on isn't really that strong as if a group of 20 bikes in convoy came along a road together, some abrest etc, all with lights on, a single bike will be no less visible than any of the others in the group really.

I'm talking about one bike though, not a load of them.

As a thread very very similar to this went mental and generally turned into one big b*tch fight, I'll read, but not contribute.

Dom

 

[jrkitching]

Yet point two of 113 states otherwise to the first point you've made unless in a residential area like I previously said

No, it doesn't. The half hour periods immediately before sunrise & immediately after sunset are not night & you can legally run on sidelights + no plate light only on any road, lit or unlit, including motorways, during these times.

Again, from 113: "Night (the hours of darkness) is defined as the period between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise."

For the seriously anal, the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations are here.