Time to enforce or encourage drivers to put their lights on

[swansonj]

Anything that travels on the road in darkness without lights is dangerous. A hard to see bike is just as dangerous as a hard to see car, especially if you are the rider of the bike or an unsuspecting pedestrian that the unlit bike is bearing down on.. That is unless you think that it is only the responsibility of the car driver or pedestrian to avoid accidents. Personally, I prefer to look after my own safety and am always very visible with lights and reflective gear. If we expect vehicles to be lit up by law, shouldnt we expect bikes to follow suit or are we exempt?

Including pedestrians?

 

[swansonj]

DRL's are compulsory on all new cars sold in the UK as of 7/2/2011

Compulsory to be fitted or compulsory to be used?

It wouldn't be the first time the authorities have imposed a supposed safety improvement without considering the whole picture and ended up causing long-term harm.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Anything that travels on the road in darkness without lights is dangerous. A hard to see bike is just as dangerous as a hard to see car, especially if you are the rider of the bike or an unsuspecting pedestrian that the unlit bike is bearing down on.. That is unless you think that it is only the responsibility of the car driver or pedestrian to avoid accidents. Personally, I prefer to look after my own safety and am always very visible with lights and reflective gear. If we expect vehicles to be lit up by law, shouldnt we expect bikes to follow suit or are we exempt?

True a hard to see bike is dangerous and could cause you injury if it hits you but not as much injury as a car. I agree about unlit cyclists they are a damn pain but just because we have unlit cyclists it doesn't mean i can't complain about unlit cars. As i stated in one of my previous posts i make myself as visible to other road users as possible. If i didn't maybe i couldn't moan about unlit cars, but i do so i can.

 

[Tin Pot]

Oh look, another false equivalence. How surprising.

 

[subaqua]

The manufacturers missed a trick in not enabling rears at the same time as Front DRL.

Well some did do it. Volvo enabled it. As it had been there since the 60s

 

[Glenn]

Compulsory to be fitted or compulsory to be used?

It wouldn't be the first time the authorities have imposed a supposed safety improvement without considering the whole picture and ended up causing long-term harm.

The details are here http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32008L0089

 

[winjim]

The manufacturers missed a trick in not enabling rears at the same time as Front DRL.

Well some did do it. Volvo enabled it. As it had been there since the 60s

But then you would have people driving around at night with just DRLs, dazzling all and sundry. Dim-dips are bad enough when sidelights are sufficient, I think DRLs might be worse.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

It's under a panel with the fuses. Only found it because the panel fell off. Has the headlamp symbol on it so I think it must be for the DRLs. Skoda Fabia, so your Octavia might have something similar. We have the alarm disabler on the door I think.

That'll be the same then

 

[steveindenmark]

Including pedestrians?

I stopped in a village on the way to work last year as I almost ran into a woman dressed all in black with a black dog. I just got a glint of the dogs eyes at the last second.

I had a spare frog light which I gave her. I saw her this morning and she now wears a reflective jacket and the frog light.

So yes, unlit peds can be dangerous as well.

 

[swansonj]

The details are here http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32008L0089

Yebbut unless the law is different in this area to the areas I'm familiar with (which may well be the case), EU Directives do not apply directly to citizens, they mandate Governments to enact the provisions into national law.

Unless someone points out something to the contrary, I continue to believe that fitting of DRLs on cars type approved after 2011 is mandatory but their use is not in the UK, and those of us who work out how to turn them off on a point of principle are not breaking the law as it relates to lighting. I'm less sure whether turning them off constitutes an alteration outside the type approval ... But nor do I care much.

 

[snorri]

So yes, unlit peds can be dangerous as well.

No, an unlit pedestrian can not be dangerous.
An unlit pedestrian is someone all road users should be looking out for during the hours of darkness.

 

[Inertia]

I stopped in a village on the way to work last year as I almost ran into a woman dressed all in black with a black dog. I just got a glint of the dogs eyes at the last second.

I had a spare frog light which I gave her. I saw her this morning and she now wears a reflective jacket and the frog light.

So yes, unlit peds can be dangerous as well.

No, someone who cant see a pedestrian is dangerous.

 

[steveindenmark]

Pitch black, black clothes, black dog. They have a responsibility for their own safety, just as I do.

Of course we have a responsibility to look out for them but I would like a chance to see them. I have bike lights, not car lights. I refuse to accept that they are void of responsibility.

So yes they can be a danger to themselves and me.

 

[swansonj]

Pitch black, black clothes, black dog. They have a responsibility for their own safety, just as I do.

Of course we have a responsibility to look out for them but I would like a chance to see them. I have bike lights, not car lights. I refuse to accept that they are void of responsibility.

So yes they can be a danger to themselves and me.

OK, this is a debate which has been rehearsed tediously many times before, but:

You say that pedestrians have a responsibility to make themselves visible so that you have a chance to see them.

What do you say to trees/walls/stray animals/dangerously deep potholes?

 

[steveindenmark]

On my 40km year round commute, I get to know where all those static things are. They dont wander into the road whichever route I take. Even the regular deer and badgers which cross my path have some pale parts on them. They even have the common sense to look at whats approaching them.

But you are entitled to your opinion as I am mine.

There does seem to be a lot of people who rely on other people to keep them safe. Instead of relying on themselves.