Time to enforce or encourage drivers to put their lights on

[Lonestar]

My pet hate is the people driving with daylight running lights. Number you see at night with unlit rears is ridiculous!

It doesn't really particularly bother me.If it makes people think twice about crossing the road when a vehicle is coming then perhaps this can be a good thing?

Im a bit cheesed off that foxes don't wear hi-vz when they are running across the road in front of me early in the morning.

Of course poorly lit rears or blown bulbs/broken leds? are not good.

 

[steveindenmark]

Rabbits are the thing.

They should be sprayed dayglow at birth.

 

[steve50]

Those who choose to deactivate their drl run the risk of invalidating an insurance claim in the event of an accident, it might be in their best interests to contact the insurance company to let them know what they intend to do. Drl are considered a safety feature but you intend to switch it off???

 

[Inertia]

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

I don't and I would advise wearing something brighter at night and wearing lights on a bike but that doesn't mean its not your responsibility as a driver of a car to be able to avoid hitting things. It shouldn't matter if the object is a fallen tree, a deer or someone on their way to a fancy dress party dressed a ninja. People in dark clothes aren't invisible and car headlights should be fully capable of showing them up.

 

[Glenn]

@swansonj

How about this ?

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/3/made
1. A dim-dip device fitted to satisfy regulation 18 shall cause light to be emitted from the dipped-beam filament of each obligatory dipped-beam headlamp, each such light having, so far as is practicable, an intensity of between 10 and 20 per cent of the intensity of the normal dipped beam.

2. Running lamps fitted to satisfy regulation 18 shall be in the form of a matched pair of front lamps, each of which–

(a)is fitted in a position in which an obligatory front position lamp may lawfully be fitted, and

(b)is capable of emitting white light to the front having an intensity of not less than 200 candelas, measured from directly in front of the centre of the lamp in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and of not more than 800 candelas in any direction.

"3. The electrical connections to the obligatory dim-dip device or running lamps, as the case may be, shall be such that the light output specified in paragraph 1 or 2 above is emitted automatically whenever–
(a)the engine of the vehicle is running, or the key or devices which control the starting or stopping of the engine are in the normal position for driving the vehicle, and
(i)the obligatory position lamps, but not the headlamps, of the vehicle are switched on, or
(ii)the obligatory position lamps are switched off."

 

[mjr]

Drl are considered a safety feature but you intend to switch it off???

Is there evidence they work? It seems remarkable that that EC Directive only says weasel words like "are expected to", rather than citing evidence.

 

[swansonj]

@swansonj

How about this ?

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/3/made
1. A dim-dip device fitted to satisfy regulation 18 shall cause light to be emitted from the dipped-beam filament of each obligatory dipped-beam headlamp, each such light having, so far as is practicable, an intensity of between 10 and 20 per cent of the intensity of the normal dipped beam.

2. Running lamps fitted to satisfy regulation 18 shall be in the form of a matched pair of front lamps, each of which–

(a)is fitted in a position in which an obligatory front position lamp may lawfully be fitted, and

(b)is capable of emitting white light to the front having an intensity of not less than 200 candelas, measured from directly in front of the centre of the lamp in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and of not more than 800 candelas in any direction.

"3. The electrical connections to the obligatory dim-dip device or running lamps, as the case may be, shall be such that the light output specified in paragraph 1 or 2 above is emitted automatically whenever–
(a)the engine of the vehicle is running, or the key or devices which control the starting or stopping of the engine are in the normal position for driving the vehicle, and
(i)the obligatory position lamps, but not the headlamps, of the vehicle are switched on, or
(ii)the obligatory position lamps are switched off."

Intrigued but not yet convinced!

Firstly, those seem to be the 1989 Regulations as made in 1989, so apparently do not reflect the present position.

Secondly, if you just look at Schedule 3, you would conclude that ALL cars (registered after 1987) are required to have running lights, and were thus required in 1989, which is and was clearly not correct.

I suspect the explanation lies in column 3 of schedule 1, which gives the exception from the UK Regs if you meet the relevant EC (as then was) regs. It may be that the relevant EU Regs get you to the same place. I don't know and don't think I've got the energy to trace it all through myself ... but if someone else does, I'd be fascinated to hear the result, and if necessary, I will re-enable my DRLs.

(I have a hunch the schedule you quote was the UK's attempt to make dim-dip compulsory, a requirement which was struck down by the EC. And interestingly, the point about dim-dip was a recognition that dipped headlights were TOO BRIGHT for street lit roads after dark. )

Edit: the Highway Code, I think, makes no mention of any requirement for DRL.

Further edit ... because I really wish I'd never embarked on this and don't want to sidetrack the main thread further with a new post: Glenn, I think I agree with you that the RVLR regs 1989 do indeed require DRL. I intend, against my will, to switch ours back on. But my puzzlement remains that they seem to require DLR or dim-dip for ALL cars, not just post-2011 type approvals. Yet the majority of cars in UK roads have neither.

 

[marknotgeorge]

Further edit ... because I really wish I'd never embarked on this and don't want to sidetrack the main thread further with a new post: Glenn, I think I agree with you that the RVLR regs 1989 do indeed require DRL. I intend, against my will, to switch ours back on. But my puzzlement remains that they seem to require DLR or dim-dip for ALL cars, not just post-2011 type approvals. Yet the majority of cars in UK roads have neither.

Could it be that although the UK regulations since 1989 or so require dim-dip (which are not the same as DRLs), vehicles that have passed EU type approval (which don't require dim-dip, but since 2011 do require DRLs) are legal to use on UK roads? I think what happened was that the UK tried but failed to get dim-dip on the EU type approval schedule.

 

[steve50]

I wonder whether equipping someone with hi-vis and bright lights gives them, sub-consciously, a sense of entitlement.

Wouldn't have thought so but for me personally I would feel a bit more confident in the knowledge that it would be easier for other road users to see me.

 

[mjr]

Wouldn't have thought so but for me personally I would feel a bit more confident in the knowledge that it would be easier for other road users to see me.

That might be why some studies find that users of "conspicuity aids" are involved in a disproportionate number of collisions. Perhaps the problem isn't that motorists couldn't see cyclists. Perhaps it's that some motorists just don't take proper care around cyclists?

 

[gavgav]

One to be careful with, for drivers of cars with automatic lights, like mine. In foggy conditions the sensors don't seem to pick it up and therefore they stay on daytime running lights. Fine, ish, for front of the car but means no rear lights. Not a problem if you use your brain and switch them on manually, like I do, but there a multitude who don't and who seem to think that because it's automatic they don't need to think and use their brain!

 

[steve50]

One to be careful with, for drivers of cars with automatic lights, like mine. In foggy conditions the sensors don't seem to pick it up and therefore they stay on daytime running lights. Fine, ish, for front of the car but means no rear lights. Not a problem if you use your brain and switch them on manually, like I do, but there a multitude who don't and who seem to think that because it's automatic they don't need to think and use their brain!

I've been out in the car a lot today and the number of drivers with just their drl's on was astonishing considering the foggy conditions we've got, some areas on the outskirts of town were thick with fog, pea soup doesn't come close.

 

[Tojo]

I've had this discussion before with my mates and we came to the conclusion that modern day cars yes, come with automatic lights but the problem is that everyone thinks they will come on in low light conditions and they don't realise as the dashboard lights are on weather the lights are on or not, I think people were more aware when to turn their lights on as the realised they couldn't see the clocks, so therefore put their lights on.........