Daytime Lights

My C30 Volvo does not have 'daytime' lights and it's silver as well.....

Personally I think we need to bring back the person walking in front of the car with a warning flag....

Been an interesting Thread and there is certainly some polarization !

How about a compromise then ? Driving lights on an auto switch that come on when the light intensity drops below a pre set level AND switch off again when the light intensity goes above the pre set level. This would take care of the driving through tunnels and banks of tree scenarios.

I'd be much happier with this and believe it would stop the ridiculous scenario of lights permanently on, even in blazing sunlight. Would also be " greener " too ( steady on Nige, in danger of moving to the green welly camp here ! ).

I think it would also be more effective, if lights are on all the time perhaps over time they would just become part of the normal road scene and the effectiveness would decrease.

Finally, writing this with no lights on, I'm doing my bit to save the planet, will shortly turn on the LCD monitor to see what I have written blind !

Too late, a lot of newish cars have this lights auto switching, which in most cases is user controllable. BMW drivers are obviously not included in "user controllable".
It seems several countries trying a lights permanently on regime have experience a sharp increase in accidents.

Originally Posted by keithglos

Too late, a lot of newish cars have this lights auto switching, which in most cases is user controllable. BMW drivers are obviously not included in "user controllable".
It seems several countries trying a lights permanently on regime have experience a sharp increase in accidents.

Interesting point there Keith, just goes to show that we should not blindly trust statistics.

In my scenario the driving lights would have zero controllability by the driver, fully automatic. Not sure I want even this but never let it be said that I'm not prepared to compromise !

My Lexus has that system already in place, I leave my headlight switch in the auto position and the minute I apprach a dark tunnel/underpass/tree covered area the come on by the time I just need them, it's a great idea because as I leave the tunnel they then switch off, top idea. I do use the Mersey tunnel daily and it's a good idea that I think all cars should have as standard.

But right now most new Audi's look silly with those fairy lights blazing at midday IMO.

Originally Posted by Nige005

Been an interesting Thread and there is certainly some polarization !

How about a compromise then ? Driving lights on an auto switch that come on when the light intensity drops below a pre set level AND switch off again when the light intensity goes above the pre set level. This would take care of the driving through tunnels and banks of tree scenarios.

I'd be much happier with this and believe it would stop the ridiculous scenario of lights permanently on, even in blazing sunlight. Would also be " greener " too ( steady on Nige, in danger of moving to the green welly camp here ! ).

I think it would also be more effective, if lights are on all the time perhaps over time they would just become part of the normal road scene and the effectiveness would decrease.

Finally, writing this with no lights on, I'm doing my bit to save the planet, will shortly turn on the LCD monitor to see what I have written blind !

Well Nige...i think you have a good idea there. /light sensors are an idea that some japanese companies have investigated in the past. I dont know what their viability is. Im sure the cost issue isnt a barrier. the only real issue then comes to standardising light intensity at which sensors activate lights. In the USA they dropped daytime lights to max 400candleabra so as to reduce their glare effect (?)...but still maintain DRL usage.
I do have to say that if pressed on the issue i dont see why the use of DRLs shouldnt be light sensitive, thus principally when light quality is poor. it is true that there are variations in light around europe and the world but giving the driver sole responsibility for determining appropriate use would be pretty hit and miss. thus the drive to install them as standard so as to negate the need for independent thought...and i agree that this isnt a wonderful scenario but i believe in the "greater good". this meaning that i dont wish to sound like an arrogant scientist/politician but I genuinely feel that the benefit would outweigh the negative aspects.
there is a movement called "drivers against daytime running lights" for anyone interested
but i'm not joining, though i wouldnt stand against a compromise such as yours Nige. This could fairly easily be investigated by the govt. if the suppport for it were strong enough.

Originally Posted by Herrity

But right now most new Audi's look silly with those fairy lights blazing at midday IMO.

bet you'll spot an audi from miles off now though

Yes, usually the same c*ck in an S5 right up my chuff at 40mph, it's good, you can avoid the hairdressers/mobile phone talking ponces a few hundred yards earlier !

Originally Posted by broom_zoeyellow

Well Nige...i think you have a good idea there. /light sensors are an idea that some japanese companies have investigated in the past.
there is a movement called "drivers against daytime running lights" for anyone interested
but i'm not joining, though i wouldnt stand against a compromise such as yours Nige. This could fairly easily be investigated by the govt. if the suppport for it were strong enough.

Not joining either !

As Herrity says the Lexus does have a similar system to what we are talking about, I would go just one step further and make it a non selectable system so that it is on all the time regardless of any input by the driver. Unfortunately though common sense is unlikely to prevail, mandatory permanently on DRL's are the easy option so will be the preferred option by the Government, a mistake in my view but hey, who cares what I think !

I was under the impression the GTV only came with lights to make it look cool in the daytime. They certainly don't help my vision at night!

If a small minority of cars have them then yes, of course, they stand out. If all cars have them then it becomes the normal view and will, after the novelty wears off, make no significant difference.

Agreed. The heavy hand of a nanny state - again. When did the unelected Eurocrats ask us if we wanted this? I must have missed it.

If EVERYONE has headlights on then nobody sees anything other than a sea of bright light. Pedestrians, cyclists and others wont stand a chance. I am talking congested city streets already well lit - absolutely pointless law. Not so much an issue out of town - but in broad daylight - pathetic.

My new Fazer has the headlight permanently wired on and it doesn't seem to make any difference - many car drivers are in their own dream world of mobiles and iPods and take no notice of anything. See other thread about avoiding ambulances etc.

I don't understand how anyone can be against this.

The idea that if everything on the road has marker lights then
it will make everything mundane and easily overlooked is a bit bizarre.

The reason people miss that a car is coming is because they
don't register the difference between the car and it's surroundings.
If it's lit, it's there, surely?

Bit like saying that brake lights are stupid because now all vehicle
have them you don't notice them anymore?

Maybe it's the "EU" part that gets people all wound up?
Sorry the standardisation of road safety across the EU isn't
something about which people should be frothing over their tabloid.

Originally Posted by Alfie155

Agreed. The heavy hand of a nanny state - again. When did the unelected Eurocrats ask us if we wanted this? I must have missed it.

If EVERYONE has headlights on then nobody sees anything other than a sea of bright light. .

Originally Posted by Nev

I don't understand how anyone can be against this.

The idea that if everything on the road has marker lights then
it will make everything mundane and easily overlooked is a bit bizarre.

The reason people miss that a car is coming is because they
don't register the difference between the car and it's surroundings.
If it's lit, it's there, surely?

Maybe it's the "EU" part that gets people all wound up?
Sorry the standardisation of road safety across the EU isn't
something about which people should be frothing over their tabloid.

Alfie, Nev's point is valid. I agree that a lot of anti-EU sentiment is in this as well, but regardless of the "nanny state", EU bashing massive, these measures can and will save lives. But i will point to Nige005's point of light sensitive lights which automatically come on below a certain light level, which are used on some Japanese cars (lexus) and being investigated further in the USA, as a useful compromise.

I drove yesterday with my lights on.

I live up a poky lane, made pokier by overgrowing conifers so put lights on when leaving house. I left them on. Nobody beeped or gesticulated that I'd left my lights on. An Audi with the LED eyelashes passed in the opposite direction.


How poor are the GTV headlights?

Does the Fiat Coupe have better headlights than the GTV?