TOT: Modern car lights: reasoning?

[Andy Burns]

And where's the self-levelling motors and lens washers?

[DerbyBorn]

Adrian wrote in news:lvbfv3$chd$1 @speranza.aioe.org:

A lot of kit for the money. A lot of bulbs are labelled as Xenon though and could not be construed as a HID conversion.

[Tim Streater]

There's really no point in whinging about the actions of people who are constrained by law and the threat of the Planning Inspector.

[Capitol]

Yes, discharge. The results are excellent.

[Adrian]

In several of my previous cars, built in from the factory.

Hey, I never said those kits were _legal_, did I?

[Adrian]

It's about the going rate these days. HID kits have been coming down in price very sharply over the last decade or more - they started off around £600 or more, back in the early noughties.

Yes, I'm well aware of the xenon-gas incandescents, and the difference between the two.

[DerbyBorn]

Adrian wrote in news:lvbtag$ea4$ [e-mail]:

Unfortunately not everyone is - some will fit a set of bulbs and think they have xenon lights.

[Mr Fuxit]

My 1970 Saab 99 had DRLs. There was a switch on the dash marked "Corner Lig hts" to give me the option. A moron pulled out in front of me in broad dayl ight, and explained that he did so because I had my lights on. I suppose th e fact that he was still alive meant that he had never driven at night.

[Adrian]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:06:15 +0100, Nightjar According to the World Health Organisation, research showed that, in

Except, of course, there's one thing that's omitted from that seemingly decisive statement. (And I'm not referring to pedestrians with eyesight problems, or with cars travelling too quickly for the environment - they're separate questions)

EVERY car manufactured for the last century or more has had lights fitted, with a switch available for the driver to use them where they would aid visibility*.

If the pedestrian did not see the car, and lights would have aided in that, then the driver has already failed.

Turning the lights on at all times adds nothing, assuming competent drivers.

If we can't make an assumption that all drivers can be deemed competent, then whether cars have lights on or not is the least of the potential issues arising.

• - visibility OF the vehicle, as well as visibility of the road from the vehicle.

[Adrian]

BTW, nor do I think this is an "EU" issue. As usual, that's just a nice piece of scapegoating by those with an axe to grind. DRLs were mandated in the US years earlier, and have been rolling out across most of the rest of the world ever since. Even if we weren't an EU member, DRLs would be here, now.

[Peter Crosland]

The legislation simply requires running lights at the front. I assume the fact that there should be reflectors at the rear is why rear running lights are not deemed necessary. On balance it seems better to have the running light at the front than non at all. Personally I would prefer front and rear lighting at all times.

[Capitol]

There is no legal requirement for DRL in the US. Some, mainly european, cars have them.

[Mike Barnes]

Actually that's not an offence if it's a recognised parking space.

HC 248.

[The Other John]

Not on the 2 occasions when I was knocked of my bike (both times by women drivers!), I had my dipped headlight on, my bike had a huge white fairing and I was wearing a dayglo red riding suit with a reflecting yellow belt and a white helmet and it was broad daylight. The trouble is drivers (IMO) look past a motorcycle to see if there's a car coming and if not they pull out!

[Murmansk]

I think DRLs are very good but they don't get around the problem of people not putting their lights on when it's dusk.

Because DRLs are very bright, in order to be seen well in bright daylight, they can seem too bright when it's dusk - but if it's dusk people should have turned their lights on, at which point DRLs go off (or go dimmer).

[Nightjar]

Nearly half of all RTCs have driver failed to look properly as a contributory factor. I have had drivers pull out right in front of a large, red Land Rover Defender.

[dennis]

8<

i have experience of that. The smart I use has stop start and the alternator/starter drive belt doesn't last long.

[dennis]

Don't HIDs produce a lot of UV? Are your plastic lamp housings UV proof on the inside?

[Mike Barnes]

"Nightjar

[Another John]

(Since it's you Dennis, and "slightly irritated response" is the default action ...)

What about: you are driving on a motorway or dual carriageway at 60-70, in the inside lane; it's twilight; you can see the cars stretching ahead of you who have put their sidelights on[1]; but you don't see the dork

*just* ahead of you, because "I've got my DRLs on so I don't need my lights on" [2].

J.

[1] Because it's good to get fixed in other drivers' field of vision. [2] Or the more old-fashioned, but still very current, attitude "Duhhhhh: I know it's twilight, but I can see fine, so I don't need to put my lights on yet".