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Re: Daytime Running lights - The facts



>>>>> "P" == Philip Logan <plogan@village.ios.com> writes:

P> I think many things like DRL's are a mandatory substitute for good 
P> driving practice. 

P> How many people have been driving along and there's a guy approaching 
P> that's totally blinding you. You flash him to dip his beams and he blasts 
P> you away with an additional billion candelas ?  People don't understand 
P> that high beams can be terribly dangerous in wet weather and fog. Lots of 
P> people don't understand that lights can be equally useful to enhance 
P> visibility in poor conditions. That's why the DRL laws have come into 
P> force, but it seems to me that they ignore the fact that there's a 
P> balance required and clearly, at 80% of full beam, there are situations 
P> where they will do far more harm than good ?

In the 5 years since DRL came into effect, I've not found one yet.  I
think the main thing is to make sure the legislation is tight enough
to give you the correct DRL - using the high beam element just doesn't
make sense.  My car uses low beams at 90%, and turns on all other park
lights as well.

P> There are many factors that govern road safety. One is the ability to 
P> see, and another is the ability of other drivers to see you (and the 
P> road). If you can see everything for 100 miles, including the blinded 
P> driver that's just about to collide with you head-on, you're doing no 
P> good at all. You'd be better running dark.

I've never yet been blinded by DRL headlights.  Maybe others are drawn
like a stupid deer into staring directly at a bright light, I don't
know. 

<stuff deleted>

P> It's time that real drivers spoke out against stupid regulations and 
P> against traffic tickets targeted at the average Joe for revenue generation 
P> rather than road safety.

Agreed, but what does that have to do with DRL?  It's the manufacturer
that is responsible for DRL, not the driver.  Pre DRL cars don't have
DRL, period.  That may make it a longer switchover in the south where
there are many more old cars on the roads.

P> Phil Logan

Jeff Goss


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