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Re: Do DRLs Really Work? The Truth Is Inside.



Oliver Arnd Markwirth (oam0001@jove.acs.unt.edu) wrote:
: On 14 Oct 1995, Bob Morrow wrote:

: The bottom line is the drivers don't pay attention at all. No matter how 
: much technology can we make our cars more visible, the drivers will 
: continue to smash into each other. The insurance carriers blamed 80 per 
: cent of accidents on inattentiveness.
All the DRLs do is give the unattentive an excuse and an additional
crutch that that makes them feel better which is why these cars sell.
I suspect the real fact is that DRLs will increase accidents as they
become more popular since the guy the DRLs behind you blind the guy
thats off the left blind spot heading in your direction.  Without
the DRLs you might have seen the guy on the left, but with the DRLs
the other car is invisable.   This has happend to me.  A pickup
with the lights that are too high was stitting very close (This was
on I270 in St Louis) and while I looked back to the left to get
out of the lane and some bozo was headed into my lane.  Incidently
the bozo was driving a Saturn with the high beams on.  If I hadn't
turned arround at just the right time, I would have a dent in my
car.  I'll belive that DRLs are safer as soon as 

: brigades are painted vomit greenish yellow? Don't you wonder why the 
: ambulances have millions of strobe lights, and some people still don't 
: notice them? My neighbour who is a paramedic told me that many drivers 
: take longer to notice the ambulances and move out of the way.

: I assume that NHTSA is very relucant about rubber stamping the DRLs as 
: mandate is that it had been critised in the 1970s about side running 
: lights, dim sealed beam headlamps, ill-fated seat belt interlocking design, 
: and the third brake light in 1986 afterwards. I think NHTSA is not taking any 
: more chances with visibility mandate; it is easier to mandate the devices 
: to protect the drivers and passengers from injuries in collision as the 
: idiots will always smash into each other.

The same idiots that clam the mouse belts were safer also seem to be on
the "For DRLs" side.  Lets see.  The stats show that the number of head
injuries involving people wearing selt belts went up.  Its the only
stat that has gotten worse in the past decade and it went way up.  It
was tradeoff.  Safty of thouse that wore seat belts correctly was traded
for the safty of the bozos that didn't wear them at all.   Since I always
use a 3 point (or better) seat belt, I didn't like the trade off.

One real interesting point is that '89 VWs didn't even have a seat belt.
It had a door attached, no adjustable lap belt and lots of padding.  This
stupid idea was approved and people fell for it.  Its amazing how many
people buy the cars and not even relizse there is no seat belt.
If the accident rates weren't down because of safer roads, VW would
still be dealing with the law suits.

-tim
http://inmind.com/~thogard GPS, VW and Usenet topics.


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