The EC Directed that all new cars sold within the EU from 2011 must be fitted with DRLs. These can be LED halo lights, as on Audis, separate large sidelights, as on FIAT 500s, or even LEDs where foglights have traditionally been located. Drivers will be advised to but will not not be compelled to use them universally.

The fact that the EC has allowed separate DRLs and in particular low level LED DRLs has greatly reduced the dazzle that these can cause, though further work needs to be done on some high level LEDs that are bright enough to dazzle.

Mercedes and Porsche lead the way with sensible low level LEDs that will not obscure motorcycle headlights.

Commission Directive 2008/89/EC of 24-9-2008 amends Council Directive 76/756/EEC (concerning the installation of lighting and light signalling devices on motor vehicles and their trailers) lays down the requirements, one of which is for the Directive to be incorporated into member state law and published by 15-10-2009.

Because of the dazzling effect of dipped Xenon headlights used as DRLs, Drivers Against Daytime Running Lights has been fighting this issue for years. It achieved a victory in Austria, against the dangerous glare that Xenon headlight DRLs acan cause. 

Weiner Zeitung - Parliament winds up 2007 session By Pat Maadi

Vienna. The Austrian parliament on Thursday held its final plenary session of the year. On Wednesday (12 December 2007) formal approval was given to a wide range of legislation. The bills included .
"an end to the required use of headlights during daylight hours"

www.wienerzeitung.at/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4082&Alias=wzo&cob=315900&cur
rentpage=2

ws4.orf.at/newspool/84383

DADRL now needs to persuade the UNECE WP29 lighting group which set the global technical regs. They don’t meet again till the Spring - problem is they are chaired by a Canadian who claimed 11% benefit - yes there was a fall for 2 years after DRL were introduced in 1989 but then their accident figure levelled out whereas everyone else's continued to fall.

M A (Marcin) Gorzkowski Chairman of Working Party on Lighting and Light-Signalling (GRE) Senior Regulatory Development Engineer Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation Directorate Transport Canada gorzkom@tc.gc.ca

Although they’ve pulled it now, last month this was on Transport Canada's home page with a photo of a cyclist with a car with headlights on behind it - talk about shooting themselves in the foot!

November - In the news "Pedestrians and cyclists can be difficult to see on the roads." www.tc.gc.ca/en/menu.htm

Most certianly Adrian Burrows at the DfT is with us but he has to circumspect in what he offically writes. You probably know Oct 06 that Ladyman announced UK Govt opposition - it was recorded in Hansard -

09 October 2006

www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm061025/text/610
25w0003.htm

EU Headlights Policy
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) carbon emissions and (b) fuel consumption of the EU policy of vehicles travelling with headlights on at all times. [95678]

Dr. Ladyman: The European Commission’s consultation paper on the impact of
daylight running lights (DRL) stated that DRLs would increase the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of a vehicle by up to 1.5 per cent. We think that this estimate is roughly correct. The impact of an EU-wide policy would be less than this; a portion of driving is at night anyway, many member states already have mandatory rules on the use of DRLs, and specially designed DRLs (rather than dipped beam headlamps) can be much more energy efficient.

The UK opposes both mandatory fitment of dedicated DRLs and compulsory daytime use of dipped beam headlamps, due to concerns about increased risk to vulnerable road users (including motorcyclists), and increased costs to motorists, as well as the environmental impacts. We have expressed these concerns at international fora and will reiterate them in our response to the European Commission consultation.

Maybe the pack of cards is starting to fall - like the Emperors New Clothes perhaps we can finally dispel the myth that "its safer"

Then maybe we can get the safety fanatics to focus on real benefits advanced driver training and regular eyesight tests instead of negative things like humps and cameras.

Drivers against Daytime Running Lights www.dadrl.org.uk