Overall I'm in favour of DRLs from the safety angle, but I'm not fully convinced that they will bring significant benefits once they are widespread, as happened with hi-vis vests, high level brakelights, etc. Initial novelty value, a perceived advantage for the few cars equipped with them, then finally they get "lost in the crowd". A fluorescent pink car would stand out, but if all cars were painted this revolting hue, cars would once again become "invisible."

Incidentally, one of my pet hates is following a car with ONLY the high level brake light working, and I'm sure the main brake lights are actually disconnected or their bulbs removed by some kind of brain-dead fashion victim.

Biking groups lobbied long and hard against this directive but lost the argument in the end.

Personally I don't see that DRLs on cars will reduce bikers visibility - if a driver can see lights, there's a vehicle there - what sort is immaterial.

I think motorbikes should be forced to have lights on and wear high vis at all times. Day or night.

Yes alan cars are large but on something like an overcast day, pulling out of somewhere with cars parked at the side of the road, cant see whats coming, everybody in grey cars as they are these days, you can find yourself not knowing somethings there until its too late. If it has lights on you'll see the lights coming, like you do at night.

And people are missing the point, trying to say it wont work when all cars have them, but it will. Because it works at night. Nobody here would say "well every car has lights on at night and as a result we dont see them now" would you?

Its not designed to make cars stand out from each other, its to give them a beacon so you know its there! If, say in five years when it becomes more widespread, some study comes out to say daytime accidents have taken a major decrease then i suppose it will prove it worthwhile.

And as for the argument of cars having these lights makes bikes more invisible, well, Mr Motorbike, feel free to put your lights on also, so as you stand out with a big beacon like the cars do. Motorbikes make up a tiny proportion of traffic yet seem to manage to be involved in about 90% of crashes LOL! So take some responsability, you're riding a death trap to start off with, do everything you can to make yourself seen.

And the "its not good for bikes as they will blend in with other lights and increase accidents" is a non starter. Would you tell a biker to turn their lights off at night? So as they dont blend in with the other lights to make themselves safer?

No, of course not.

"if lights were needed 24/7 then lighthouses would run 24/7" im sorry but thats another strawman argument. The light isnt on the lighthouse for you to see the lighthouse. Its there so as you can see the coast. Which you can see in daylight anyway. You dont need to see the lighthouse in daytime do you? Its not what its for.

By using a lighthouse as an analogy, you are essentially saying there is no need to see a car in the daytime. Which i find alarming, i think you do need to see them.

I think alot of this resistance to the rule (a law which applies to manufactuers, not to drivers, you as a driver dont h ave to do anything. so i dont see why people care about it so much) is because its the EU. And much like in the old days when they wanted to make seat belts compulsory, people plain and simple didnt like it, and would come up with any load of rubbish to justify not wearing one. People would say "oh its much safer to be thrown clear from the car than trapped in!" and rubbish like that, in a desperate attempt to not do as they're told. And this will be the same.

There are places in Europe where its compulsory to have your lights on at all times and carry a spare set with you, and failure to do so results in a harsh penalty, and it seems to work well for them.

Edited by jamie745 on 08/04/2011 at 15:00

Originally everyone who didn't have DRL was going to have to turn dipped headlights on during the day from 2014. Did this get through to the final version that was enacted?

Edited by Hamsafar on 08/04/2011 at 22:45

I don't see any proiblem with daytime running lights - the Mk6 Golf, for instance, looks good with them on. I can't see how anyone would find daytine running lights any more annoying than, say, that lime green paint that Ford do for Fiestas and Ka's !!

how come the drl's are only on the front headlights...

my 11 year old volvo has day time lights. 2 on the front, 4 bulbs on the rear, and 4 orange bulbs (1 each corner) (they can be turned off by pulling various combinations of indicators and ignition switch posistions.)

and over my way everyone seems to like copying the common drls mounted near the fog lights...ie yesterday afternoon 5pm. on the A43. a Y reg bmw 3 series with side lights and fogs......(mind you don't fog lights on bmws add another 50hp....ducks under desk and awaits volvo bashing from bmw owners grin....)

Apologies in advance if the following points have already been covered...

As from 7th February 2011 all cars registered within the UK after that date AND which are new design models manufactured after that date, must be fitted with DRL's.

Those who are considering disabling the system would be wise to check with their insurer that in doing so they are not voiding the terms of their policy re altering the spec of the vehicle and thus would be uninsured..

Edited by Geordie1 on 13/04/2011 at 22:18

I saw a couple of VW Golf's today with these lights on, whether it made me see a vehicle which otherwise i wouldnt is impossible to say, i'd like to think it made no difference, but i dont think what is essentially sidelights on in the daytime are going to blind people with dazzling blackpool-esque illuminations.

Its worth remembering that people dont choose how bright their headlights are LOL. I personally only use my high beam on roads with both no cars and no streetlights, which is a very rare occurence, but sometimes on just normal beam if you look at the car from a certain angle (if it goes over a speed bump coming towards you, for example) it can dazzle you. I find dazzling more of a problem in lower down cars like my now former girlfriends SLK. I dont know if that has anything to do with it but it seems to.

People have their own opinions on SUV's but i must say when i drove my mums old Shogun at night i never got dazzled in that by anything, as it was high up.