Daytime running lights problem | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Sat 16 Feb 2013 18:59

Daytime running lights problem - Graham567

I have just been outside to put my car away in the garage and as i got in i noticed a car setting off in front of me with no rear tails lights showing.I flashed him to let him know he didn't have his lights on.A bit further up my road he did a u-turn and came back towards me.At this point he seemed to have his lights on.As he passed me i looked round and found the back of his car in darkness.I then looked at the plate of the car and noticed it was 2012.My guess was that he had daytime running lights on at the front and because he could see his lights had thought that his lights were already on but obviously no tail lights.

This begs the question is why don't cars fitted with DRL's also have auto lights so there is no confusion.
In fact why don't all modern cars have auto lights?
We have all these gadgets like adjustable wingmirrors and see you home lights but for the sake of a few quid i think that all cars,especially those with drl's,should have auto lights.

The amount of drivers who forget to put their lights on is quite high round where i live.

What does everyone else think especially if drl's are fitted.
(Also i feel cars with drl's should also have the tail lights illuminated so part of the above problem wouldn't happen)

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Sat 16 Feb 2013 19:45

Daytime running lights problem - unthrottled

This begs the question is why don't cars fitted with DRL's also have auto lights so there is no confusion.

There isn't any confusion. You get in the car, gauge the ambient light levels and make a decision to switch the lights on or not. Automation exacerbates the problem because people become more reliant on the vehicle to make decisions for them.

It's quite common to see cars driving out of well lit car parks with no lights on. Once they get flashed a couple of times, the penny drops.

Anyone not observant enough to know when to switch windscreen wipers or lights on, needs a bus pass not a gadget.

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Sat 16 Feb 2013 19:56

Daytime running lights problem - elekie&a/c doctor

I think the main issue here is that on many late model cars,the dash lights up with ignition,rather than sidelights,so the driver does not realise the external lights are not switched on.hth

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Sat 16 Feb 2013 20:38

Daytime running lights problem - gordonbennet

I think the main issue here is that on many late model cars,the dash lights up with ignition,rather than sidelights,so the driver does not realise the external lights are not switched on.hth

+1, thats the problem in a nutshell.

Driving isn't natural or something to take a pride in doing well or enjoyable to whole swathes of the population, those who lack the nous to drive properly need automation, unfortunately lowest common denominator, as always, will rule, so expect more and more compulsory fitment of auto controls.

We don't need any more gadgets, enough.

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Sat 16 Feb 2013 21:29

Daytime running lights problem - unthrottled

If the dash lights up with the ignition, that is unhelpful. But the solution is to link the dash backlighting, to the headlights (like it used to be!).

The problem with relying on automation is that most of a car's sensors make indirect measurements that are turned into voltages. For example, ECUs do not 'see' temperature, merely voltages that (hopefully) corrospond to whatever parameter is of interest. But they don't tend to fail gracefully.

Driving isn't a process that really lends itself to automation.

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Sat 16 Feb 2013 22:16

Daytime running lights problem - Paul87

My car has DRLs (reduced powered dipped beams and rear lights) and they always look on, now and then I do drive with the lights still techinically in the off poisiton. There is a sensor on the instrument cluster if it gets dark the backlight for the dials dimms proportinally, only the needles remain lit. Perfect and simple system no need for automation.

Edited by Paul87 on 16/02/2013 at 22:16

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Sat 16 Feb 2013 23:29

Daytime running lights problem - focussed

Or as on my Honda Civic 2.2 Type S - there is a tell-tale warning light indicating that the lights are on - or that too simple?

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Sat 16 Feb 2013 23:32

Daytime running lights problem - jamie745

I must admit I've driven out of the petrol station at night without my lights on but when I spot the interior lights aren't on I move to rectify the situation.

Some new cars - Ford Fiesta for instance - have the dashboard lights on all the time if the engine is running, so you can drive around lit urban roads and honestly think your headlights are on when they're not.

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