Daytime running strobes

Daytime running strobes

Author
Discussion

ducnick

Original Poster:

1,927 posts

250 months

Wednesday 7th September 2016
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I have noticed that since drl's were mandated on new cars the manufacturers seem to be having a brightness war. The early ones as fitted to fiat 500's are perfectly acceptable to me and don't seem to cause blindness. The more recent ones fitted to German cars, renaults, Korean cars etc are overly bright and dazzle me to the point of not being able to look at the road. Of course we have dull grey skies and these things are designed to overpower bright sunlight in clear skies. They should therefore turn off on grey days or when going through shaded areas to be replaced by good old fashioned side lights.
Does anyone else suffer this problem? Flashing oncoming traffic doesn't work as they can't be easily turned off. I have taken to wearing sunglasses when not sunny to make it more comfortable.
Perhaps new cars could also be fitted with shades on the side of the screen closest to oncoming traffic for the driver to shield behind, although this would obviously endanger pedestrians and people turning out of junctions.

Isn't it about time for the motoring lobbies to put an end to this madness and rule drl's illegal or place a brightness restriction on them for each country based on the average ambient light?


aizvara

2,060 posts

174 months

Wednesday 7th September 2016
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I've never felt blinded or uncomfortable with DRLs. Sometimes normal headlights, poorly adjusted, are a bit too bright. Perhaps you are extra sensitive to light? Might also be worth getting your eyes checked too as this can be a sign of cataracts.

angoooose

50 posts

150 months

Wednesday 7th September 2016
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More of an issue are the muppets who forget to turn their lights on at night

Tomo1971

1,157 posts

164 months

Sunday 11th September 2016
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I kinda agree with the OP, some can be as bright as Xenon lights but they are not as focused as those and so can be a bit glary to others at certain angles and ambient light.

robbyd

613 posts

182 months

Monday 12th September 2016
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angoooose said:
More of an issue are the muppets who forget to turn their lights on at night
Exactly this - the DRLs are bright enough to see by at night but they have nothing on at the back!

waremark

3,256 posts

220 months

Monday 12th September 2016
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The one thing I generally find dazzling is police blue 'strobes' at night. I think they would be equally effective and safer because less dazzling if they dimmed in the dark.

vonhosen

40,506 posts

224 months

Monday 12th September 2016
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waremark said:
The one thing I generally find dazzling is police blue 'strobes' at night. I think they would be equally effective and safer because less dazzling if they dimmed in the dark.
The larger vehicles (those with bar lights) tend to have two settings Day/Night.
Front, rear & sides can all be operated independently too.

PaulWhitt20

3 posts

98 months

Thursday 15th September 2016
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A lot of modern cars have to dim the DRLs when the indicators are on, a design fault in my opinion. Just proves the lights are too bright.

The old golf had a similar "feature" where the brake lights masked the indicators.


fast_eddie

32 posts

203 months

Monday 26th September 2016
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I love to watch Utter bullends driving away from my works car park every single night with their drl only showing!

I would gladly pay to put a go pro on their 'lives' and make a fortune....


Normal/educated people, have stopped reproducing due to costs and life pressures...

Lets review the world in another ten years!

Löyly

18,064 posts

166 months

Wednesday 28th September 2016
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In some ways, I'm quite happy with DRL's. I hate the current 'might is right' approach to lighting which so many cars take. I think there should be a maximum height mandated for HID and LED lighting, for instance. Wouldn't that be a wonder? Saloons and hatchbacks could carry on using low-mounted, high powered lights and yet you'd never need to suffer the effects of an SUV beaming dazzling light through your cabin.

However, you do come to appreciate the daytime running lights on wet, windy drives on fast A roads, especially when on roads with multiple lanes. Plenty of people still fecklessly drive their silver and grey cars through thick spray at high speed with their headlights off, at least the DRL means you have a better chance of seeing them.

AyBee

10,679 posts

209 months

Thursday 29th September 2016
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I don't really like driving my Lotus at night for this very reason- every set of lights blinds me because I'm so low down frown

pim

2,344 posts

131 months

Saturday 1st October 2016
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My car has daylight running lights if it saves a live I am all for it.It is being seen which is important.

I can't never understand people on motorbikes or mopeds not having their lights on in daytime.I would for my own safety.

r129sl

9,518 posts

210 months

Wednesday 5th October 2016
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pim said:
My car has daylight running lights if it saves a live I am all for it.It is being seen which is important.
Fairly big "if" there. It's also an utterly fatuous argument: there are a million things that might "save a life" such as not venturing out of the house, but I don't suppose you're all for that. It strikes me that a lot of lighting developments have increased risk. The obvious hazard of DLRs is mentioned above. Automatic headlights do not seem to switch on in fog. We all know about fog lights. LED brake lights are dazzling to following traffic, especially when drivers sit on the foot brake in traffic. Then there are those stupid moving indicators on Audis: they seem a particular step backwards.

Anyway, saving a life is impossible: you can only postpone a death.

Defconluke

310 posts

161 months

Sunday 9th October 2016
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If it makes a car more visible in certain situations, resulting in less accidents and lower insurance premiums for everyone is that not worth having?

Granted, you do get the odd idiot mistaking the light output from their DRLs as their dipped lights but far less than the amount driving round in cyclops cars (with just one light working)

pim

2,344 posts

131 months

Friday 14th October 2016
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r129sl said:
pim said:
My car has daylight running lights if it saves a live I am all for it.It is being seen which is important.
Fairly big "if" there. It's also an utterly fatuous argument: there are a million things that might "save a life" such as not venturing out of the house, but I don't suppose you're all for that. It strikes me that a lot of lighting developments have increased risk. The obvious hazard of DLRs is mentioned above. Automatic headlights do not seem to switch on in fog. We all know about fog lights. LED brake lights are dazzling to following traffic, especially when drivers sit on the foot brake in traffic. Then there are those stupid moving indicators on Audis: they seem a particular step backwards.

Anyway, saving a life is impossible: you can only postpone a death.
What is your nickname clever dick?