Daytime Running Lights as seen on current model Audis will be compulsory from next year on all 2010 model cars,will this apply to vans and trucks as well?
Why do you need lights on in the day?
The sun does a good enough job at lighting everything up doesn’t it? 
Deathstar:
Daytime Running Lights as seen on current model Audis will be compulsory from next year on all 2010 model cars,will this apply to vans and trucks as well?
pointless i think, it’s the mortor bikes that worry me 
they generally keep the lights on so they can be spotted easily, as if everyone has them on then bikes will just blend into the background 
It’s new cars and vans from Feb 2011 and other categories ie trucks from Aug 2012. There is no requirement for retrofitting.
The directive, which requires all new types of passenger cars and small delivery vans to be equipped with DRLs from 7 February 2011 onwards, was approved unanimously by the so-called ‘CARS 21’ high level group aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the auto industry, the Commission said. Trucks and buses would be subjected to the new rule 18 months later.
At the risk of having bricks thrown at me.
I think day time running lights are a good idea, we use lights to be seen, when the sun is low and you are driving into it it will improve the chances of seeing vehicles coming the other way sooner.
Law on a two lane road in Florida and they have sun.
How many night drivers on here have seen cars with no lights on when needed? let alone when it is dark.
Tunnels how many cars remember on a bright day to turn on lights, or remove their sunglasses come to that.
I don’t think motorcycles will blend in you will just have a better chance of seeing more vehcles sooner, and I ride bikes so I like to be seen.
Volvo has had them since the late 60’s.
If it stops one head on or rear ender it’s got to be good.
Throw bricks now.
Data Academy:
At the risk of having bricks thrown at me.I think day time running lights are a good idea, we use lights to be seen, when the sun is low and you are driving into it it will improve the chances of seeing vehicles coming the other way sooner.
i totally agree, you beat me to it.
however, as profesional drivers, We should all know that anyway. It’s because of the numpties that don’t, that we end up with more and more and more and more and more, legislation.
limeyphil:
Data Academy:
At the risk of having bricks thrown at me.I think day time running lights are a good idea, we use lights to be seen, when the sun is low and you are driving into it it will improve the chances of seeing vehicles coming the other way sooner.
i totally agree, you beat me to it.
however, as profesional drivers, We should all know that anyway. It’s because of the numpties that don’t, that we end up with more and more and more and more and more, legislation.
I couldn’t agree more we should be aware of the fact we are the professionals.
I think that research in Canada where DRL have been used for some years show that there are less injuries to children.
Children have learnt to distinguish between stationary vehicles and moving vehicles, the moving ones have their lights on.
I think everyone on here would would be glad to see and gladly support anything that prevents a child being injured on the roads.
Perhaps we will now be able to see the idiots in silver cars who see no need for lights in daylight during rain on motorways.Do they not realise that lights serve two purposes,to see and to be seen and they are more or less invisible in a trucks mirrors.I suppose that there will also be other drivers who see no need to continue using their normal headlights when they should as they now have DRL’s.
kaans:
I think that research in Canada where DRL have been used for some years show that there are less injuries to children.Children have learnt to distinguish between stationary vehicles and moving vehicles, the moving ones have their lights on.
I think everyone on here would would be glad to see and gladly support anything that prevents a child being injured on the roads.
Yeah, I support parents teaching their kids not to run out in the road. Whether the car that hits them has lights on or not is irrelevant. Please stop the “think of the children” blackmail. Did anybody see the breakfast news on BBC saturday or sunday morning ? The head teacher who banned parents from the school sportsday. There was a bloke in the studio who looked like he was only just 18 almost screaming that the head teacher was right because of the possibility somebody might possibly in some possible way possibly ■■■■■■ a kid and possibly run off with them. Richard Head. Don’t go outside. Frightening place 
Stop the “Think of the children blackmail”? WTF! Hardly blackmail. Valid point well made i thought, certainly something i’d never considered.
Motorcyclists. Yeah valid point there too. Although, if they had a high powered running light, surely this would be enough.
(oh deep joy, a subject about lights) 
Deathstar:
Perhaps we will now be able to see the idiots in silver cars who see no need for lights in daylight during rain on motorways.Do they not realise that lights serve two purposes,to see and to be seen and they are more or less invisible in a trucks mirrors.I suppose that there will also be other drivers who see no need to continue using their normal headlights when they should as they now have DRL’s.
this is something that bugs me too. they never get it right. they either dont have lights on or they have too many on ie front fogs. instead of this nonsense, why dont they specify that fog lights are a button instead of a switch? i havent used my fogs since i got the car other than for making sure they work or telling other road users that their fogs are on. my fogs are automatically cancelled when the lights are turned off so ‘forgetting’ to turn them off wouldnt be an excuse.
btw, my car is silver but i am aware of the ‘to be seen’ function of headlights 
scanny77:
this is something that bugs me too. they never get it right. they either dont have lights on or they have too many on ie front fogs. instead of this nonsense, why dont they specify that fog lights are a button instead of a switch? i havent used my fogs since i got the car other than for making sure they work or telling other road users that their fogs are on. my fogs are automatically cancelled when the lights are turned off so ‘forgetting’ to turn them off wouldnt be an excuse.
btw, my car is silver but i am aware of the ‘to be seen’ function of headlights
My car has buttons for the fog lights, and they self cancel when the headlights are switched off too…
Though the car is dark blue…
We’ve been here before, its just the automotive equivilant of the Hi-Viz vest, gawd help us 
with plenty of people around failing to notice reduced visibility (rain, dawn, dusk…) and idiots running on parking lights at night I praise all those countries with compulsory daytime lighting. Automating this only makes things easier (well…will even less people know something about their own car?)
I think they’re a good idea too. How many ■■■■■■■■■ do you see driving in the heavy rain / spray with no lights on at all? At least these will be on all the time and as they’re LED’s, they are brighter than sidelight bulbs and use very little electricity so fuel consumption will be marginally affected if at all.
If you’re going to have lights on, then use the headlights. Sidelights are meant for parking, not driving. That’s why they have such a low power rating. Sidelights when it’s raining or foggy are worse than nothing, because they make the user think they can now be seen, when in fact they have made virtually no difference.
I live in a country where headlights must be on all the time and generally work in another country were the same applies. To get from home to my work requires a 6 hour drive through a country that has no requirement to run in daylight with lights on, so I think its a good idea and takes out any guess work when lights should be used be it bad weather, low sun, different people will see these times as different. I was traveling around Berlin towards Frankfurt Oder in some very poor weather and many people in the 130 kph+ crowd were still in the fast lane unlit, maybe Germans eat more carrots than other nations.
I remember drivers in the UK without lights on when it was quite dark or sidelights on perhaps or blazing headlights and front fog lights, it seemed a wide range of opinions on what darkness or bad weather is. I always ran with headlights on when I lived back in the UK, feels safer to me in a country of fairly bad drivers.