Parking Lights

Posted by: Dungassin on 27 December 2011

Why do so many idiots drive around with their parking lights on when visibility is a little poor?  Personally I use my main headlights for this purpose - after all the point is TO BE SEEN, and the parking lights don't really help. 

Posted on: 28 December 2011 by Dungassin

As an additional comment :

 

I have a low threshold for turning on my headlights.  I STILL say sidelights alone are a complete waste of time - which is why I refer to them as "parking lights".  I had my DTR lights turned off WAY before this new rule, so I am still within the law.  If I am forced to, I will turn them off, but having them on during good lighting conditions (usually because I forgot to switch them off the night before) does not, in my experience seem to stop pedestrians/cyclists failing to see me.  Being "invisible" seemed to be more of a problem when I had dark coloured cars (my current one is a sort of pale greeny/gold)

 

I'm off to play with my grandkids who I can hear arriving now. 

Posted on: 28 December 2011 by Steven Shaw

I always ride my motorbikes with headlights on. Bikes are often difficult enough to see at the best of time.

 

When driving the car I never use sidelights. If its dark enough for sidelights then might as well use the headlights full on.

 

I think daylight running lights, especially the modern led's are a good idea.

Posted on: 28 December 2011 by George Fredrik

Steven Shaw,

 

Totally agreement from this quarter.

 

My last car [1990 Volvo 240 sold 19 minths ago] ran with permanent sidelights, but if I left the headlight switch on it ran with permanent headlights, which turned off with the ignition system. That is how I used it - day or night ...

Posted on: 28 December 2011 by naim_nymph

Volvo’s secret new prototype LED running lights sneak photo preview!...

 

Posted on: 28 December 2011 by Bananahead

I spend a lot of my travelling life as a pedestrian.

 

I appreciate cars with DRLs.

 

They are much easier to see.

Posted on: 29 December 2011 by George Fredrik
Originally Posted by naim_nymph:

Volvo’s secret new prototype LED running lights sneak photo preview!...

 

With apologies to the author of an old cake advert!

 

"Mr Volvo does make exceedingly good cars!"

 

ATB from George

 


 

Posted on: 29 December 2011 by Guinnless
Originally Posted by Steven Shaw:

I always ride my motorbikes with headlights on. Bikes are often difficult enough to see at the best of time.

 

When driving the car I never use sidelights. If its dark enough for sidelights then might as well use the headlights full on.

 

I think daylight running lights, especially the modern led's are a good idea.

Trouble is once there's a sea of DRLs then the bike becomes invisible...

Posted on: 29 December 2011 by Bananahead
Originally Posted by Guinnless:
Originally Posted by Steven Shaw:

I always ride my motorbikes with headlights on. Bikes are often difficult enough to see at the best of time.

 

When driving the car I never use sidelights. If its dark enough for sidelights then might as well use the headlights full on.

 

I think daylight running lights, especially the modern led's are a good idea.

Trouble is once there's a sea of DRLs then the bike becomes invisible...


Nope. Nothing changes except pedestrians and other road users can see the cars better.

Posted on: 29 December 2011 by naim_nymph
Originally Posted by Guinnless:
Originally Posted by Steven Shaw:

I always ride my motorbikes with headlights on. Bikes are often difficult enough to see at the best of time.

 

When driving the car I never use sidelights. If its dark enough for sidelights then might as well use the headlights full on.

 

I think daylight running lights, especially the modern led's are a good idea.

Trouble is once there's a sea of DRLs then the bike becomes invisible...

 

 

This is one of my objections too, the ongoing trend of making cars so silly dazzling people are forced to become even more accustomed to jumping out their way, the typical enthuses of the all powerful car lobby to promote extra rights of way for over privileged car driver… hardly anything to do with road safety.

 

The safer way to go would be for all vehicles not to start using any day or night-time lights until well into dusk, (or bad weather conditions), but with the exception of single tracked vehicles who are encouraged to use led lights or dipped beam headlights so they will become less vulnerable by being seen. This would definitely lower the deaths and injury rates amongst cyclists and motorcyclists.

 

Debs

Posted on: 30 December 2011 by Guinnless
Originally Posted by Bananahead:
Originally Posted by Guinnless:
Originally Posted by Steven Shaw:

I always ride my motorbikes with headlights on. Bikes are often difficult enough to see at the best of time.

 

When driving the car I never use sidelights. If its dark enough for sidelights then might as well use the headlights full on.

 

I think daylight running lights, especially the modern led's are a good idea.

Trouble is once there's a sea of DRLs then the bike becomes invisible...


Nope. Nothing changes except pedestrians and other road users can see the cars better.

I believe the dimensions of a car make it fairly easy to see without adding Fairy Lights. 

Posted on: 30 December 2011 by Guinnless
Originally Posted by naim_nymph:
Originally Posted by Guinnless:
Originally Posted by Steven Shaw:
I always ride my motorbikes with headlights on. Bikes are often difficult enough to see at the best of time.

When driving the car I never use sidelights. If its dark enough for sidelights then might as well use the headlights full on.

I think daylight running lights, especially the modern led's are a good idea.
Trouble is once there's a sea of DRLs then the bike becomes invisible...


This is one of my objections too, the ongoing trend of making cars so silly dazzling people are forced to become even more accustomed to jumping out their way, the typical enthuses of the all powerful car lobby to promote extra rights of way for over privileged car driver… hardly anything to do with road safety.

The safer way to go would be for all vehicles not to start using any day or night-time lights until well into dusk, (or bad weather conditions), but with the exception of single tracked vehicles who are encouraged to use led lights or dipped beam headlights so they will become less vulnerable by being seen. This would definitely lower the deaths and injury rates amongst cyclists and motorcyclists.

Debs

Yep, I'm a car driver too but my cars have a device called a switch that allows the lighting function to be enabled/disabled according to the conditions decided by me.  During normal daylight conditions there's no need for cars to have stupidly bright lights or any lights on at all.

 

Wait till the AHF (automatic headlamp flash) lights appear on the new BMWs and Audis in 2012.  This system will automatically flash the headlamps repeatedly when the distance to the vehicle in front is below 100cm. 

Posted on: 30 December 2011 by BigH47

Yet another "feature" not required.

So as the car being flashed when the Audi/BMW comes up behind what am I supposed to ?

Probably jump off the road to let the "superior" vehicle through?

 

What a waste of technology, if you can't tell how far a vehicle is in front you shouldn't be driving.

Posted on: 30 December 2011 by Don Atkinson
Originally Posted by Guinnless:
 
Originally Posted by Guinnless:
 

 

Wait till the AHF (automatic headlamp flash) lights appear on the new BMWs and Audis in 2012.  This system will automatically flash the headlamps repeatedly when the distance to the vehicle in front is below 100cm. 


100cm is just over three feet. I really can't see any sense in such a new-fangled system at all

 

I'm confused with the purpose of all these fairy lights and flashing lights and automatically controlled lights.

 

Perhaps we should try teaching people a bit of road sense and good maners before we let them have a driving licence

 

Cheers

 

Don

Posted on: 30 December 2011 by rodwsmith
Originally Posted by Don Atkinson:

       

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Originally Posted by Guinnless:
 
Originally Posted by Guinnless:
 

 

Wait till the AHF (automatic headlamp flash) lights appear on the new BMWs and Audis in 2012.  This system will automatically flash the headlamps repeatedly when the distance to the vehicle in front is below 100cm. 


100cm is just over three feet. I really can't see any sense in such a new-fangled system at all

 

I'm confused with the purpose of all these fairy lights and flashing lights and automatically controlled lights.

 

Perhaps we should try teaching people a bit of road sense and good manners before we let them have a driving dlicence

 

Cheers

 

Don




With all these beeps and now flashing lights, parking is going to be like going to a disco.
Posted on: 30 December 2011 by Don Atkinson

Spot-on Rod

 

Cheers

 

Don

Posted on: 30 December 2011 by BigH47

Whoops 100cm  not 100M, may be we could use some frigging measurements that real people understand?

 

Why have lights and buzzers at all , surely "Watch where your f***ing going"  should suffice?

 

Anyone who needs these sort of devices ,should automatically have their driving licence taken away.

Posted on: 30 December 2011 by Tony Lockhart
I drove a Merc E class for a week last year. One feature it had was the fully auto lighting system. Included in this package was one of the headlights turning in the direction of turning the steering wheel at low speeds. I found it amusing but very reassuring too. Also, at speeds over about 60mph the dipped beam raised slightly to take into account the greater distance ahead that any other cars will be, without dazzling anyone. I welcome all this new tech with open arms, and would just suggest that others go for a late night drive in adverse conditions in a car with such features before slagging them off. What next? People using turntables and valve amps? Tony
Posted on: 30 December 2011 by Don Atkinson

Howard,

 

I'm not sure which is worse, flashing lights at 100m or 1m. But clearly much safer for the rest of us if BMW introduce an automatic system for their customers. Presumably the frequency and intensity of the flashing increases as the BMW closes in on the chump in front ?

 

Cheers

 

Don

Posted on: 30 December 2011 by winkyincanada
I don't purport to be any sort of great driver. I seldom drive. Average at best and likely worse. Yet I am very bemused by the notion in this forum and other fora that it is always "all those other idiots" that can't drive, and that need more training and likely deserve a brisk beating from time to time. Hey, none of us are as good as we think we are. We all make mistakes and have lapses of concentration. We all have bad habits. None of us great, and none in a position to preach.
Posted on: 30 December 2011 by Tony Lockhart
The law in respect to lighting has always been open to interpretation, and for this reason cars are going to be fitted with daytime running lights. It's all very well people getting on their high horses, but people make mistakes, have other things on their minds, don't know.... If we "take away their licences" for such hideous offences, the rest of us should be afraid of making any simple mistakes ourselves. And as for being blinded by DRLs during the day, that's unlikely if you think about it for just a second. In broad daylight, how on earth can a dipped headlight blind you? Even a motorcycle's MAIN beam doesn't blind anyone during normal daylight, and that's quite a common situation. Tony
Posted on: 30 December 2011 by George Fredrik
Originally Posted by winkyincanada:
I don't purport to be any sort of great driver. ... Hey, none of us are as good as we think we are. We all make mistakes and have lapses of concentration. We all have bad habits. None of us [is] great, and none in a position to preach.

Dear Winki,

 

Your post is so true for me and indeed most people whom I know who drive. It is the reason why I was quite content to wean myself off private driving eighteen months ago, inspite of never having crashed into anyone in over thirty years. I am also a very nervous passenger!

 

I am not in the least worried that one day I may have surrender my license on account of eyesight ...

 

Ride safe!

 

ATB from George


 

Posted on: 31 December 2011 by naim_nymph
Originally Posted by Tony Lockhart:
 and would just suggest that others go for a late night drive in adverse conditions in a car with such features before slagging them off.

 

Tony

 

After all that's been said you're still trumpeting on about how safe you are in your car without any concern for any other road user who will find themselves put at increased risk due to the frivolous lights, knobs and whistles on your swanky bombproof four wheeled consumerist fashion statement.

 

This is why the evil car industry is deliberately marketing their cars to become far more dangerous to cyclists and motorcyclists, they obviously want to drive them off the road to force them into buying cars too : (

 

Debs

 

Posted on: 31 December 2011 by Tony Lockhart
Debs,

If you think for one second that advanced lighting, a good clear view through a well designed windscreen and thirty years of never even coming close to striking a cyclist or pedestrian makes me a dangerous fool, then you exist in a far weirder place than I do.
In 1994 I qualified as a RoSPA Gold standard driver, and I still try to improve my driving on each and every trip.

Tony
Posted on: 31 December 2011 by naim_nymph

Tony,

 

you are only one person, it's not only about you, and i'm quite happy to take you on face value of being a good driver.

 

But this stupid new legislation will affect an ever increasing amount of vehicles which will cause an increased danger for cyclists and motorcyclists because it will cause it to be far harder 'for them' to get noticed. That's just the facts of the issue.

 

Debs

Posted on: 31 December 2011 by naim_nymph
Originally Posted by Tony Lockhart:

.....a good clear view through a well designed windscreen

 


Would that be the bifocal type?