If you drive in the dark or in the fog with daytime running lights, you are not paying attention
It looked so cool, didn’t it, when Audi first introduced daytime running lights on the R8 and A4. Suddenly everyone wanted an LED strip in their headlights or at the bottom of the bumper. Halfords will have earned quite a bit from that over the years. But the Daytime Running Light (DRL) was not introduced just because it looked cool, it really contributes to road safety. That is why, since 2011, car manufacturers have been obliged to fit some form of DRL on new cars. Great idea, but it has to be put to good use.
It’s kind of in the name: day-driving lights. The LEDs are so bright because you can see them better during the day. For the same reason, your phone’s screen lights up brighter when you’re in the sun. Seen from the car, the LEDs give a good amount of light, so that in the dark it can sometimes seem as if your headlights are just on. But not only do you dazzle your oncoming traffic in the dark, many cars have the rear lights off when the daytime running lights are on. Mistake, can happen – but make sure you fix it.
When someone signals, check your own lights
And that’s where we come to our frustration. We see them driving much more often than we should: people who have their daytime running LEDs on, but not their taillights, in poor visibility conditions. This is because they either have their lights turned off instead of on auto mode, or the car doesn’t realize the headlights are needed. For example if it is foggy during the day.
In such a case, we signal good citizens that we are with the high beam (or with the rear fog light if we drive in front of it) – but then nine times out of ten there is no response. Trust us, people really don’t give a shit because they’re such a fan of your hilarious license plate holder (babe on board, hilarious, how do you get it?). If you see someone signaling behind or in front of you with their lights, check your own lights. Just always do that.
Even if you are in doubt whether someone sent a message
Even if you are not sure whether someone was signaling or simply drove a little too fast over a threshold, check your lights. Little effort never hurts. Because as said: even if the button of your headlights is set to ‘automatic’, you are not assured of the right light. In case of fog you have to turn on your lighting yourself. In very dense fog (visibility less than 50 meters) you have to switch on your rear fog light yourself. Did we mention that you should always check your lights when someone is signaling?
The safety of daytime running lights
That does not mean that we are against daytime running lights – they just have to be used properly. Those little LEDs have a big effect. According to the Road Safety Research Foundation (SWOV), the number of road deaths would decrease by 15 percent and the number of serious injuries by 10 percent if everyone were to use lights during the day. If you don’t have daytime running lights, it pays to turn on your lights during the day. In some countries this is already mandatory. The effect will now be somewhat smaller, because many cars already have DRL.
