What lights should be used during daylight hours?

stainluss

what sort of headlights (if any) should be used during daylight hours (say 9am) by law?thanks!

ejmaztec

As far as I'm aware, in bad visibility, dipped beams - and not parking lights.

Del2005

stainluss wrote: »

what sort of headlights (if any) should be used during daylight hours (say 9am) by law?thanks!

None.

But if driving in reduced visabilty then dips are required. Parks are only for parking.

MarkN

I put the xenons on whenever I am in the car.

MarkR

Del2005 wrote: »

None.

But if driving in reduced visabilty then dips are required. Parks are only for parking.

Not quite correct. Lights on mean better visibility, even in daylight.

Alun

MarkR wrote: »

Not quite correct. Lights on mean better visibility, even in daylight.

The OP specifically said "by law", and assuming it's daylight and good visibility then the answer to that is indeed "none". Whether it's advisable or not is a separate issue, and I'd agree with you that in that case, it's a good idea to have dips on at all times.

Wishbone Ash

Is this a "Foglight" thread in disguise?

ninty9er

Well the OP asked what lights should be used, which doesn't correspond to putting by law in the sentence.

So therefore my answer is dipped beam headlights at all times.

Dr.Millah

What is the use of parked lights? how could they help parking? see how far away you are to the car in front?

Cionád

I use Dipped Headlights at all times.

My car is dark green so prone to not being seen on the backroads if I don't have the lights on.

Rowley Birkin QC

I always drive with my dipped beams on, can't see the point of parks tbh.

L1011

Cionád wrote: »

I use Dipped Headlights at all times.

My car is dark green so prone to not being seen on the backroads if I don't have the lights on.

Mines blue/silverish and nearly invisible in any form of drizzle, so also dips all the time.

Alun

Dr.Millah wrote: »

What is the use of parked lights? how could they help parking? see how far away you are to the car in front?

You're not serious, are you? They're for putting on when you're already parked to make you more visible, not to help you parking :rolleyes:

stainluss

is it against the law/ could i be blamed for a crash if i had dips on in normal visibility in daylight?would it matter?

DonJose

I let the car decide I always leave the auto lights on.

javaboy

Cionád wrote: »

I use Dipped Headlights at all times.

My car is dark green so prone to not being seen on the backroads if I don't have the lights on.

Cionád if you have your lights on all the time, you're wasting energy and driving up the demand for oil which indirectly causes wars in the middle east and melts the ice caps etc.

But don't worry, you drive on by with your lights leaving a wave of destruction in your path!

BTW change your sig to CS-PG forever. 3rd year was a long time ago!

Guy:Incognito

I know it's the in thing around here, but I see no point in lights during the day (normal bright day i'm talking about here) in fact i find people's lights a lot more dazzling during the day. People go on about the likes of Volvos that come with permanant on lights but they are pretty much built for Scandanavian customers where they can experience days of darkness.

If your having trouble judgign distance/seeing other cars in perfect daylight, somthign is up and them having their lights on isnt going to help much.

Maybe people on here could better spend their energy explaining things like lane dicipline and use of indicators/fogs to their family members and increse driver awarness.

JHMEG

MarkN wrote: »

I put the xenons on whenever I am in the car.

Is this to show everyone you have xenons? I notice quite a lot of this lately.. one tool in my area driving around with his xenons on and wearing sunglasses, the sunlight is that strong.

It hasn't been made law across the EU to drive with dips on because it wastes fuel. I saw a figure a few years ago of €60 per car a year, dunno how accurate that is.

L1011

stainluss wrote: »

is it against the law/ could i be blamed for a crash if i had dips on in normal visibility in daylight?would it matter?

No, no, no.

Alun

stainluss wrote: »

is it against the law/ could i be blamed for a crash if i had dips on in normal visibility in daylight?would it matter?

"No", "No" and "not quite sure what you mean there".

Cionád

javaboy wrote: »

Cionád if you have your lights on all the time, you're wasting energy and driving up the demand for oil which indirectly causes wars in the middle east and melts the ice caps etc.

But don't worry, you drive on by with your lights leaving a wave of destruction in your path!

BTW change your sig to CS-PG forever. 3rd year was a long time ago!

But i drive an economical diesel so im sure it balances out.

CSSE3 was an institution, a rite of passage, i'll never forget it.

CS-PG just gets me stressed.

meathstevie

I tend to drive with dipped beams ( normal headlights ) on all the time. It increases the visibility of the car to others in all sorts of circumstances like rain and drizzle, low winter sun,... . About parking lights, for exactly the same reason. Make your car more visible to others when parked in a dark spot ( we don't all live in bright lit cities and towns ).

DannyBuoy

meathstevie wrote: »

I tend to drive with dipped beams ( normal headlights ) on all the time. It increases the visibility of the car to others in all sorts of circumstances like rain and drizzle, low winter sun,... . About parking lights, for exactly the same reason. Make your car more visible to others when parked in a dark spot ( we don't all live in bright lit cities and towns ).

Me too, the old motto comes to mind: be safe, be seen. I drive in or around 30k miles a year and wouldn't drive without properly focused dims on day or night.
OP question has probably been answered I think, none, but I'm of the opinion its so much easier to see a car with lights on than without, especially given the tendancy of some modern colours to blend into the road or backround.

timmywex

by 2012, all cars will automatically have their lights come on when the car is started, no matter about the time of day, similar to most garda cars now.

colm_mcm

what about if you have the engine running and don't want the lights on?

Cookie_Monster

timmywex wrote: »

by 2012, all cars will automatically have their lights come on when the car is started, no matter about the time of day, similar to most garda cars now.

Another genius EU law that has no real world application:rolleyes:

WHY on earth do you need your lights on in the middle of the day?

corkandproud

Dipped Headlights = reduction in collisions.

Proven repeatedly in studies across Europe.

javaboy

timmywex wrote: »

by 2012, all cars will automatically have their lights come on when the car is started, no matter about the time of day, similar to most garda cars now.

Hope that doesn't apply to Special Branch. It wouldn't be too good for stakeouts where you might want the engine running.

Cookie_Monster

corkandproud wrote: »

Dipped Headlights during day = waste of energy and additional CO2 output

Proven repeatedly in studies across Europe.

Jonnykitedude

I always drive with head lights on.

Isnt it the law to drive in the states with your lights on if you have your wipers on?????

JHMEG

timmywex wrote: »

by 2012, all cars will automatically have their lights come on when the car is started, no matter about the time of day, similar to most garda cars now.

proof?

L1011

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Editing a quote to put in something you have no actual proof for and removing something which is proven doesn't make you look big and clever, it makes you look like an idiot. Proud?

The same kind of people who bitch about a POSSIBLE rise in CO2 emissions - depends on what power output the alternator is going to have *anyway* based on engine speed, etc; are generally the kind of people who bitch about diesel particulate output too I've found, impossible to please either way.

I'm leaving my dips on.

Cookie_Monster

MYOB wrote: »

Editing a quote to put in something you have no actual proof for and removing something which is proven doesn't make you look big and clever, it makes you look like an idiot. Proud?

Lighten up.

Anyway I think it's pretty much proven that turning on lights uses energy, enegry come from fossil fuels (in this case) QED

patrickc

i always have my lights on whatever the conditions, but never thought they used fuel just battery, which is recharging as you drive

Silvera

read my sig
v
v
v

antodeco

javaboy wrote: »

Hope that doesn't apply to Special Branch. It wouldn't be too good for stakeouts where you might want the engine running.

lol! Thats where shapes cut from black bags and sellotape comes in handy!

Saruman

I always drive with dipped headlights on, its much safer and in some countries like sweden its the law i believe.

However.. here by law.. no lights.. although it is suggested by the RSA.

Alun

patrickc wrote: »

i always have my lights on whatever the conditions, but never thought they used fuel just battery, which is recharging as you drive

.. and where do you think the energy comes from to recharge your battery?

faceman

Im also a biker and one of our golden unwritten rules (although I think its in recommended in the ROTR now) is that we live our dipped lights on all the time to improve our visibility to others. I do the same in the car.

Its mandatory in some countries. In italy its mandatory on all motorways.

What worries me though is the amount of people in ireland who think their parking lights ARE their dipped lights!!! As one woman said "they are the dipped lights, they're not as bright as the full lights". :eek:

If the stats for using extra juice is only €60 per year then thats barely a euro a week and money well spent!

bennyx_o

I'm no expert, but I'd imagine the difference in emissions with your lights off and with them on during the day would be tiny. I know, with every car in the world it'd make a difference, but with all the car manufactures going all eco friendly, it shouldn't be a problem.

Rein-in

I used to drive a lot for work, they sent us on an advanced driving course and one of the first things the instructor mentioned was to drive with your dipped beams on at all times. It may not help you to see, but it helps others to see you. I automatically switch the lights on now, no matter what time of day.

paulksnn

faceman wrote: »

Im also a biker and one of our golden unwritten rules (although I think its in recommended in the ROTR now) is that we live our dipped lights on all the time to improve our visibility to others. I do the same in the car.

Its mandatory in some countries. In italy its mandatory on all motorways.

What worries me though is the amount of people in ireland who think their parking lights ARE their dipped lights!!! As one woman said "they are the dipped lights, they're not as bright as the full lights". :eek:

If the stats for using extra juice is only €60 per year then thats barely a euro a week and money well spent!

I'm with you faceman.
The number of people driving at dusk with parking lights on that think they're fully visible is ridiculous.
As far as I remember though, it isn't covered in the test. Although I have my license about a decade now, so I'm not sure what the situation is with the theory test.
Either way, it should be covered as part of the practical test, to show that a driver knows the difference between parking, dipped and full lights.

Alun

paulksnn wrote: »

Either way, it should be covered as part of the practical test, to show that a driver knows the difference between parking, dipped and full lights.

I know, it's amazing how many people haven't a clue what these all are. I know one woman who refers to them as her 'little lights' and 'big lights' :rolleyes:

Tabnabs

JHMEG wrote: »

Is this to show everyone you have xenons? I notice quite a lot of this lately.. one tool in my area driving around with his xenons on and wearing sunglasses, the sunlight is that strong.

This man speaks the truth, for I am such a tool

I have bi xenon headlights which are always on when driving and regularly wear sunglasses (when the sun's out obviously).

Comes down to safety, the car can be seen and I can see out without squinting or reducing visibility with sun shade.

And oh yeah, it's a volvo, so the lights come on automatically

High&Low

I also drive with my dipped headlights on irrespective of the weather. I can't get over the number of people who seem to think that lights are only for seeing with and not being seen and refuse to put them on when it is dusk or its raining.

If someone coming in the opposite direction is overtaking and you have your headlights on, you can be seen from almost twice the distance...

If you have your headlights on while driving around the city centre or a built up area, you are much more visible to other road users and pedestrians, helping distinguish you from parked cars and reducing the chances of you knocking somone down.

NeMiSiS

I counted ten cars the other morning on a 20 minute drive.. with their front fog lights on and parking lights.
Sorry to mention fogs.. but keep an eye out for it. Seems to be the newest and most fashionable lighting arrangement for gob****es..

TK

richie_rvf

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

WHY on earth do you need your lights on in the middle of the day?

because it saves lives

Cookie_Monster

richie_rvf wrote: »

because it saves lives

IF this is true, surely then having all the street lights on during the day would have a similar effect. Do any of the countries that requires headlights to be on during the day insist that streetlights must be on also?

Somehow I doubt it, as it would be the state paying the bills for that power and i would say its cheaper for the state to let the accidents happen then leave the lights on, whereas if it's the motorists footing the bill for headlights, happy days from the state's point of view.

(Ford had something years ago in the U.S. didn't they and got busted for it. "Let the accidents happen, it'll be cheaper to pay for them than fix the cars." Similar mentality)

richie_rvf

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

IF this is true, surely then having all the street lights on during the day would have a similar effect. Do any of the countries that requires headlights to be on during the day insist that streetlights must be on also?

Somehow I doubt it, as it would be the state paying the bills for that power and i would say its cheaper for the state to let the accidents happen then leave the lights on, whereas if it's the motorists footing the bill for headlights, happy days from the state's point of view.

(Ford had something years ago in the U.S. didn't they and got busted for it. "Let the accidents happen, it'll be cheaper to pay for them than fix the cars." Similar mentality)

That is one of the most ridiculous answers I have ever heard - how many time to you meet a street light driving on the road???

The point is about visibility of motorist - not illuminating the road

It is about being seen.

It is a well proven fact that driving with lights on greatly increases your visibility and it is also proven that countries that introduced a law to enforce the use of lights whist driving have had a dramatic decrease in the number of road deaths.

If you drive on any national route you can clearly notice the difference in when you see an oncoming car with lights on compared to one with lights out.

We all have a responsibility to try to prevent accidents where possible, driving with lights on is one method of preventing accidents.

We all know there are idiots out there who will take chance with overtaking, they may rethink if they see you coming.

High&Low

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

IF this is true, surely then having all the street lights on during the day would have a similar effect. Do any of the countries that requires headlights to be on during the day insist that streetlights must be on also?

Somehow I doubt it, as it would be the state paying the bills for that power and i would say its cheaper for the state to let the accidents happen then leave the lights on, whereas if it's the motorists footing the bill for headlights, happy days from the state's point of view.

(Ford had something years ago in the U.S. didn't they and got busted for it. "Let the accidents happen, it'll be cheaper to pay for them than fix the cars." Similar mentality)

What have street lights being on or off got to do with a car being more visible to other motorists during the day time?

As many, many other posters have pointed out, having your headlights on during the day makes you more visible to other motorists, it does not improve your visibility...

blackbox

Its dipped headlamps all the time for me.

Even in bright sunlight they make the car more visible. This is especially true on country roads where trees can make deep shadow into which a dark-coloured car can disappear.