Lights

rameire

Just thought id let you guys know.
had a spare moment today and so the below is what i sent to the rsa.

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to you as I believe a new campaign should be run by yourselves The AA and The Gardai in the run up to winter.

"Light up your Lives"

I commute from Athy to Dublin every day by motorcycle.
I see alot of traffic and commuting.
One thing that I notice alot are,
Cars with lights that are (edit) borken broken and/or not working properly.
As Autumn has dawned upon us and winter approaches,
The nights will be getting longer and so commuters will start to use their lights more.
I believe a campaign should be setup to advise people to check all their lights are working correctly and to their fullest.
You could also get the help of motor factors eg Halfords to run a campaign where they will help you check your lights to advise you if everything is in working order.

You could also run alongside this campaign, one to advise people to use their lights when it rains, or to use dipped lights from the time you get in the car till the time you get out of the car, no matter what time of the day or night.

I thank you for taking your time to read this email, and hope it goes into helping save lives.

regards

Rameire

This is the response i got after about an hour.

Hi Rameire

Thank you for forwarding your suggestions. You will be happy to know we are doing just that with a number of campaigns with SIMI, Advance Pitstop and a Daylighted Campaign which we will launch as part of Irish Road Safety Week in October. We are also reminding pedestrians to wear high viz and have a joint campaign with the Irish Pharmacy Union and Age Action distributing high viz vests to older people. Towards the end of the month every child starting school will be given a high viz armband as well as High Glow Silver competition for students in 2nd class as part of our winter campaign activity. We are also publishing information on lights, bulbs etc. Once again thank you for taking the time to forward your ideas it is very much appreciated.

Regards

M. R.

Berty

Thats good.

Kudos on the typo in your letter.

I wrote to them about the amount of foreign registered vehicles in this country without having light reflectors fitted to their headlights and got a letter from the desk of Noel Brett telling me that his Engineer has checked this out and they will come up with a statedy immediately.

Did anything change? No! :mad:

_ZeeK_

good call.
nothing more annoying than people that refuse to take ALL that effort to flick the light switch...

a car, through rain spray, looks virtually invisible in your rearview mirror if theres no lights on.

Berty

_ZeeK_ wrote: »

good call.
nothing more annoying than people that refuse to take ALL that effort to flick the light switch...

a car, through rain spray, looks virtually invisible in your rearview mirror if theres no lights on.

You are missing the point. Its about people who do flick the light switch but are oblivious to the fact that some of their bulbs are not working.

_ZeeK_

fair enough. but its even more annoying when people have a perfectly functioning set of lights and they don't even use them.

homer90

IIRC an Initiative was ran in 2007 in Galway ("Im Daylighted")

Nothing to do with the RSA funnily enough:rolleyes:

Posted around the county were signs reminding motorists to use their lights

As part of the Galway Healthy Cities project, Galway University Hospitals, in conjunction with Health Promotion Services, HSE West launched an initiative in December 2007 to create awareness of the importance of using dipped headlights at all times during the day.

http://www.galwayhealthycities.ie/html/safety.asp

stealthyspeeder

No mention of asking the RSA to tell motorists that foglights are only to be used in case of fog??

Drummerboy08

stealthyspeeder wrote: »

No mention of asking the RSA to tell motorists that foglights are only to be used in case of fog??

That doesnt mean much, because the majority of motorists are male, so they'll all crash into each other by driving dangerously anyhow.

alexmcred

Was driving through town a couple of weeks ago fairly dark and crappy weather car coming towards me has one headlight. As car comes closer realise its a traffic corps car.

Who ever maintains Garda vehicles in Tipperary needs a good shoe up the hole cause the paddy wagon only has one headlight working as well:(

Berty

alexmcred wrote: »

Who ever maintains Garda vehicles in Tipperary needs a good shoe up the hole cause the paddy wagon only has one headlight working as well:(

We mentioned this previously on a thread with a member of the traffic corps / boards member.

He said that the individual Garda cannot just go buy a bulb and hand a receipt to the admin person/Sergeant. They must get a purchase order from the Sergeant who has to get it from X,Y & Z, then head out and get the bulb.

So it could be down to lazyness or because they are just another human being failure to notice the missing bulb.

You would be right though if there was a law like the US regarding bulbs and then the Garda would have no right to lecture you about your car.

Wertz

Amen to this idea...just after coming down the M1 in heavy spray conditions...I had lights and front and rear fogs on. Before someone slates me for fog lights, the spray warrants it... I think I saw one other van doing the same...most had no lights at all on, some had their dips, a few with their heads.
If people haven't got the wit to think of turning on thier lights in these conditions, what chance is there of getting them to use DRLs/dips in normal weather?

colm_mcm

there should be a campaign pointing out how useless parking lights are for anything other than parking.

Stephen

I think the only way to get most Irish drivers to use DRL's would be to have any new cars sold fitted with automatic DRL's, like you get in certain places like Switzerland.

Berty

Stephen wrote: »

I think the only way to get most Irish drivers to use DRL's would be to have any new cars sold fitted with automatic DRL's, like you get in certain places like Switzerland.

Except you can switch them off like the new AUDI's.

GTE

I just read the comment about parking lights and DRLs. How about incorporating the two.

I know that LED's cant be fitted to cars unless the car was designed to have them but if all standard parking light bulbs were phased out for an Emarked LED then at least the older cars or cars with no DRL's fitted will have something similar readily available.

Its just a thought as I have seen cars with DRL's and I think that some of them have too many and its almost distracting for lack of a better word but one on each side would be fine I would think. There is a thread in the Modified Cars forum about LED sidelights. Some are very very bright so some standardisation would have to be put in place.

It could work.

LED sidelight thread.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055658474

colm_mcm

you won't see 1 on each side. that's the point of having so many.

peasant

bbk wrote: »

I know that LED's cant be fitted to cars unless the car was designed to have them but if all standard parking light bulbs were phased out for an Emarked LED then at least the older cars or cars with no DRL's fitted will have something similar readily available.

or simply fit aftermarket ones
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=55830832&postcount=1

GTE

peasant wrote: »

or simply fit aftermarket ones
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=55830832&postcount=1

Indeed that is another option however the average Joe Bloggs may not be aware of fitting a separate light unit like that or wouldn't see it as beneficial financially (cost of light kit and garage costs to get it fitted) or even be bothered to do it themselves. Basically getting everyone to do what is basically a retrofit of a new lighting system on their car probably wont be an easy task and almost definitely one that wont work fully. On top of that not all of those after party ones fit every car nicely.

A bit of both would work and I would certainly get a set of DRLs for my car if i could afford them but nationwide it would depend on how aftermarket ones are rolled out in the rules of the road and how they are deployed on cars if they were made mandatory but for the very least getting rid of those what are in most situations pointless parking light bulbs for something brighter that stands out, and uses less power so can be used comfortably for parking lights when the needs be.

It could be used in conjunction with DRL systems, thats what I think would be a good situation.

Henry Ford III

Wertz wrote: »

Amen to this idea...just after coming down the M1 in heavy spray conditions...I had lights and front and rear fogs on. Before someone slates me for fog lights, the spray warrants it... I think I saw one other van doing the same...most had no lights at all on, some had their dips, a few with their heads.

Not slating you but the ROTR state that fog lights should only be used:

1/. In dense fog
2/. In falling snow

http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/rules-for-driving/good-driving-practice/driving-at-night.html

Bluefoam

or to use dipped lights from the time you get in the car till the time you get out of the car, no matter what time of the day or night.

It is unusual for you to suggest this. As a motorcyclist you will (should) be aware of the long standing campaign to stop car drivers from using their lights during daylight hours.

Motorcyclists are encouraged to keep their lights on at all times as it makes them more visible to other motorists and creates a distinction between them and other road users.

If car drivers use their lights during daylight hours, they negate the effect of trying to distinguish the motorcyclist & also cause situations where it becomes more difficult to see motorcycles in your mirrors.

I suggest you join a motorcycle lobby group who can help you to understand the issues effecting motorcyclists on our roads.

Bluefoam

Bluefoam wrote: »

long standing campaign to stop car drivers from using their lights during daylight hours.

Any campaign I have ever heard of encouraged drivers to use their lights at all times.

I have got so used to turning on my lights at all times now I dont even realize I'm doing it. Turn key, belt on, lights on drive off. I definitely think cars should use their lights at all times it makes them that bit more noticeable when pulling out at junctions etc. I think if everybody did this, like some countrys were it is law, it would prevent at least some accidents.

rameire

Bluefoam wrote: »

It is unusual for you to suggest this. As a motorcyclist you will (should) be aware of the long standing campaign to stop car drivers from using their lights during daylight hours.

Motorcyclists are encouraged to keep their lights on at all times as it makes them more visible to other motorists and creates a distinction between them and other road users.

If car drivers use their lights during daylight hours, they negate the effect of trying to distinguish the motorcyclist & also cause situations where it becomes more difficult to see motorcycles in your mirrors.

I suggest you join a motorcycle lobby group who can help you to understand the issues effecting motorcyclists on our roads.

i am aware of this campaign. i feel though it is better for all, if lights are turned on as soon as you start up a vehicle.
I do also drive a car and will turn the lighs on as soon as i start the engine.

in regards to morotcycles, all new motorcycles since i think 02 or 04 (cant remember the year ) are made so that their lights are on automatically from once the engine is started.

in distinguishing motorcycles from other road vehicles, i believe all motorcyclists should wear a reflective vest or strap. but thats another argument.

Bluefoam

rameire wrote: »

in distinguishing motorcycles from other road vehicles, i believe all motorcyclists should wear a reflective vest or strap. but thats another argument.

I'm not sure that is the same argument....

rameire

Bluefoam wrote: »

I'm not sure that is the same argument....

ok

Bitten & Hisses

Brody Thundering Sound wrote: »

I have got so used to turning on my lights at all times now I dont even realize I'm doing it. Turn key, belt on, lights on drive off. I definitely think cars should use their lights at all times it makes them that bit more noticeable when pulling out at junctions etc. I think if everybody did this, like some countrys were it is law, it would prevent at least some accidents.

I do the same and I would like to see all new cars have DRL's fitted as standard. One thing which annoys me about the new Audis is that you have lights on at the front, but no lights at the back unless you turn the switch.
Plus, if you turn on your lights during the day, you still get idiots flashing their lights to tell you!

aido 1976

rameire wrote: »

Just thought id let you guys know.
had a spare moment today and so the below is what i sent to the rsa.


This is the response i got after about an hour.

Halfords.............
Come on, would you really let that shower of useles tossers near your car, be realistic, in saying that Fast fit also............ USELESS

Some Independents maybe