When to use dipped headlights?

marious

Hi there

Was wondering, as I'm travelling a lot across the country, on what bases people behind a wheel are making decision when to use dipped headlights and when not?
I've been driving today and made couple of pictures:

this is haw You can see (or can't see) car incoming from opposite direction:


this is what everybody without heated mirrors see in one:



In these particular conditions more less 40% of drivers don't have any lights and further 20% just side lights. I'm still dazzled by this people intelligence...
They shouting away about deaths on the roads and catching people for drink driving and speeding, maybe we should start from basics?

marious

images if not seen
http://img261.imageshack.us/i/06102009004.jpg/
http://img127.imageshack.us/i/06102009.jpg/

Amtmann

Moved to C&T.

Heroditas

Can we see some more pictures of Amanda Braun instead?

To answer your question, I always use dipped lights if there is any traffic within view, i.e. there is a risk my full beams will catch their mirror or there is oncoming traffic.

I rarely use full beams unless I'm in the countryside and there are no other cars within view

Gumbo

i use my dipped lights all day, rain, wind or sun!

The Big Red Button

kceire wrote: »

i use my dipped lights all day, rain, wind or sun!

Same! I automatically put them on when I get into the car.

_Kaiser_

kceire wrote: »

i use my dipped lights all day, rain, wind or sun!

chatterpillar wrote: »

Same! I automatically put them on when I get into the car.

Me 3!

Carawaystick

When the engine is on and it's not dark; or I'm in a built up area or there's oncoming traffic or I'm behind another vehicle or I can see pedestrians coming towards me and it is dark.

highdef

As above

a_ominous

kceire wrote: »

i use my dipped lights all day, rain, wind or sun!

And fog lights all the time too, it would appear.
Know where the off switch is? :mad:

doolox

It is compulsory to drive, day or night, with dipped heads on in Sweden. In order to increase visibility in weather like we had yesterday I always drive with dipped headlights on. I rarely use fulls as I do very little country driving where I am not in traffic.
As far as I know these are the rules:-
Use dipped headlights during lighting up time when traffic is approaching you and when you are behind a car going in the same direction. Fulls can be used on an empty road.
Using the lights during the day, especially in winter would increase visiblilty and promote safety.

highdef

a_ominous wrote: »

And fog lights all the time too, it would appear.
Know where the off switch is? :mad:

Good point about the fog lights there......I missed that!!! Turn them off kceire!!! They do no good....except in fog. Nothing worse than some gob****e coming towards you on a wet night with their low to the ground fog lights creating massive amounts of reflection due to their proximity to the ground. And even when not wet, some cars fog lights are akin to full beams!!!
They're not cool.....just like drink driving and using a hand held phone in the car.....both very frowned upon these days.

Davy

Didnt the government promote something like this a few years ago,, i think it might have been Seamus Brennan but im not sure, saying to leave the lights on all day cause it will help to take accidents down and only costs a few cent.

Apparently from Feb 2011 onwards all new cars and small vans will be required to be manufactured with daytime running lights and larger trucks and buses will be required to do so from August 2012

Bards

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Me 3!

me 4.. also referred to as Daylight Running Lights.

Better to be seen than not seen, still didn't stop some eejit in a van driving into me though a couple of years back

L1011

Generally all the time in my van; always all the time in my car. Fiat's turn the lights off with the engine, Citroen don't... so I can't forget to turn them on in the Fiat car but the van is a different story!

chewed

If you drive a silver car (like I do) then leaving the lights on all the time is safer as the colour of the car usually blends in to the colour of Irish grey skies.