Rule change Nov '21

BronsonTB

Dipped headlights now a requirement - I hope this is strickly enforced going forward & more drivers are 'educated' to be more practical when it comes to making sure there lights are on & working during winter.

Saw a number cars with no rear lights on in pitch black over the weekend.

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/gardai-warn-motorists-rule-road-25370095

zg3409

It should just be manditory for all new cars to have auto headlights. That would solve 99% of the issues. Some cars will warn if headlights not in auto mode to "turn on headlights"

Making it illegal will not stop people driving around at night with lights off

Sam Russell

I have my lights on all the time. When the ignition is off, the lights are off, otherwise they are on.

The only problem is after a service or NCT, the lights are left off, and it takes me a while to notice that they are off.

Some cars have DLR lights that only turn on the front facing lights but not the rears - daft.

Miscreant

Is this actually a rule change? Surely the fact that it is darker earlier should be making people switch on their lights earlier, no?

I spotted this article last week and laughed at it. Silly journalism trying to make out this is a new thing! There must be very little to report on these days other than Covid so they are scraping the barrel with this article!

I bet there will be as much policing for this as there is for all the vehicles driving around with one headlight working anyway.

loyatemu

Dipped headlights are now required to be used before 5pm, where previously it was 6pm.

so what, at 5pm you can turn them off again? if that is the rule, it's seriously confusing. why not just make DRLs mandatory from Nov-March?

I'd rather see the guards crack down on all the "cyclops" cars driving around on one headlight. "No need to replace the bulb, sure my NCT isn't for another year!"

dubbrin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118135275#Comment_118135275

Or the titbags driving around with fog lights on all the time. Some makes and models have fogs which are fine, but some are just a piss take. And don't get me started on the aftermarket LED-in-halgen-reflector gimps. Boils my blood.....

BronsonTB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118135275#Comment_118135275

This is not DRLs - This is dipped 'headlights' must be on day & night - This will allow them see & hopefully catch more of these one eye f**kers.

Alot of DRL's aren't worth s**t esp when they don't tuen of the rears & are just a small front light.

BronsonTB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118135194#Comment_118135194

Yep but alot of drivers fail to turn on their lights in poor driving condtions, this way if stopped they can now get a fine to help 'educate' them to do so. Common sense is lost on some drivers in Ireland.

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118135370#Comment_118135370

"Dipped headlights must be on day & night" is a lot clearer than saying they must be on before 5pm

BrianD3

There has been no rule change, terrible journalism. All that has happened is the change in the hour with sunset now before 5 pm instead of before 6 pm. Dipped headlights don't need to be on all day before 5 pm, they need to be turned on at a particular time which now happens to be before 5 pm.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118135407#Comment_118135407

Heard this on the radio last week and thought the same, lazy reporting. You always needed to have dipped beam lights on during lighting up hours, dusk to dawn, it's just that dusk moved forward an hour. I can't believe it's gotten so much media attention that you need to turn your lights on when it's dark.

Problem is that there's way too many new cars now with DRLs and the owners don't know how to turn on the rear lights, which is way more dangerous then not having lights on at the front during normal daylight.

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118135407#Comment_118135407

OK - "turn them on before 5pm" is a lot clearer than "must be used before 5pm". Agree about the DRLs, the amount of stealth cars you see driving around with no rear lights is ridiculous.

Also people driving around with their sidelights only on. If it's dark enough for sidelights, turn your dips on!

coylemj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118135407#Comment_118135407

It was a classic clickbait article, total garbage. I have added the Irish Mirror to Dublin Live in my blacklist as totally untrustworthy sources when it comes to clicking on their headlines. They promise something juicy or interesting but seldom deliver.

To echo your comment, there has been no change to the regulations. And there is no fixed 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. time to switch on your lights, it changes with the seasons and depends on the time of sunset where you live.

Atlantic Dawn

Not being able to count 10 cars in a row in oncoming taffic with the correct lighting will tell you where the policing is for driving with the correct lights, as will it tell you drivers who wouldn't check a single fault on their car until NCT time.

Sexual Chocolate

Problem with DRL is that the dash in most newer cars is constantly illuminated making drivers no longer realise that there lights are on or off unlike on older cars.

colm_mcm

Yep, also the drivers will never really be made aware by oncoming traffic the way they would with no lights at all on.

Zatoichi

The most shocking thing is in the comments where someone wrote a Garda stopped them for having their fog lights on when it wasn't foggy.

DaveyDave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118135311#Comment_118135311

I'm not sure what it is but I've seen an increase in cars driving with absolutely blinding modified fog lights and their headlights only have side lights on.

The amount of people defending fog lights is absurd too. Saw a post on Reddit recently where someone said turn them off and so many people said it makes no difference or were defending it. Absolute morons. They think because they're down low it doesn't effect you. It's a high intensity light pointed at you of course it makes a difference. It makes literally no difference for visibility...

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118139289#Comment_118139289

Every new car I've gotten into recently has an Auto setting for their lights, there's no excuse for not have lights on when it's dark.

Miscreant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118144754#Comment_118144754

Totally agree with you here. The clue is in the name.... FOG lights. No fog, no fog lights. You would imagine it is a simple concept to grasp but some people believe their car looks cooler with the fog lights on!