I know weve discussed this before but like in the old days where youd see ads such as “clunk click every trip”. The fog like some of the drivers was dense round our way this morning and the amount of drivers with zero lights on was ridiculous. Am I also right in thinking that some drl’s on cars put just the fronts on so nothing on the rears?

The daytime running light thing is a problem, as a lot of people assume they have rear lights on too. Wouldn’t it be easier to have all the lights on with this feature, or none at all?

Am I also right in thinking that some drl’s on cars put just the fronts on so nothing on the rears?

Yep, blinding lights at the front and nothing at the rear is pretty common around here. Whoever came up with the DRL arrangement really didn’t think through how it would be used by the average idiot.

Would also go for a National “turn your **** engine off” ad campaign.

Doesn’t help the dashboard automatically lights up, either. “Back in the day” if you couldn’t see the speedometer it was a pretty clear indication that the lights weren’t on…

Love that Alan clip! 😀

I spotted a car last night with front lights on but no rear. It was a Fiat though so I just assumed it was a typical Italian wiring issue

Yep. Joined the A46 south of Coventry this morning (at 6:50am – still very much dark) followed by a woman in an S-Max. Could see in the mirror that she only had DRLs as it was just a couple of strips of LEDs.
She was flashed by someone further back – nothing. She over took me and I flashed her – still nothing. Took about another 4 cars to flash her before she finally realised that she was the common denominator in the related disco of flashing lights. Thing is, she must have come at least a mile before reaching me without them on and people flashing her as it was well away from any houses by this point.
For some there is just no hope.

I think the regs state the DRL are supposed to be front only, I think it’s only early implementations that pre-date the regs which also light the rears.

Makes no sense to me. Shirley if the aim is to make the car more visible, then why not light up the rear too?

I leave mine on auto. Sometimes fog confuses the car and it thinks it’s bright outside and doesn’t switch any lights on. I usually notice and switch them on manually but I guess a lot of people don’t think about lights anymore and just assume the car will sort it all out for them.

The trouble is you are signalling – with a friendly flash – to someone who’s head is so far up their arse that they are driving around with their lights off in the dark!

I’ve actually turned my lights on and off behind someone (in the middle lane, natch) driving on the motorway with no lights when its completely dark. After a minute I gave up and just went past them.

Frankly a campaign to check you have a least one working light at the front would help.

Also, Fog lights are not rain lights, the clue is in the title

And when foggy, high beam is not the correct choice.

The daytime running light thing is a problem

plus

Doesn’t help the dashboard automatically lights up

Yup
Had to take part in the Glasgow – Falkirk -Forth bridge commute route on Monday morning.
Very heavy rain and spray all the way,really hard to see drivers with just running/side lights coming up behind at speed.Would hate having to do that every day.

Aye the DRL regs are stupid. I had a 2009 car that pre-dated them and it (quite sensibly) lit up front and rear. As above, the speedo/rev-counter always being back lit is an issue also because that’s one further indicator removed for people.

Thing is though, people just don’t give a shit about their cars and how they actually function. Take people parking on the wrong side against oncoming traffic with their headlights on. I’d hazard that a good chunk of people wouldn’t even recognise why this is an issue.

I’m not even going to get started on the absolute shower of prats that put Xenon/LED style bulbs into halogen units.. or the pops and bangs remap dickhead brigade who go past my house at 50 (in a 20 zone) every. ****. night.

And how to use your indicators not just leave it to guess work.

always assumed that any drivers without lights are cyclists proving the statement “most cyclists also drive” is a fact

(not really true but on my early evening sports commutes we count unlit cars versus unlit cyclists – car drivers usually “win” – cyclist modal share is too small)

I just leave my lights on all the time over the winter months. It’s useful to have them on even during daylight hours as the low sun at this time of year causes problems and having lights on makes me slightly more visible.

And if they’re on permanently then I won’t forget!

Can we also have a “Please defrost your windscreen properly before driving” campaign too?

The number of people i see doing the school run with either an A4 sized scraped hole or with most of the ice still remaining having done a shit job is terrifying.

The thing is, the vast majority of drivers on the road at rush hour do nothing but that journey. School drop off, drive to work. Reverse in the evening.

DRLs are automatic so zero thought required (plus the fact that most drivers don’t check their car from one MOT to the next) so when the clocks go back that same automatic thought process – in fact it’s not even thought, it’s ingrained behaviour – just continues. They haven’t had to turn the lights on for 6 months!

No concept of turning lights on or checking them or actually thinking about anything outside the windscreen.

Doesn’t help the dashboard automatically lights up, either.

Is that actually the case? That’s a terrible design decision if so.

Also, Fog lights are not rain lights, the clue is in the title

They really need to be rebranded as “reduced visibility lights.”

A wisp of light ground mist, everyone goes “ooh, I can use my fog lights!” and then forgets to switch them off again for the next month. Yet driving rain / snow and visibility of a foot, everyone drives around in the dark.

There’s times I wonder how we ever survived this far as a species.

Can we also have a “Please defrost your windscreen properly before driving” campaign too?

The number of people i see doing the school run with either an A4 sized scraped hole or with most of the ice still remaining having done a shit job is terrifying.

Tru dat

Just last week

What on earth is an ‘early evening sports commute’ ..?

I’m all in favour of a Turn Your Effing Lights On campaign but also want it followed up with a Turn Your Effing Fog Lights Off campaign.
It seems that around these parts the favoured illumination mode for the

pops and bangs remap dickhead brigade

(I like that description) is side lights and fog lights. Couple that with the ****wits who didn’t bother to turn their fog lights off after their last foggy drive and night driving becomes an exercise in squinting against the glare of oncoming cars, especially when it is raining.
People are dicks!

also some education on the bulb icon on the dash means your headlight bulbs have blown and to replace them, not drive around with fog on cos headlights are so s**t, amount of cars driving round with one working headlight is becoming ridiculous!

highlandman
What on earth is an ‘early evening sports commute’ ..?

I take younger teen antigee to ice hockey with her big bag of kit…we drive there and back in dark usually after peak get home to urgently watch TV commute has finished

Frankly a campaign to check you have a least one working light at the front would help.

amount of cars driving round with one working headlight is becoming ridiculous

I’ve a colleague in my last job who I commented on a bulb being out. She asked me to change it / show her how. which I did from the spares I carry. I commented that as a 40+year old who had owned that car for a decade from new, she should already know.

Apparently that’s what the annual ‘service’ (aka MOT) was for!

A growing number of folk have not the basic maintenance skills for a house, car, bike, life even.

You say that, but it’s not always that simple.

Years ago a co-worker asked me for help replacing a headlight bulb on something exotic like an Astra van. I couldn’t for the life of me work it out either so looked it up, step 1 was “remove the radiator.” You’d then to remove the entire headlamp assembly, replace the bulb, put it all back together and go through an alignment process.

I can’t remember exactly which ones offhand now, but I’ve seen some more modern cars where bulb replacement was a “dealer service only” job.

Adequate resourcing of roads policing is probably the answer to all these, and other, issues.

LOL @ the Astra Van bulb replacement procedure! Madness isn’t it? I think it was the Renault Megane where you had to remove the front wheel first to gain access.. FFS, not exactly built for maintenance when step 1 of replacing headlight bulb reads “remove wheel”.

Even though most people know them as “fog lights” can they please be informed they do not need them on at the slightest whif of a bit of mist!

And once a vehicle is behind them and has not crashed into their rear the approaching vehicle has seen them and they can turn the bloody things off – even in thick fog!!

LOL @ the Astra Van bulb replacement procedure! Madness isn’t it? I think it was the Renault Megane where you had to remove the front wheel first to gain access.. FFS, not exactly built for maintenance when step 1 of replacing headlight bulb reads “remove wheel”.

Getting a bit off-topic, but this isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon either. I was once talking with my mechanic who at the time had a classic E-type Jag (IIRC) in for some work. Apparently to change the brake pads you’d first to remove the entire rear axle assembly…

Educate drivers? We/they are all perfect.
Three times in past week in Lincoln – cars being driven after dark without lights.
Flash, beep horn, indicate L & R repeatedly in quick session – anything to get their attention.
Response – nothing.
Accidents waiting to happen.
As stated above, reduced police mumbers isn’t helping but – wait, 20000 more on their way so problem soon to be solved.
Johnson ahead of the curve – again……

Years ago a co-worker asked me for help replacing a headlight bulb on something exotic like an Astra van. I couldn’t for the life of me work it out either so looked it up, step 1 was “remove the radiator.” You’d then to remove the entire headlamp assembly, replace the bulb, put it all back together and go through an alignment process.

My Vauxhall is similar. One light, I can do (with some fiddling around). The other light is a garage job as it needs part of the engine removing.

If cars are driving at night without lights, I rather approve of Boris being ahead of the curve.

My car has a dashboard light which comes on when the DLRs are lit (and the whole dashboard lights up) and a different light for full beam. There is absolutely no indication other than looking at the stork that you are running on DLR only. Ridiculous.

And once a vehicle is behind them and has not crashed into their rear the approaching vehicle has seen them and they can turn the bloody things off – even in thick fog!!

This is so true. Almost every time it is a bit misty I seem to have to sit at a traffic light with the vehicle in front with it’s rear fog light on.
As for bulb changing, I was very pleasantly surprised when I put new (legal) dipped units into my partner’s Polo yesterday, two torx screws and a connector and the whole unit pulls out. Both bulbs done in 10 minutes.

but – wait, 20000 more on their way so problem soon to be solved.
Johnson ahead of the curve – again……

Ahh, just filling the spots maybot took away then.. and yeah, like he’s a committed liar so don’t believe a word of it.

As is, I do think DRL’s a very good thing, irrespective whether the user turns their lights “on” in dimly lit environments. Cars these days are so much easier to see than 10 years ago… and the modern LED’s are brilliant (natch) so you can actually see a vehicle from a loooong way aways these days.

It’s now becoming difficult to see vehicles that don’t have DRL I’m so accustomed to them.

Maybe they should be retro fitted to all at MOT time?

And how to use your indicators not just leave it to guess work.

I didn’t realise quite how bad it was until I was teaching my nephew to cycle on roads in Cambridge. As a cyclist you get very good at guessing who will turn right / left by speed / positioning and rely less on indicators. For a 12 year old new to the roads, it’s a complete nightmare.