Car headlights

[Frnc]

I've not had a car for years, and when I had one it was old, so some of this was new to me.
Fot the last 10 years new cars have had to be equipped with Daytime Running Lights.

These are NOT sufficient in bad weather, even during daylight. Also they are often only fitted to the front.

In poor visibility you must have HEADLIGHTS on. You can get £1000 fine for not doing so, or even banned for a year.

“The requirement in law is for every vehicle to have working headlamps, rear lamps, registration plates lamps and side marker lamps,” Dominic Smith told Somerset Live. “All such lamps must be unobscured and lit during the hours of darkness and during seriously reduced visibility.

Examples of reduced visibility could include fog, snow, heavy rain or spray conditions and badly overcast weather, just to name a few.

"We’ve heard countless reports of people failing to illuminate their headlights and taillights while driving in poor visibility in recent weeks, and there’s a fear motorists might mistakenly believe that their DRLs are sufficient in those sorts of conditions. They’re not."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 29821.html

[Yorkshire Andy]

People are just silly they get lazy the cars automatic headlights just booster that lazy driving .. coupled with constantly illuminated dash board's .... They think their lights are on when they are not .

Likewise I get people flashing their fog lights at me my DRLs are in the fog lamp position I just flash back with the aux driving lights


People need to spend a few minutes checking their lights every week to ensure that they are all working their tyres need a eye over .... And check their fluids ....

[grenfell]

.. coupled with constantly illuminated dash board's .... They think their lights are on when they are not .

Caught me out first time I drove my wife's MG . I'd just picked our daughter up and as it was getting dark turned the lights on. First position , bright light shining forward , dash board lights on all sorted I thought until I started getting flashed by cars behind me. I pulled over and looked , no rear lights! How can something be designed like that?
Going back a few years at work and I was given an oldish small Citroen van. I left in the daylight but to get home needed to put the lights on. Where was the switch? Took me ages to find that the switch was activated by turning one of the stalks but the markings had all but worn off.
On the subject of lights , who on earth came up with the idea of the bright fog light type of thing that comes on when you turn the steering wheel. Honestly what's the point ? They're more of a distraction than anything else. I will admit that personally I think in an urban setting with street lights cars should only use sidelights. I know many will disagree but one effect it has is to slow traffic down , which can't be a bad thing from a safety angle.

[Yorkshire Andy]

The cornering lights on my last car were good on unlit back roads. From memory over 20mph they turned off...

Did once have a guy come over semmi smugly "you might think your cool driving with your front fogs on but you look a even bigger prat with one blown."

Told him I didn't have my fogs on (knowing the car,)

Started the car up and put the front fogs on and sniggered at the clueless look on the guys face when they both lit up I did give him a demonstration after I stopped smirking we both agreed modern cars had too many toys and off he went


One feature that is good is the eba flashing brake lights or hazards on hard braking / esp activation

[Frnc]

I've seen cars driving in torrential rain with no lights on, or even in the dark. Must admit I forgot a few times myself, when setting off.

[deckard]

My wife's Citroen has the dashboard lit up all the time too, makes it easy to continue if you forget to put the lights on, and I must admit to having been caught out once. In general I'm not a fan of that car at all, there seem to have been many completely bonkers decisions made in its design.

[jansman]

Headlights are important. Mine are on Summer and Winter alike. Not automatic either For me , it’s because I used to be a hard core motorcyclist- which tends to make one very safety conscious.

[Yorkshire Andy]

My wife's Citroen has the dashboard lit up all the time too, makes it easy to continue if you forget to put the lights on, and I must admit to having been caught out once. In general I'm not a fan of that car at all, there seem to have been many completely bonkers decisions made in its design.

What do you expect the French designed it

They've had some bonkers ideas over the years and some very good ones even if they never took off (adaptive headlights hydrostatic suspension)

[Mad Scientist]

I was driving my brother home on Sunday evening and realised one of my headlamps had gone completely and the other one wasn’t too great either. Fortunately he lives quite close by and there was no other traffic about so I completed the journey on (gulp) full beam. Dashed off to Halfords first thing the next day and got both lights replaced. They don’t make bulbs like they used to my previous cars only had one or two change of bulb in the 3 or 4 years I owned them but these go every 6 months or so. Not looking forward to driving in Winter.

[Peter]

Our little family saloon, jack of trades and GHV, is 20 years old.

I upgraded the headlights some time ago and carry the old ones as spares, as with other bulbs, fuses,
wiper blades and brake fluid etc.

Also tyre compressor, inflation aerosol (if we need a quick emergency fix) plug type repair kit and
a heavy duty jack.

We also have a pair of plastic snow mats, they’ve got us out of trouble on wet muddy grass a couple of times.