Steve_P

You're joking.

Well I guess not.

Shakes head and wanders off muttering unintelligibly.

Bob

Yeah, it was weird...bored cop probably, it was in the middle of no where, on the way up to Montreal

iaink

DRLs and headlights use different curcuitry, its virtually no load on the bulb and (they say) doesnt affect lifespan any. Hence the need for a "DRL module" to run them if you bring a car up from the states that doesn't have one.

Bob

Why? What's the point in having the headlights on constantly when the engine is on?

There's no need for them unless it's dark out or the weather is bad.

Lights on constantly is more bizarre and pointless. Could be worse I suppose, light have to be on at 5pm regardless in Austria.

iaink

It helps people see you, and that in turn helps stop them crashing into you occasionally. Thats why they are mandated in Canada, based on research done in Scandinavia in the 70s or 80 IIRC.


Of course YMMV if you live somewhere less gloomy than Canada or Sweden... but here they do make a difference.

DRLs are not exactly the same as headlights on low beam, they are less intense so dont really affect bulb life.

Have a look at the motorcyclists around you. I bet any that have lived to be the wrong side of 40 have their lights on all the time, right? DRLs are exactly the same idea, they help you be seen.

Bob

It's not in a Saab it's not.

It's a fuse to switch them off from being constantly on. I think number 15. By default all Saabs in North America have the fuse plugged in.

GavinR

Agreed. I don't actually like them but they do serve a purpose, although I find it does make it difficult to judge how far away a car may be. On a long straight road it can make a car appear closer than they actually are.

Bob

They make bugger all difference during the day.

It's just because some dickhead didn't switch their lights on in bad weather conditions or when it rains.

There are plenty of knobs in the US who are like that, driving in gloomy hour with rain, in dark cars without lights...but then that's why they're meant to use headlights...but running lights on in the middle of the day, in the clear make no difference.

GavinR

Presumably the fuse supplies power to the DRL module

Oakvillian

what's not what in a Saab?

ISTR from an old Volvo some years back (I think Saabs at least used to use the same system) that the DRLs are in the same housing as the sidelights. Instead of a standard 5W sidelight bulb they use a 25/5 dual-element bulb like a stop/tail bulb. I just bought a 2-pack of those from Canadian Tire for a little less than three dollars.

Are you really suggesting that the possibility of somebody seeing you more clearly and avoiding smashing into you in poor light conditions is worth less than a buck and a half?

<joins Steve_P in head-shaking wonderment>

iaink

Tell that to the motorcyclists with their lights on

Cant do any harm so I suspect statistically speaking you are wrong.


My mum when I was a kid T-boned a car in clear daylight, she never saw it when she pulled out. Totaled the mini. It was her fault, no question, but if the silver car she hit had had its lights on theres a good chance she would have seen it.

Even in the early 80s our old Saab in the UK had DRLs, all volvos have them too I think. Both safety obsessed brands. no smoke without fire.

iaink

All saabs period have DRLs, my dads SAAB in 1980s UK had them. The research that shows that DRLs help reduce accidents was from scandinavia.

DRLs are not running on the same curcuit as the headlights, when you put your low beams on you get more light. You dont have to put the fuse back in at night to get the headlights do you?

Novocastrian

IIRC the Swedish research which lead to DRL's showed that pedestrian runnings-over were decreased significantly by their use.

They don't have pedestrians in almost all of America, so Bob and his colleagues have no worries.

GavinR

Wouldn't make any difference here, pedestrians walk out in front of you whether they see you coming or not.

Novocastrian

So long as "here" doesn't include where I live, I'll accept your observation.