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Various - Drls - KenMavor

A rant here.. .

Currently driving from Aberdeen to Surrey and first part down to Penrith was very foggy.

The number of people who have JUST DRLs on and nothing else is astonishing. They do not seem to realize that there are no lights on at the back of the car if all you have on are the DRLs. Ie there are no DRLs at the back of a car. Bunch of complete idiot's.

Various - Drls - gordonbennet

What else do you expect when you take away the need for thought, applied sense and even dare i say it skill to apply to something like motoring, the more you dumb things down and make things idiot proof the more and more electronic garbage is needed.

Ever lower common denominator applies as we strive to the one size fits all utopian ideal.

The next models of vehicles will put the lights on all round, no doubt soon indicators will switch themselves on when the on-board gps deems a turn is necessary.

Various - Drls - Bolt

no doubt soon indicators will switch themselves on when the on-board gps deems a turn is necessary.

what was someone saying about giving them ideas ?

Various - Drls - SLO76
Drives me potty this when driving over the Fenwick moor to and from Glasgow. It’s often foggy and there’s always a steady flow of utter m****s with no tail lights or no lights at all. Even the frantic flashing from the 20 tonne Volvo Elite behind them rarely clues them in.
Various - Drls - nellyjak

Driving isn't seen as a skill anymore ...merely a right, and something to get one from A to B...usually in the fastest possible time and treating other road users (and often the Highway code) as inconveniences who have the temerity to get in their way.

Various - Drls - oldroverboy.

One up for the chinese!

My MG ZS 2017 has front AND rear drls

Various - Drls - Bolt

One up for the chinese!

My MG ZS 2017 has front AND rear drls

It did surprise me when they first came out that most only had front DRLs rather than f/r which I would have expected on any car.

I also noted some time ago people I know had no idea what the signs on the dash were for, and even what controls did what, some even admitted to not even checking out the manual to find out what they did- and didn't appear to bother about finding out-, one comment I had was I only drive the car?.

that appears to be the attitude with certain people now because they haven't got the time to sort things out...

Various - Drls - KenMavor

Made it safely down from God's country to somewhere south of Hadrians' wall.......it seems that the middle lane hogger is alive and well and lives, mainly, south of Manchester.

The front drls only is a complete and utter mystery to me.....why do car manufacturers think it's a good idea to have them on the front only...the mind doth boggle.

I will look at the MG ZS 2017 and suggest to Nicola Sturgeon that this is the only car that should be allowed on the roads in Scotland. Or maybe I'll try that plank Corbyn...looks like he needs something else to do a U turn in.

Various - Drls - Bromptonaut

Been driving in similar weather today - a quick trip from Tarbert Isle of Harris to the Calanish stones before getting afternoon ferry to Ullapool. Locals were pretty good, some tourists less so.

DRLs were, I think, intended to make approaching cars more visible with aim of reducing SMIDSY type incidents. I don't think the instigators foresaw current LED DRLs that provide enough light to fool drivers into thinking headlights are on.

Nothing new about driving without lights in poor visibility - it's been a feature all of my 42 year driving life.

Various - Drls - bathtub tom
all of my 42 year driving life.

Blooming kids!

Various - Drls - Happy Blue!

Reminds me of an incident near our house. A BMW drove up with DRLs but no other lights on and was almost hit up the rear. There was some abuse about 'why haven't you got your lights on??'. Needles to say the reply was 'I have'.

Having witnessed all this, i intervened and suggested to the mid aged BMW driver that he didn't have his lights on. Of course his dashboard was lit up and his front DRLs fooled him.

I suggested he check his light switch at which point he went all sheepish and claimed the car was new (which it was to be fair). DRLs must be accomanied by auto lights otherwise they are of no use at all.

Various - Drls - Bolt

DRLs must be accomanied by auto lights otherwise they are of no use at all.

in certain cases/weathers auto lights are not as clever as they should be, on certain cars if you have cloudy but bright and raining conditions the lights do not come on, but if its stormy and dark with pouring rain the lights come on and the drls dim,

the part I found strange at first was when lights are on auto so is main beam and when a car is seen from opposite direction they shut down to dipped, when no cars are coming main beam comes on again, personally auto main beam is a step too far as they sometimes just switch back to dipped in time not to blind oncoming drivers

Various - Drls - Andrew-T

The front drls only is a complete and utter mystery to me.....why do car manufacturers think it's a good idea to have them on the front only...the mind doth boggle..

If the drivers are aware that their cars have DRLs, they may imagine that if it is D (i.e. daytime) that may be all they need. Many drivers give little thought to rearward illumination as they don't need to see in that direction.

The question doesn't affect me personally as neither of my cars is modern enough to have any DRLs.

Various - Drls - Avant

"....reducing SMIDSY type incidents."

SMIDSY. What a lovely word - it sounds just like the sort of Scottish weather that the Scots themselves often call 'dreich'. If it's a bit smidsy out there, turn your headlamps on so that the rear lights are showing.

It could be Slow Mimser In Datsun SunnY, or Sexy Malarkey In Dad's Skoda Yeti.... but I suspect Bromptonaut meant the more prosaic Anglo-Saxon Sorry Mate I Didn't See You.

Edited by Avant on 03/06/2019 at 11:37

Various - Drls - Hugh Watt

SMIDSY. .... but I suspect Bromptonaut meant the more prosaic Anglo-Saxon Sorry Mate I Didn't See You.

Excellent - acronym of the year!

Various - Drls - Bromptonaut

SMIDSY. .... but I suspect Bromptonaut meant the more prosaic Anglo-Saxon Sorry Mate I Didn't See You.

Excellent - acronym of the year!

I thought it was well known enough not to need explanation. Perhaps only in cycling circles......

Various - Drls - Warning

SMIDSY explained here:-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqQBubilSXU

Various - Drls - expat

I don't have DRLs in my old wagon - 2003 vintage. I just keep the headlights on dip all the time regardless of whether it is day or night. I see lots of people doing the same.

Various - Drls - Smileyman

My SEAT Toledo has front and rear DLR's ... both LED so hardly use any juice to run.

As for driving in foggy conditions, so many drivers forget to use rear fog light (s) I'm surprised the Police are not wealthy from the monies to be made (in fines) ... augmented by those who forget to switch them off when the fog has gone!!!

Various - Drls - gordonbennet

Seldom see fog thick enough in my extensive travels in mainly England and South Wales to warrant the use of rear fogs, probably used them twice in the last 20 years of some 1000/1500 miles a week.

In misty conditions (most fogs are merely slight mists these days), you want your eyes attuned to looking for the brighter intensity of brake lights and indicators, not to be blinded by the overuse of rear fogs.

Various - Drls - Bromptonaut

In misty conditions (most fogs are merely slight mists these days), you want your eyes attuned to looking for the brighter intensity of brake lights and indicators, not to be blinded by the overuse of rear fogs.

That advice, particularly about brake lights, is spot on. Driving is 9/10ths observation.

GB - surprised to see one of your tankers going north well into Scotland yesterday. Do you get up there much?

Various - Drls - gordonbennet
GB - surprised to see one of your tankers going north well into Scotland yesterday. Do you get up there much?

Not me Bromp, company has expanded over the last few years, now nationwide.

Various - Drls - Terry W

Bring on driverless vehicles. Pretty much all of the above issues would become irrelevant as visibility becomes subordinate to other sensors - eg: radar.

Speed of vehicle and lights would be modified to reflect the needs of other road users - mostly homo sapiens who often behave unthinkingly, foolishly and emotionally.

Various - Drls - Ethan Edwards

Already have them on the A12. Pulling out or cutting in seemingly randomly and not an indicator to be seen, driving far too close to the one in front... Surely some sort of Artificial Stupidity must be in charge of these vehicles.

Various - Drls - Andrew-T

Bring on driverless vehicles. Pretty much all of the above issues would become irrelevant as visibility becomes subordinate to other sensors - eg: radar.

Only if there is adequate intelligence built into the control systems - that's the bit I'm worried about. A huge variety of unexpected situations arise with millions of vehicles on our roads. Until they have all happened at least once (probably several times) to an autonomous vehicle they may well be taken by surprise, and do something awkward.

Various - Drls - oldroverboy.

I owe an apology,

The DRls on the Zs are front only, but the default lights settings are automatic, so come on in low light situations.

Various - Drls - Wee Willie Winkie

My 2017 Octavia has had rear DRLs enabled. It has auto lights too, so probably didn't need to be done - but I prefer it that way. Nothing wrong with being as visible as possible, especially in a dark grey car!

Edited by DieselBoy on 04/06/2019 at 08:28

Various - Drls - Senexdriver
My wife’s A3 cabrio has f/r drls. I’m surprised Avant hasn’t mentioned his wife’s A3 cabrio, although it could be that hers is a pre-facelift model which had front only. My 2016 A4 Avant has front only, so the wife has one up on me there (not that I think she’s even aware).
Various - Drls - RT
My wife’s A3 cabrio has f/r drls. I’m surprised Avant hasn’t mentioned his wife’s A3 cabrio, although it could be that hers is a pre-facelift model which had front only. My 2016 A4 Avant has front only, so the wife has one up on me there (not that I think she’s even aware).

If you've got access to anyone with VCDS diagnostics, that setting can be changed to include rear lights with DRL - also useful to set stop-start default to off.

Various - Drls - KenMavor

Ok. You're fired then. Or better still I'm gonna milk shake you. Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition milkshake. Our weapons are surprise......

Various - Drls - Bolt

Bring on driverless vehicles. Pretty much all of the above issues would become irrelevant as visibility becomes subordinate to other sensors - eg: radar.

Speed of vehicle and lights would be modified to reflect the needs of other road users - mostly homo sapiens who often behave unthinkingly, foolishly and emotionally.

its said that it will be around 10 years before the software is capable of doing more than we can, the hardware is already being used and advancing all the time, its just sorting out the software, though there are doubts it will be 100% successful ie too many software glitches to sort

Various - Drls - pyruse

Last week driving home on the A14 in the dark I was surprised to come up behind a car with no lights on. I flashed it, and as I passed I saw the DRLs were on - but no headlights and of course no rear lights either. Evidently quite a few people think the DRLs *are* the lights.

Various - Drls - Avant

"My wife’s A3 cabrio has f/r drls. I’m surprised Avant hasn’t mentioned his wife’s A3 cabrio, although it could be that hers is a pre-facelift model which had front only."

It's post-facelift, only 2 months old, but it doesn't have rear DRLs. It's the Sport model: maybe the S-line has rear DRLs?