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On these murky, misty mornings I see cars with no lights, side lights, dim-dip, dipped headlights, foglights - and all possible combinations! Isn't it time we adopted the Swedish and Canadian system where dipped headlights are on if the engine is running. I am sure there would be a reduction in accidents.
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I just wonder whether those who drive about with the front foglights on in sunny conditions, switch them off in fog?
In answer to your question, I would like to see research ( non fiddled like the case for speed cameras). There is the possibility that if everyone had the lights on in daylight, they not stick out from the crowd, and thereby negate the effect.
Mike
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> In answer to your question, I would like to see research (
> non fiddled like the case for speed cameras). There is the
> possibility that if everyone had the lights on in daylight,
> they not stick out from the crowd, and thereby negate the
> effect.
A little old, but you could look up the research that was done around motorcycles keeping their lights on all the time. It did adress exactly your point.
I don't think they do things like intelligent research these days, so old research is probably your only chance.
M.
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Good point Mark re the motorcycles, but perhaps they tend to be noticed because car and other road traffic do not have lights on. I have seen research with bikes that black leathers/clothing is more noticeable in towns, because you see a black silhouette against the bright shop front colours. Brightly coloured clothing is like camouflage against this background. This tends to go against the natural thought that bright colours will get you noticed.
Cheers
Mike
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Motorcycle News recently printed the results of someones reserch in the use of daytime lights which suggested that although bikes with their lights were more visible, emerging drivers were more likely to misjudge their approach speed and pull into their path.
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Tom
No wonder there are 'acidents'. One has to ask - if they saw them coming, why on earth did they pull out?
Regards
John
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John
I cant remember if you said in one of your links that you did use a bike at one time. My experience having owned and ridden bikes on the road most years since 1972 is that they always claim that they never saw you. I had a smack last year with a pedal cyclist. I was going down the outside of a queue of traffic that was stationary, when the cylist who had been riding on the pavement decided to cross the road between two of the cars. I stayed upright he ended in the gutter and broke his arm. My bike cost £880.00 to repair (headlight, top fairing and screen) then £550 to insure rather than £440. "Sorry mate all my fault I didn't look".
The guy in the Vectra this morning wasn't looking either.
When I look back to my early days on the road all of my mates and myself had accidents with Green Morris Minor Travellers. One of my mates still has a deformed foot and a loose shoulder ( It gets pulled out when he water ski's. In my case I went under the back of one driven by two nuns who decided to stop in the middle of an empty road. They then drove off leaving a very sore and confused 16 year old, but wiser!
Now it seems still to be Volvos, but less often that it used to be, maybe because the change in image has moved the flat hat and blue rinse brigade on. I only wish I knew where they had gone to.
Bill
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Talking of hats I bet HJ doesnt wear one except for this site and the DT column.
Bill
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Bill,
Seeing your interest in motor bikes I just have to tell you that as a teenager I used to live near Bill Lomas's shop in Milford Derbyshire.
This was in the 50s when Bill was a World Champion.
We used to go along to his shop on a Sunday morning to watch him wheel out one of his racing bikes and blast off along Moscow straight. We would jump on our bikes (push) to see him coming back at about 150+mph. Quite a thrill to watch him.
he rode for Moto Guzzi with an 8 cylinder bike. After a serious accident I think in the Italian GP he finished racing. He was on Radio Derby a few weeks ago talking all about his career and bikes for an hour with people ringing in with "do you remember when". He had a remarkable memory and could remember everything and every bike in the area. A very pleasant man. His dad owned the shop and it was a local mecca for the enthusiasts.
Alvin
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Daytime running lights when it is true daylight are a waste of time and marginal waste of energy in my opinion. I am in Sweden a lot and when its true daylight the extra light adds nothing, yet if the headlights or foglights are badly aimed then the dazzle reduces safety. Here the running lights can be head or fog but not both, does not stop the fashion victims though.
Actually the cars which stand out are the foreigners who do not have the lights turn on automatically with the ignition and then forget to switch on. Everyone sees them because they have *no* lights on. A bit perverse I know but it sort of reinforces Mike's point about biks being different.
Of course running lights have an upside in that it does prevent the situation which Patrick started this thread where the conditions are such that lights are needed but dimwits , or should that be dimwatts, leave them off to try and save 0.0000000013p per mile.
So my opinion is back to one I have expressed before, all sorts of expensive legislation and rules are suggested to try and make various situations relatively idiot proof. Yet what is needed is the application of common sense, and the way that could be got is by extra driver education. I would like to see it compulsory but doubt I would get away with that if I were Transport Minister. It would also be expensive I know, but get lots of birds with the one stone methinks.
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I think bikes using headlights to make themselves more visible does work, I often see the light before the bike, but I wish bikers would stop using full beam. A modern bike, some with twin headlights, left on full beam are a pain in the eyeballs.
Colin
PS I know what you mean about the Volvo. Whenever there is someone obstructing traffic, blocking a middle lane or whatever, look to the head of the problem and it's invariably a Volvo estate!
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