Discussion
How long before these stupid inventions causes a death....
I followed a car on an unlit section of the M42 North this evening at around 6:30 - pitch black, no rear lights. A quick check showed that it was showing LEDs on the front, and illuminated clocks inside, so was clearly running on DRLs only
We both pulled off at Tamworth and we stopped side-by-side at the traffic lights. I wound down my window and shouted to the driver that there were no lights. Driver looked confused, fiddled around with a few knobs and switches, failed to find how to turn them on and then just drove off down the A5, still without headlights, sidelights or any rear lights at all.
What level of f
k-wittery allows a person to drive a car at night when a) they don't know they haven't got lights on an b) they don't know how to turn them on when the error of their ways has been pointed out? What happens if it rains? - do they trundle along squinting through a rain soaked screen because they don't know how to turn the bloody wipers on?
It can only be a meter of time before we hear of a story of an unlit car being heavily rear-ended by a 40-tonne truck, with predictable results
Deep breath.... Rant over
Composure regained - surely, for the type of car that has these hateful devices (ie relatively modern), it wouldn't be difficult for the vehicle to "know" when its dark - either by virtue of a light sensor, or even by a very simple clock / date algorithm that knows that at 6:30pm on a March evening in the UK, it'll be bleedin' dark....
Alternatively, retailers should explain what the "D" part of DRL means...
Alternative 2 - just ban the things - they're only a styling exercise anyway
I followed a car on an unlit section of the M42 North this evening at around 6:30 - pitch black, no rear lights. A quick check showed that it was showing LEDs on the front, and illuminated clocks inside, so was clearly running on DRLs only
We both pulled off at Tamworth and we stopped side-by-side at the traffic lights. I wound down my window and shouted to the driver that there were no lights. Driver looked confused, fiddled around with a few knobs and switches, failed to find how to turn them on and then just drove off down the A5, still without headlights, sidelights or any rear lights at all.
What level of f
k-wittery allows a person to drive a car at night when a) they don't know they haven't got lights on an b) they don't know how to turn them on when the error of their ways has been pointed out? What happens if it rains? - do they trundle along squinting through a rain soaked screen because they don't know how to turn the bloody wipers on?It can only be a meter of time before we hear of a story of an unlit car being heavily rear-ended by a 40-tonne truck, with predictable results
Deep breath.... Rant over
Composure regained - surely, for the type of car that has these hateful devices (ie relatively modern), it wouldn't be difficult for the vehicle to "know" when its dark - either by virtue of a light sensor, or even by a very simple clock / date algorithm that knows that at 6:30pm on a March evening in the UK, it'll be bleedin' dark....
Alternatively, retailers should explain what the "D" part of DRL means...
Alternative 2 - just ban the things - they're only a styling exercise anyway
Jonwm said:
Side note op, I get more annoyed at that junction now they added the filter lane for stonydelph so many people go in it then try and get back on the main A5 when they realise :-(
Funnily enough, the driver of the DRL'd car this evening did exactly that as well - its not hard to read the bloody huge signs.....FWIW, I drive with sidelights on in my Alfa GT almost all the time, because the clocks are so far recessed, that they're hard to see without illumination. I don't see it as a problem to have rear lights on, as well as front sidelights in daylight hours
Thread resurrection - "DRL-disease" has started again now the morning and evening commutes are in the dim or dark. It'll get far worse in late October when the hour comes off
Being charitable, I can almost understand how someone can jump into a car at night, see a fully-lit dashboard and the ground lit up in front of them, causing them to trundle off into the night with no headlights and rear lights.
What I really fail to understand is how they can then ignore the multiple flashing of lights, honking of horns and various hand gestures trying to inform them that they have no lights on.
As I said in the OP, eventually somebody is going to die because of these infernal devices.
and breathe....
Being charitable, I can almost understand how someone can jump into a car at night, see a fully-lit dashboard and the ground lit up in front of them, causing them to trundle off into the night with no headlights and rear lights.
What I really fail to understand is how they can then ignore the multiple flashing of lights, honking of horns and various hand gestures trying to inform them that they have no lights on.
As I said in the OP, eventually somebody is going to die because of these infernal devices.
and breathe....
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