Side lights. Why?

[anonymous-user]

No body uses them. I don't think they're needed. In the awkward bit of light between day and night everyone still uses their normal headlights and they work fine. And also most new cars come with DRLs as well so there is even less use for side lights.
Why do we need side lights?

[kambites]

Because some people have to park at the side of unlit roads with speed limits higher than 30?

[BliarOut]

Because your dipped beam can fail?

[anonymous-user]

kambites said:

Because some people have to park at the side of unlit roads?

Isn't that what reflectors are for? The oncoming traffic lights up the car.

[kambites]

GravelMachineGun said:

kambites said:

Because some people have to park at the side of unlit roads?

Isn't that what reflectors are for? The oncoming traffic lights up the car.

No. It's a legal requirement to display lights if parked in the dark on roads with a speed limit greater than 30mph (and I think on an unlit road) unless in a marked parking bay. Dipped beam lights on other cars will cut-off too low to light up the reflectors soon enough in that situation.

[anonymous-user]

kambites said:

GravelMachineGun said:

kambites said:

Because some people have to park at the side of unlit roads?

Isn't that what reflectors are for? The oncoming traffic lights up the car.

No. It's a legal requirement to display lights if parked in the dark on roads with a speed limit greater than 30mph (and I think on an unlit road) unless in a marked parking bay.

I can honestly say I've never seen a car with side lights on parked on an unlit 30+ road. They are usually just parked there.

[kooky guy]

Plenty of people use them - usually in thick fog! They're totally useless.

I think they must think they're saving electricity or something.

[kambites]

GravelMachineGun said:

I can honestly say I've never seen a car with side lights on parked on an unlit 30+ road. They are usually just parked there.

That's because they're parked by bad drivers.

[Krikkit]

kambites said:

GravelMachineGun said:

I can honestly say I've never seen a car with side lights on parked on an unlit 30+ road. They are usually just parked there.

That's because they're parked by bad drivers.

In their defence it's not a very well-known bit of the highway code.

[anonymous-user]

I pretty much always drive with my side lights on during the day. Just a habit I guess but no harm in improving my visability to other road users slightly.

[kambites]

Krikkit said:

kambites said:

GravelMachineGun said:

I can honestly say I've never seen a car with side lights on parked on an unlit 30+ road. They are usually just parked there.

That's because they're parked by bad drivers.

In their defence it's not a very well-known bit of the highway code.

Indeed, and not knowing obscure, safety critical bits of the highway code makes them bad drivers.

It's even more shocking how often you see people parked facing oncoming traffic at night, so they aren't even showing reflectors.

[clockworks]

I use sidelights when it's gloomy because it's drizzling, or at dusk. Also while parking at night, so as not to confuse other drivers, or shine my headlights into other people's houses.

Headlights if I need lights to see by, sidelights if I need lights so that others can see me.

[Captain Muppet]

clockworks said:

Headlights if I need lights to see by, sidelights if I need lights so that others can see me.

That seems extremely logical.

[Snowboy]

I think we need them for stationary/parked cars.

But if you're driving then it's always better to have headlights on.
There are way too many people just using sidelights in bad visibility when thry really need headlights to be seen.

[kambites]

They do also have value in fog so thick that dipped beam will dazzle the driver, although that's extremely rare in the UK.

[alangla]

I still don't understand why the dim-dip regulations were rescinded. Sidelights are damn near useless for anything other than marking parked vehicles, at least having the dips on at half power with the ignition on made the car a bit more obvious.

On the DRL comment - something annoying I've noticed recently - people parking up at night with the engine running & switching the dips off so the DRLs go to their eye-burning "day" mode. Very distracting.

[Captain Muppet]

kambites said:

They do also have value in fog so thick that dipped beam will dazzle the driver, although that's extremely rare in the UK.

You get more dazzle with pop-up lights. My mk2 MR2 had much better visibility in thick fog (and heavily falling snow) with sidelights and front fogs. I had it for 7 years and drove it like that for maybe 5 hours total.

[DoubleSix]

There's loads of research that says sidelights lower risk of accidents at dawn and dusk. Which is why the scandis are big fans, where they have perpetual dusk.

It enables pedestrians to better judge the speed of the vehicle and makes a moving vehicle easier for the eye to pick out.

This is the reason DRLs have been enshrined in law. As the chap above has said; sidelights for others to see you.

[hedges88]

I use my sidelights in lit urban areas at night, makes it easier to see everything else thats illuminated for me

[kooky guy]

Disagree completely that sidelights allow you to be seen.

When they're just a little bulb in the side of the main headlight, it just looks like a reflection in most cases. Just use your headlights - why wouldn't you?