DRL, waste of energy or worth keeping on?

[HangFire]

Originally Posted by NO2
According to some studies from the 70's-90's in Canada and Scandinavia, DRL's reduce multi-vehicle accidents as much as 32%, mostly around dawn and dusk and in bad weather. Energy use is minimal since your alternator probably produces excess energy during the daytime.

So DRL's are highly effective in Northern Climes where long nights and twilights are the norm much of the year, huh?

 

[14Accent]

My Cadillac doesn't have DRL's, but I leave the fog lights on all the time along with leaving the headlights in auto. By doing so, I get front fogs, front running lights, and rear running lights at all times and the low beams only turn on when A: It gets dark out and B: any time the windshield wipers are turned on (which I LOVE).

I personally think the above setup should be MANDATORY. Not DRL's, those are nice and all but most cars now have some form of LED DRL's or the like. But when darkness comes, the lights should 100% be on their own. They should also all be programmed to come on with the windshield wipers, regardless of ambient light.

Of course, there would be an override. AKA "drive-in mode", but it shouldn't be as simple to defeat as putting the headlight switch in a different position.

I personally liked the older Chevy trucks. You pushed the "dome override" button 3 times in succession, and the DRL's/auto lamps were defeated only for that drive cycle. Doing the same sequence again turned them back on. This could be accomplished any number of ways, but let's be serious: who REALLY needs to be able to turn off their headlights in a situation where sensors and conditions warrant them? Not many people.

 

[OVERKILL]

the Jeep and the RAM both have the LED DRL's that look pretty darn good, so I'd have no inclination to disable them. With the dedicated LED setups, I don't think there's anything to gain from eliminating them.

 

[StevieC]

The ones on my Caravan look good with them on. I can opt for the parking lights only instead of the traditional DRL's by changing the setting on the automatic light switch but it looks good either way.

I can also turn it off all together using my dad's scan tool but it's not allowed here so I don't. There are vehicles running around up here with them disabled though.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by 14Accent
My Cadillac doesn't have DRL's, but I leave the fog lights on all the time along with leaving the headlights in auto. By doing so, I get front fogs, front running lights, and rear running lights at all times and the low beams only turn on when A: It gets dark out and B: any time the windshield wipers are turned on (which I LOVE).

I personally think the above setup should be MANDATORY. Not DRL's, those are nice and all but most cars now have some form of LED DRL's or the like. But when darkness comes, the lights should 100% be on their own. They should also all be programmed to come on with the windshield wipers, regardless of ambient light.

Of course, there would be an override. AKA "drive-in mode", but it shouldn't be as simple to defeat as putting the headlight switch in a different position.

I personally liked the older Chevy trucks. You pushed the "dome override" button 3 times in succession, and the DRL's/auto lamps were defeated only for that drive cycle. Doing the same sequence again turned them back on. This could be accomplished any number of ways, but let's be serious: who REALLY needs to be able to turn off their headlights in a situation where sensors and conditions warrant them? Not many people.


Sorry, one of my pet peeves, no reason to have the fog lights on when there's no fog. I leave mine in auto all the time and the fog lights don't come on unless it's one or the other when the active curve illumination kicks in. You actually have to turn the dial to on and pull out the switch to activate the front and rear fog light. And of course remember to shut them off afterwards. It has the rain sensor wipers too so the headlights also come on automatically when the wipers are on. They just passed a new law requiring headlights to be on when wipers are on so it's nice that the car is already set up to do that.

And to answer the OP's question, you would save so little energy that it wouldn't really matter if you shut off the daytime driving lights or not. Probably not even enough for a cup of coffee. Glad you decided to just leave them on. Lots of people driving around without their headlights on lately. People just totally clueless when they get flashed from behind too, multiple times. Happened for a while on the highway. Lady moved over at one point. Then I was behind her and I tried to flash her too, still didn't get it, totally clueless, got off my exit and no idea what happened afterwards. And having high beams on when one low beam is out is the wrong response, better to be a cyclops than blind other drivers due to your own equipment failure.

 

[daves87rs]

By next year DRLs and the auto lights will be the only standard.

GM, Ford And Honda will lose the light "stick" (auto lamps) and the wiper ones too (rainsense) so olnly the steering wheel will have a button or too.....

 

[14Accent]

Originally Posted by Wolf359

Sorry, one of my pet peeves, no reason to have the fog lights on when there's no fog.


For real fog lights, I would tend to agree with you. My car uses teeny little 880, 27w bulbs in those lamps. They literally light up nothing, but they look nice coming towards you.

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by 14Accent
Originally Posted by Wolf359

Sorry, one of my pet peeves, no reason to have the fog lights on when there's no fog.


For real fog lights, I would tend to agree with you. My car uses teeny little 880, 27w bulbs in those lamps. They literally light up nothing, but they look nice coming towards you.


I use mine all the time, but the OEM LED fog lights on my 300 cast a very low, very wide beam. Most of the "fog lights" I've had have been nothing more that aesthetic.

But for DRL's, they don't use enough energy to warrant worrying about.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by 14Accent
Originally Posted by Wolf359

Sorry, one of my pet peeves, no reason to have the fog lights on when there's no fog.


For real fog lights, I would tend to agree with you. My car uses teeny little 880, 27w bulbs in those lamps. They literally light up nothing, but they look nice coming towards you.


Oh, in my state they're actually illegal to have on when there's no fog. I guess there's no such law in your state. Reason being is that they consider it blinding to other oncoming drivers and whoever you're behind.

https://www.masslive.com/living/201...oncerning_use_of_fog_lights_on_cars.html

 

[anndel]

I leave my DRL on. I was hit by a car while cycling a while ago and the driver said he didn't see me though I have fluorescent yellow jersey on and blinking headlights. He told the police officer I came out of nowhere and that he couldn't see me in his blindspot.

 

[billt460]

I keep them off on both of my newer vehicles. Out here the Sun shines over 300 days a year, and there is simply no need for, "Daytime Running Lights". Unless of course you want them on. I'm seeing fewer and fewer people using them on the road, then I noticed a few years ago. It appears the novelty has somewhat worn off. My headlights are never on "Auto", either.

 

[caprice_2nv]

It doesn't matter if it is sunny, cars are more visible from a long distance with the headlights on. That's why Young Drivers driver training taught us to always turn the headlights on and I've done that for 20 years now.

I still don't understand why they're making modern cars without auto lights, or people are turning them off? They're always some dummy driving around in the dark with no lights on. Sometimes the running lights are on at the front but they have no taillights.

 

[Andrew1972]

Much easier to see you on.

 

[caprice_2nv]

This is why motorcycle headlights are always on as well.

 

[SevenBizzos]

When they first became common, I hated them. After awhile and when more vehicles had them I lost the energy and strong opinion.

If anything it might make riding a motorcycle more dangerous because they no longer stand out. When no one had DRL bikes were much easier to notice.

 

[billt460]

Motorcycles are much more difficult to see than cars or trucks. And no one is talking about, "driving around in the dark" with no lights on.

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted by caprice_2nv
It doesn't matter if it is sunny, cars are more visible from a long distance with the headlights on. That's why Young Drivers driver training taught us to always turn the headlights on and I've done that for 20 years now.

I still don't understand why they're making modern cars without auto lights, or people are turning them off? They're always some dummy driving around in the dark with no lights on. Sometimes the running lights are on at the front but they have no taillights.



Exactly. One less thing to think about. Let the car do the work for you. I've been a lot of dummies driving around in the dark without lights lately. And I know their cars have auto headlights.

 

[PimTac]

The application of fog lights was stretched beyond its original intent. Fog lights are supposed to illuminate the fog stripe on the road. They were never supposed to be the glaring high mounted lights that they became.

Fog lights should be mounted low. As for brightness, I agree. Some of these lights should be brighter.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted by wemay
Both our vehicles have automatic headlights, but they only work if you turn the switch to AUTO which also keeps the DRLs on until the sensor detects dimming daylight. I leave the wife's in this mode because well...she may forget. I keep my DRL off and just switch on the headlights as needed. But I look around and every freaking vehicle has lights on during the day. I thought they were initially intended for long single lane, straight stretches of road so oncoming traffic doesn't attempt a pass.

How much energy does it take to leave them in AUTO?


Canada has required running lights day and night for years.

 

[Kestas]

Fog stripe? What's that?