Lights left on

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

Why do you worry about manually matching the use of your headlights to the degree of darkness?

One of the reasons to have dipped lights on is to increase the chances of being seen in marginal visibility conditions which do not require the lights for you to illuminate the road ahead but in which the reaction time by other drivers to seeing that a vehicle is approaching might be reduced. The cost of having the dipped lights on is marginal while the risk reduction might be all important as you cannot rely upon the ability of other drivers to see you quickly enough to avoid their own incompetences. As Clan says, let the car drive the way Volvo intended it to. Volvo do have a reputation for safety and the lighting system is part of that regime.

This is what I've done in every other car that I've owned, simply because they didn't have DRL's. As the previous owner turned the DRL's off, I've left them that way (Lights are off when not required, side lights are used when its not quite dark enough to use dipped lights & then the dipped lights are used when its dark or conditions/visibility are bad - All done "manually", which involves turning a switch myself ).

I'm more than capable of making my own decisions as to whether I use the lights or not, so much so that it isn't a "worry" about turning the lights on manually to match the degree of darkness, its common sense & a natural habit. I don't think its a big deal to turn a switch...

Its not a legal requirement to have operational DRL's on my car either, as its older than 2018 (nor is it an MOT failure, due to the age of the car).

[Spike56]

Legislation and requirements:
Vehicle manufacturers must fit DRL to new types of passenger car and light goods vehicle (car derived vans) type approved to European vehicle requirements from February 2011 1 . ... DRL activate automatically when the engine is started and remain on unless the headlamps are switched on.1 Nov 2010

Feb 2011?

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Spike56

Legislation and requirements:
Vehicle manufacturers must fit DRL to new types of passenger car and light goods vehicle (car derived vans) type approved to European vehicle requirements from February 2011 1 . ... DRL activate automatically when the engine is started and remain on unless the headlamps are switched on.1 Nov 2010

Feb 2011?

Yes, DRL's were fitted to vehicles from 2011. However, DRL's only have to work to pass an MOT on cars registered from 1st March 2018 (Not prior to this date).

So if you bring your car in for an MOT with DRL's that aren't working, providing its registered before March 2018, it can't fail an MOT.

If your car is registered March 2018 or newer, then the DRL's have to work when the car is due its first MOT & they must be operation for all other MOT's going forward.

[john493]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

I only drive using side lights when its not dark enough to use headlights. If conditions or visibility are poor, then of course I use the headlights.

The previous owner turned the daytime running lights off, not me (The lights aren't on at any time, unless I select them myself manually).

Sorry to be pedantic, but side lights are not for driving, maybe just parking.

I do realise that it's legal to drive in a built up area with sidelights but that does not make it wise or safe.

If it's dark enough to need any lights when driving, then you need headlights.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by john493

Sorry to be pedantic, but side lights are not for driving, maybe just parking.

I do realise that it's legal to drive in a built up area with sidelights but that does not make it wise or safe.

If it's dark enough to need any lights when driving, then you need headlights.

I think you will find it it illegal to drive in side/parking lights alone in poor or dark conditions

[john493]

Originally Posted by Clan

I think you will find it it illegal to drive in side/parking lights alone in poor or dark conditions

I agree it's bonkers, but you are permitted to drive in a street-lit area on sidelights alone.4. Lighting requirements (113 to 116)

113
You MUST
ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise
use headlights at night, except on a road which has lit street lighting. These roads are generally restricted to a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) unless otherwise specified
use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226).
Night (the hours of darkness) is defined as the period between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise).
Laws RVLR regs 3, 24, & 25, (In Scotland - RTRA 1984 sect 82 (as amended by NRSWA, para 59 of sched 8))

You'd have to be stupid to do it though, and it conflicts with rule 226 when visibility is "seriously reduced" which, to my mind, means it's dark !

[Tatsfield]

I've never understood the motivation to want to drive without dipped headlights when a driver recognises that he needs lights because it's getting dark but only switches on the side lights. I've heard such drivers say that they are saving fuel because the headlights consume more power than the side lights. I've come across drivers who were afraid of blinding oncoming drivers and I've heard the opinion that if you can see ahead without dipped lights you don't need them but without any reason for making that decision.

Actually it's a bit like Covid masks. We wear masks not to protect ourselves but to protect others from us in case we have the infection but don't know it. We need to switch on higher visibility lights at night not just because we need them to see but because they make us more visible to other drivers who may not be paying sufficient attention and need that extra aid to see us before there's insufficient time for them to react. Side lights just won't provide those fractions of a second saving in reaction time. If that costs us an egg cup of fuel and having to renew headlight bulbs a year or so early, isn't that a very small price to pay for improving safety for others on the road? Volvo think so and design the lights so that we are safer on the road.

If we think that there is a level of reduced visibility where sidelights are sufficient and that we can make the decision when that less than optimum visibility becomes bad enough to need to switch on dipped lights, we are kidding ourselves because any level of reduced visibility is enough to necessitate the maximum safe light warning to other road users.

[green van man]

I frequently ran on sidelights only as marker lights on the van . It was of an age where it had no drl so, this gave rear lights at all times and enabled me to see the deeply reassessed instruments clearly.

Current van has drl BUT they give no rear illumination and the headlight switch has only 2 positions, on or off. In order to give rear illumination to following drivers and illuminate the receased instruments, I have to run on headlights.

The volvo I have has reprogrammed so that off is off. While I normally leave the switch in pos 3 for dipped beam and rear drl it is useful to be able to turn the lights off, especially when carrying out diagnostics. With the headlamps and ignition on it is not long before the battery voltage is too low to give reliable readings unless a charger is connected.

The 26 year old land-rover has a wonderful devise where if on sidelights, turning the ignition on gives dim dipped beam as driving lights while all tail lights are illuminated. Full brightness is achieved by turning the headlamps on.

In biking circles the mantra is see and be seen, which is why most modern bikes run headlights all the time.

I tend to follow this practice . If it's big and got lights on you must of been driving with your eyes shut to not see me. I do however abhor the practice of front only drl and dash lighting many modern cars have. If you have lights at the front you need them at the back.

Paul.

[Bashy]

The issue i see with using just the sidelights as running lights, and I see this time and time again and that's folks forgetting to up it to low beam when it gets darker, the see the dash lit up (as it does with just the parking lights on) thus taking their eye off the ball, really grips my poop...

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Bashy

The issue i see with using just the sidelights as running lights, and I see this time and time again and that's folks forgetting to up it to low beam when it gets darker, the see the dash lit up (as it does with just the parking lights on) thus taking their eye off the ball, really grips my poop...

It doesn't matter whether its a bright sunny day or a dark evening, my dash is lit at all times. My car is a euro 4 though, euro 3 models may well be different. My car has no "running" lights (Presumably you mean the automatic daytime running lights), so when the headlight switch is to the "off" position, there's no lights (Previous owner disabled the DRL's). I'm aware in other Volvo's that this isn't an option, as putting the switch to "off" still means that the lights are on. So in my car; Headlight switch to off = no lights, switch to middle position = side lights (these have to be turned off manually when you turn the ignition off) & third position is dipped beam (lights turn off when ignition is off). Other Volvo's have lights on at all times, regardless of the position of the switch & all of them turn off automatically when the ignition is turned off/key removed (apart from side lights, they need to be turned off manually).

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

I've never understood the motivation to want to drive without dipped headlights when a driver recognises that he needs lights because it's getting dark but only switches on the side lights. I've heard such drivers say that they are saving fuel because the headlights consume more power than the side lights. I've come across drivers who were afraid of blinding oncoming drivers and I've heard the opinion that if you can see ahead without dipped lights you don't need them but without any reason for making that decision.

Actually it's a bit like Covid masks. We wear masks not to protect ourselves but to protect others from us in case we have the infection but don't know it. We need to switch on higher visibility lights at night not just because we need them to see but because they make us more visible to other drivers who may not be paying sufficient attention and need that extra aid to see us before there's insufficient time for them to react. Side lights just won't provide those fractions of a second saving in reaction time. If that costs us an egg cup of fuel and having to renew headlight bulbs a year or so early, isn't that a very small price to pay for improving safety for others on the road? Volvo think so and design the lights so that we are safer on the road.

If we think that there is a level of reduced visibility where sidelights are sufficient and that we can make the decision when that less than optimum visibility becomes bad enough to need to switch on dipped lights, we are kidding ourselves because any level of reduced visibility is enough to necessitate the maximum safe light warning to other road users.

I do switch the higher visibility lights on at night (dipped beam). I never said I drive around at night time with side lights on.