What you think?

 

Look here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=53256

 

I think they are a great safety feature to have. DRLs are enabled in both of our MINIs. Make the car much more visible to oncoming traffic. Transparent, you never "feel" its there. Highly recommended.

 

BIG fan of DRLs - especially now in the '05s. They've improved a few things with their implementation since the 02's. With the new light configuration they actually look quite cool, IMO. My favorite improvement, however, is that you can now have the DRLs AND fog lights on simultaneously (as long as you also turn on the parking lights). And, I have to throw in that I am so happy to have the new rear fog! Next: amber rear turn signal lenses.

I'm all for increasing the visibility of my car. Over the last 3+ years of driving MINIs I've had a few too many instances where I seemed to have that special "Invisible Paint" option. I might look like a Christmas tree, but da^^it, you'll see me coming (and going)!

 

I love the DRLs on my old Subie. We got it for the SO's car. However, Miles has the automatic lights so it'd be silly to get DRLs.

 

I don't understand your correlation of the DRLs with the automatic headlights. I have also have auto headlights in my '05 MCS and I still had the dealer enable the DRLs prior to delivery. During the daytime hours, your headlights are turned off, so you still need the DRLs.

 

i'm all about DRLs. Coming form a black miata, you learn to use any advantage you can get....

 

I like the stealthy look.. the DRL makes my car more stands out...

 

I'm of two minds on this question. My first instinct is that they'll cause the police to notice me (bad). However, I also think they'll help other drivers notice me (good). For now, I have DRL's disabled.

 

I have the same kind of though... And I turn on headlight EVERY TIME when the weather is bad..

 

HATE them, always have, both on mine and other cars. Unnecessary glare during the daytime... if it's rainy/gloomy, I can turn my headlights on myself.

Plus I think they look stupid, especially on a sunny day. Just IMO.

 

i posted this b4, but on a dark colored car like mine that goes through the woods it's good to have the DRL's turned on. im running superwhite bulbs in them so it's not that yellow cheap halogen look either. more like driving lights turned on.

i dont plan on turning them off. :smile:

my wife's LegacyWagon is black so it's got them activated too.

im not running them on my silver G35C.

 

I don't have mine enabled, because I have to go onto Military bases all the time and flashing the guards with the xenons is slightly rude. (It really bugs them and they have guns.....)

Really though, I think the auto lights are a better options for me. YMMV.

usna92

 

DRLS do NOT use the lows, only the highs on half power.

 

Look here for the studies. This site also examines the arguements agains, and pretty much all of them have no basis in fact. (At least with regard to safety).

I was sligtly in favor when I started reading at the site, prompted by the arguments in the other thread. What I learned has me convinced, DRLs are the way to go, and while I agree that they change the look of the car, they do really increase overall driver safety.

Matt

 

I must share a word on research... Did some in college so I know what I am talking about. You can make it say anything you want it to say. With statistics you can scientifically prove that 2 + 2 = 5. It is all a BIG GAME to spend our hard earned $$$.

Researchers aren't doing this for to help us. They do it so that they have a paycheck so they can feed their famlies. They word their questions to Prove that the thing happens that they want to see happen.

It is far more common to prove that something doesn't happen than it is to prove that it does happen. That in mind reserchers carefully word their statements. If you know somethig will happen you simply suggest that your expected result will not happen. Presto you have a research paper that you can prove and get funding. That is how the subjects of studies are chosen. Does this truely prove anything... NO!

They realize that a single person is SMART. They count on the fact that a number of people together are panicky and STUPID. Get 2 or more people together and... presto Intelegence drops. Angry Mob mentality starts. Then you get the liberal news media to suck up to the researcher...

Instantly the sky is now green and grass now changes color with the weather.

I also seem to remember that the research on Liz Dole's Center High Mount Stop Light. Initial results were very supportive that it helped prevent accidents, but no one did long term research

Bottom line is this. It worked bcause it is different. It stood out like the perverbial sore thumb. Now that the CHMSL is manditory and every car has them they no longer stick out. They no longer work! Don't even throw in the fact that auto makers have them all over the place. Heck the CHMSL on my Stratus was less than 6 inches above the tail lighs. On some models the CHMSL is at the same level as the tail lights.

DRL works temporarily because they stand out. They will quit working as a safety item when bike, car, truck, and van have them.

I know you bikers there will say what about DRLs. Bikes are EXTREMELY SMAL Bikes NEED lights, and they NEED to be loud so that they can be seen and heard! There are far fewer bikes on the road than cars and trucks so a bike sticks out like a Sore thumb. The headlight only makes it stick out even more.Yes the MINI is small especially when compared to the SUV Excesses out there. But it is still larger than a bike!


Bottom line is simply this Opinions are like the human Anus. We all got them and they all STINK! Nomex suit on... Flame if you must!

 

yep, the H7's.

 

I've heard that argument a million times about anyone can use statistics to prove anything. Its a very old argument. So what?

If DRLs save a life ... just ONE life, they are worth every penny. Sure, if everyone uses them they become ubiquituous and people ignore them, again, so what?

 

Up here we have no choice, the DRLs have to be on.

I do 100 miles a day on the highway, and even on a sunny day, I can see an oncoming car way better if their DRLs are on.

I don't buy the "I don't like the look" line. Being visibly to others is more important than looking good.

 

It's obvious that you didn't read the references, and that you don't like research. Double bind experiments are the best verification process we have ever developed in the entire history of human civilization. How can you say don't trust research, and then say that the effect of DLRs has worn off? Magic intuition and faith, give me a feakin' break. Sure there are those who spin reseach to their own ends, but that doesn't mean that the entire endevor (the quest for verifiable knowledge in a structured approach) is a waste of time and effort. You shouldn't have wasted the space flaming the one way we have to create objective conclusions, by just saying that the research techniques can be abused. No shi* Sherlock! I can go find some research that says the earth is flat. Big deal. Go look at the site, read the articles that address the very points you make (with your supirior inner eye that gets absolute knowledge with no measurement). Maybe you'll learn something.

The idea that researches do what they do for a profit motive is true in some cases, but if you've every seen a post doc salary, you'd know that argument doesn't hold water.

Also, while your at it, learn some logic and deduction, and you'll see why I laughed OUT LOUD at your arguments. Holes big enough to drive a big freakin' DRL enabled truck through!

Matt

 

I don't like them...I like knowing I can always turn them off if I want to, which is nice. Although I always turn my headlights on as soon as I get in the car just out of habit.

 

I don't understand the comments about glare, at least not on the MINI. My DRLs do not cause any glare, but they do make my little car more visable.

 

Well, it seems slightly strange to have DRLs as well as automatic lights. I realize that DRLs run at 50% power, and when it gets darker, the lights will be turned fully on, but really, why bother with automatic lights in the first place if the change is fairly minimal?

It's a personal preference thing, I admit, and no one has ever accused people of being consistent in thinking.

 

I agree that statistics and research quoted sans the context of all the details is often manipulative information, used to make/support a point, at best.

What are the details of all of those studies, who is the population involved, what are the conditions, how populated is the area, what kind of cars/trucks involved, what are the details/causal factors of the accidents you are comparing to, etc. All of these details and more, including the dates of the studies are important in determining the validity of the information to your situation - whether its all apple to apples so to speak. In the current climate of many populated bright cities and highways is the data as relevant? With the use of cell phones, etc do DRLs make as much difference since so many accidents happen in same direction traffic and are caused by other things having nothing to do with the presence of DRLs or not.

Some may say it is better, safer, then not having them activated. Perhaps, but I'm not convinced as a whole that it is necessary for everyone or close to being implemented correctly*. I can see how automatic headlights are beneficial as they replace common sense, or the lack of it, by activating the lights in low light situations that many people seem to ignore. But DRLs on the other hand have this placebo effect - as I've said before people apparently forget they only have the DRLs on and drive along like they have lights on and they don't when they should. These last few days it has been very foggy and overcast and I'm amazed at the people who don't put their lights on, and plenty seems to have the DRLs. Not only is the light pattern bad in the fog, but from the back they are as invisible as the people with no lights.

Anyway, just more of my .02. I would loooove it if they actually started ticketing people for not having their headlights on when the conditions call for it. Way more dangerous then the lone person speeding on the empty highway that apparently is the favorite target :P


*Speaking of bad implementation, I used to notice Saturns with DRLs blinding me all of the time and was told by someone it was because they had a dimmer switch on then and you could basically pump them up to being bright. I don't know if that is true but I also see that on other cars too, is it because people are putting in brighter bulbs etc? This is how they can actually be less safe - perhaps the DRLs should be separate lights designed for what they are being used for... or some other solution...

 

The change is not minimal. Highs are pointed entirely different than lows. I've has "automatic lights" on other cars as well as DRLs and automatic lights are very cool. You never have to worry about turning them on OR off. I always forget to turn the stupid lows off!