We have had some pretty murky weather here in South Wales this week, but there still far too many people are driving around without lights on. Nothing new there of course ! There is another problem which seems to have developed though.
Daytime Driving Lights ( DRLs ) are now increasingly being fitted to most new cars. On the face of it, they seem like a good idea. But there is widespread confusion about what they are and how they work. I am finding that people think that these quite bright lights are OK to drive in the fog with ( they aren't of course) but some people are not aware that they are only located on the front of cars, and not on the rear.
So, people are merrily driving around with DRLs, unaware that in misty and murky conditions, their cars are next to invisible in the rear view mirrors of the cars in front of them.
Mikey, I've seen them, cursed them, blasted the horn at them, but it's like taking to the wall, I can not understand the brain & sense ( if any ) of these motorists, any person with a bit of Common should know ( SEEN & BE SEEN) many times I've had cars coming up in the Spray of my trailer only to be seen at the last min, It should be a Legal Requirement & a 3 pointer if caught, these measure could be put in place by Motorway / Duel Carriageway Cameras such as the A483 Merthyr.
I have seen quite a few accidents this week, on the M4 and the Heads of the Valleys road. Most accidents seem to me to be caused by people driving too fast and too close to the vehicle in front, and bad visibility just makes that worse...a lot worse.
I suppose DRLs are helping this situation, but I am at a loss to understand why car manufacturers don't include the rear lights coming on automatically as well....just common sense to me !
As I commented on Dave's post, all cars now have the dashboards lit up light Christmas trees leading you to, possibly, believe that your lights are also on. Some cars (e.g. BMW Minis) have automatic lights but nothing on the dashboard to show that your lights are on.