Hoopla over DRL

Who would have thought that the posting with the longest most passionate
thread around here will be about Daylight running Lights. I am impressed!

--
_______________________________________
"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is
like an eggs-and-ham breakfast:
The chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

http://community.webshots.com/user/godwino

 

You have to know how passionate Americans are about being told what is good
or bad for them.....then you'll understand.
Canadians aren't much different, except we keep our passion to ourselves and
eat it. People think we're nice when we're just plain frustrated. Daytime
Running Lights are one of the best additions in auto features since the
seatbelt, in my opinion.

I hope you're suitably impressed : ) By the way, I like to post on top. On
top is a favoured position in many cases.

 

You're welcome to your opinion, but real-world facts don't support it.

By "real-world facts" I mean actual, real reductions in injury, death and
property damage. If you list the safety improvements made to automobiles
since the 1940s, there are a great many items -- probably around fifty --
on the list between seatbelts (number one) and DRLs.

DS (in Canada)

 

Ugh. DRL are pretty damn stupid. They waste gas and do nothing that anyone
else can't do on their own. If you think the conditions warrant it, you can
reach over and turn on the lights yourself. Some DRL's are very stupidly
designed, GM, and they use high beams which is damn stupid. Seatbelts are
a proven technology and should not be compared to DRL's which have no
benefit.

 

Speaking of Canadians and Americans (USA). I don't know if I shared here
that I am an Alien (The type from outer space that is )

Anyway I took my family on a journey to Washington DC. It was very
re-assuring for me to share what I think of USA to my kids born here. How
impressive the government buildings are, but more importantly knowing that
the power residing in those impressive buildings lie in the hands of the
people. That the choice of who will be in the white house next year is
totally in the hands of the people, in cities, villages, suburbs, inner
cities, etc. That if there is going to be a change, it will be without
violence and blood shedding. That no matter who wins, the whole country
will be behind him or her until the next 4 years cycle.

Forgive me for getting carried away, but it meant so much to me, and gives
me hope and reassurance that I did the right in picking this country to
raise my family in.

--
_______________________________________
"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is
like an eggs-and-ham breakfast:
The chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

http://community.webshots.com/user/godwino

<snip>

 

Just wanted to see if you were at home, Dan : )

I said 'one of the best additions'; I didn't say was the absolute best. I
think back to the late 50's and 60's when people used to go to the auto
store and purchase those single, white lights to mount on their grills just
so other drivers could see them at a distance during the daylight hours.
Not too many people used them, but I remember the ones who did because I
could see them coming for miles...and that is the reason I love them. I
have been driving for over 45 years (legally) and I still find it comforting
to be able to see a vehicle at a distance coming at me when I am considering
overtaking another car and must move into the oncoming lane to do it....and
the reason I can see it is because of the 'daytime running lights'.

There I go Top Posting again.....when will I ever learn : )

 

It seems like they would do more harm than good. In bad weather everyone
turns on their lights anyway and in good weather they just provide a
distraction, I find on coming lights in the daytime to be really annoying.

As for the difference between Americans and Canadians, that goes back to
the American revolution. The people who liked big government went North
after the revolution. So when King George tells Canadians that they have
to use lights in the daytime they do it whereas Americans would just dump
their DRLs into Boston Harbor.

 

<... I have been driving for over 45 years (legally) and I still find it
comforting

I've got about the same number of driving years as you and I agree
completely. I have great respect for our American neighbours or neighbors
but really they do get awfully silly about some "liberty or death" issues.
DRLs and allowing tens of millions of their citizens to go without health
care coverage above all. Anyway, back to cars (he says as he jumps into a
foxhole to avoid the incoming artillery... :<)

 

I find on coming lights in the daytime to be really annoying.

Because they're so much brighter than the sun and you never wear
sunglasses.

King George?! Are you for real?

 

You're welcome to your opinion, but real-world facts don't support it.

How bout some of those "real world facts". Or are they just "Danny's world
facts." I suspect the latter.

 

The shocker is that the Federal Government in Canada goes along with the
poor lighting standards permitted by the US regulators. They could insist on
e-code lights that are self leveling, on amber turn lights, on northern
European standard DRL's, etc; but noooo, they allow the same crap forced
upon us in the states.

Richard.

 

We're not ones for showing off and irritating our American buddies. They
could get mean and make the borders even slower to cross in an attempt to
keep American money in America. By the way, last Thursday was indeed a
'red-letter' day for me...I saw THREE 300C's in one afternoon. Way to go
D-C! This has to be an all-time record for me to date,

Arthur

 

How can headlights be brighter then the sun? Rick, You definately have
issues with your retina's. better get to an eye doctor ASAP

 

Thanks for your concern. Do you know what sarcasm is?

 

They have no choice; the US automakers and DOT have 'em by the short and
curly hairs.

Transport Canada was going to permit ECE-spec whole vehicles. The idea
went through (and passed) all the safety and cost analyses, clear on up to
the top levels of TC. When public-comment time came, the US regulators
(NHTSA) said "Don't do it! If you do this, then we'll be the only ones in
the world doing something different!". The US-based automakers said "Don't
do it! If you do this, it'll screw up our parts allocation system. We
don't want a car we built for use in Germany showing up in Canada." And so
the answer was "No" for reasons having nothing to do with safety.

The crash-avoidance regulators in Canada are not stupid. They know a good
headlamp from a bad one. They know a good turn signal, a good DRL, a good
brake light, a good regulation from a bad one. They know all the problems
with the US regulations. But they are prevented from changing their
standards significantly without US NHTSA permission by the threat of a
NAFTA "restraint of free trade" lawsuit. Quote from the horse's mouth:
"I'd mandate amber turn signals today, but tomorrow GM would get an
injunction based on interference with free trade."


At least ECE headlamps are legal in Canada...

 

You ain't been around here very long. Do a Google search on a thread with
the subject "Jeep thing or sheep thing"...aw, hell, I'll just do it for
you...

http://tinyurl.com/6ws3b

You think the DRLs thing is heated? Oh, my goodness.

How's the Magnum?

--Geoff

 

There's some truth to this. When Europeans ask me to explain America I
always say the best way to understand us is to remember that our ancestors
came here to escape European politics in one form or another. That's why we
don't have them. A lot of people who didn't support the Revolution moved to
Canada. Today, it's clear Canadians still think along European lines when it
comes to politics. With Quebec, they have their own small, internal version
of international hatred. Luckily, it'll never flare up in to the "sport of
kings". If you had a couple of inbred first cousins ruling Ontario and
Quebec as monarchs, though.... well let's hope it doesn't come to that.

I heard a joke about it a while back: Canada had the promise of French
Culture, British Politics, and American Wealth. Instead they settled for
British Wealth, American Culture, and French Politics. Hard to argue with
that...

I still can't for the life of me understand why anybody rational would
really dislike DRL's. They sure don't distract me, unless you call noticing
a car distracting..

 

Loving it! Best darn Car I have driven! And I have driven many fine cars.

By the way, it does have daytime running lights.

--
_______________________________________
"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is
like an eggs-and-ham breakfast:
The chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

http://community.webshots.com/user/godwino

 

Well, for starters, there's the obnoxious high beam Saturn DRLs which
cause painful/distracting glare even in the daytime (if it's overcast,)
also the turn signal DRLs which cause for ambiguous signaling...

It's not the DRLs I object to (although I don't see the benefit of
having them) it's the piss poor implementations that make having them
more dangerous than not.

nate

 

I would argue that a car that you say you "can see coming for miles" away and
screaming "look at me", when it's location relative to yours is of absolutely
no concern to you (and may never be if it turns off before getting to you) IS
therefore, by definition, a unnecessary/unneeded distraction away from paying
attention to those vehicles that are closest to you (and that should actually
be receiving your attention). And those vehicles that are close enough to you
to actually matter to you are plenty visible in the daytime from my 35 years
experience driving (at least at sun angles present in the "lower 48").

Like Dan has already said...real world results basically have disproved what
you believe in with these things. That being the case, the energy required and
the pollution created to power them is very likely a big waste (no benefit for
the costs).

Oops, I top posted too!

| Just wanted to see if you were at home, Dan : )
|
| I said 'one of the best additions'; I didn't say was the absolute best. I
| think back to the late 50's and 60's when people used to go to the auto
| store and purchase those single, white lights to mount on their grills just
| so other drivers could see them at a distance during the daylight hours.
| Not too many people used them, but I remember the ones who did because I
| could see them coming for miles...and that is the reason I love them. I
| have been driving for over 45 years (legally) and I still find it comforting
| to be able to see a vehicle at a distance coming at me when I am considering
| overtaking another car and must move into the oncoming lane to do it....and
| the reason I can see it is because of the 'daytime running lights'.
|
| There I go Top Posting again.....when will I ever learn : )
|