Practically Classics Forum

My uncle just got a new Citroen and he was told that all modern cars
have to have daytime running lights fitted and working by law.

I asked him can they be switched off at all and didn't know if they
could be or not. I got the impression that the dealer was taking the
p*ss in telling him that.

Or am I wrong at is it some new law for new vehicles?

It's not even a new law, it's been on the books for a year or two. The only legal way for them to be extinguished is when the headlights are turned on, and at that time they HAVE to be extinguished because they're a dazzle hazard.

The purpose for them,is to warn others of your presence,be it other motorists who look but don't see,and pedestrians who are a danger to themselves. I knocked a girl down (doing about 20mph) in a so-called pedestrianised area,every other pedestrian stopped,she just walked out into the road,and I was told by a traffic officer,to switch on my headlights

This reminds me of when I owned a volvo 244 many years ago , It had daylight running lights and my other half was out in it, She was stopped in a routine traffic stop and the police noticed one of the running lights was not working. The officer commented that this was an offence , My wife told him she could fix that so she took the bulb out of the other side . The officer let her on her way , I suppose if he had thought about it he could have then had her for not having two side lights working but he had already checked all the lights and not thought it through.

These horrid and far too bright LED arrays aren't compulsory yet thank goodness. I was offered them on the daily modern when I bought that a year past July but spent (slightly less as it happened) on front fog lamps instead.

The LEDs must be aimed at the hard of thinking as they're bright enough to make it difficult to see what it is that's coming toward you yet there are no similar lamps to the rear which means that anyone forgetting to put their headlamps up would then be invisible from behind.

At least the DRLs on older Volvos can be switched off - by turning the lamp switch one notch ACW from the normal down position - and provided lamps to both ends of the car.
Talk of making these LED arrays compulsory rumbles on but the date seems to jump a few Month every time the current one is reached. The arrays fitted to thae new Citroens are among the worst of the lot, they're incredibly dazzling and as such, dangerous for anyone with normal eyesight. I would urge anyone who makes the mistake of buying a car that comes equipped with the things to use their headlamps at all times, so ensuring that the Arrays don't come up other than for a moment when initially starting the car. Correctly aimed modern headlamps have a darned sight less potential to do damage.

If you really dislike them you could always measure the resistance across one of them then unplug it and bung in a 1p resistor in it's place. That will stop the car logging a fault and mean you don't get the daft lights!

Terry it's a mobility car that my uncle has so I won't be touching it.
But it is the fact that the dealers will say anything to the public.
I mean if you consider what has been said above, about wither or
not it is law or when it will or came into effect. And this is a forum
is for vehicles and those interested. So imagine what the general
public is like on these questions!

He'd have been better to say he didn't know but dealers don't know how to do that... Our Motability car has them, but being a Mk6 Golf they are just conventional lights in the light cluster and not LEDs. Can't see an issue with them myself, I wonder sometimes if some people would prefer us to be still using candles or oil lamps... I'd be more concerned about pedestrian use of mobiles and/or personal stereos whilst they are walking or crossing roads rather than DRLs which could at least prevent some accidents!

http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/d ... lights.pdf

TerryG wrote:If you really dislike them you could always measure the resistance across one of them then unplug it and bung in a 1p resistor in it's place. That will stop the car logging a fault and mean you don't get the daft lights!

Bear in mind what an LED is and that the ECU would only log the device by the array's forward voltage.
Replacing each element of the array with a suitable Zener diode however, that should work.

hobby wrote:......I wonder sometimes if some people would prefer us to be still using candles or oil lamps......

Probably, since those forms of lighting aren't known to damage the human eye, unlike the LEDs that are used to give the impression of white light. Amber LEDs are what is actually required.

Fitting one of these either side of the grille-mounted BB pistol should effect a total solution to this menace!

My 2008 Golf hasn't got them, but I believe they can be turned on or off via the VAG-COM (VCDS?) on more superior models. My friend's (Dec) 2011 Renault Scenic also lacks them, so I wonder if the local Renault dealer is switching them off illegally. I must take note of our new neighbour - he's a salesman for the local Jag agent and comes home with various new Jags - I'm sure some lack running lights!

The thing that bugs me is that some are so bright and close to the other lights that you can hardly see the indicators flashing in normal daylight.