daytime running lights

I have recived the following if anybody is interested

Dear Keith You kindly voted to support our campaign against dazzling Daytime Running Lights but despite our representations saying DRL are killing people rather than saving them, last week the EU mandated that all new cars should have them. BUT all is not lost, this has strengthened our campaign and by joining forces with Ken Perham's BlindedbiXenon campaign we now have the support of the influential Driving Instructors Association www.driving.org   Their Approved Driving Instructor membership are the best qualified people in the UK and certainly know what is safe and what is dangerous. www.lightmare.org   was fully launched 2 weeks ago and is attracting good media coverage: http://cars.uk.msn.com/blog/inside-track-blogpost.aspx?post=8e3ac2c3-cfc8-4755-8515-3156ae0834f1&_nwpt=1   http://www.driving.org/news/2011/01/28/driving-instructors-association-supports-lightmare-campaign   If you have a minute I would be grateful if you would consider signing our new Lightmare petition http://www.petition.co.uk/blinding-vehicle-lights-or-lightmare   and circulating this email around to as many people as possible to make our voice heard. 

Confusing two different issues though isn't it? The little row of LED lights on new Audis are a very different beast from those rather OTT projector HID units.

I spotted this a week or so ago.

I guess the idea is that by linkning the two campaigns together, the sum is more than the parts and they'll get more attention than either group on its own. 

I'm still waiting for someone to take onboard the fact of poor motorcycle lighting, most particularly at the rear where a single incandescent bulb (which fail regularly) is still the norm on a lot of bikes. There's no excuse for that in 2011. 

---

All original contributions to this forum by Kevin Williams are subject to a (cc) Creative Commons deed.
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 UK: England & Wales
Full terms are available here but in brief if you use the author's work for any purpose, it's under the following conditions:
* Attribution. You must give the original author credit.
* Non-Commercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
* Share Alike. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a licence identical to this one.
VD DEALS Blog Courses Books Facebook Twitter FREE STUFF

"Force has no place where there is need of skill" Herodotus 450BC :burnout:

Just bothered to read the petition and won't be signing. I'm broadly sympathetic to the goals, but it is unfocused and ranty.

For a start

'Blinding vehicle lights are surely the most pressing road safety problem of modern times.' Really? Surely tailgating is much higher up the list than bright lights?

Personally also think thoughtful technical criticism would be a better method of criticism. e.g. if we must have DRLs, suggest the use of the little LEDs , or sidelights, over having headlights blaring. Or with HID xenon lights, restrict the use of the fashionable tiny projector type round ones - they are too intense in one spot unlike traditional reflector type lamp which are more diffuse.

They have to justify their unelected positions & 6 figure salaries by being seen to do something.

Doesn't bother me either way: nothing they implement can have any effect on my own safety so I'll ride DrL free, here, in Europe, or anywhere in the world. To the bikes hard-wired since whenever I'll retro fit a proper switch.

While I don't believe ''Blinding vehicle lights are surely the most pressing road safety problem of modern times,' I do believe they are a problem. Often though, it's simply a case of poorly adjusted lamps. That there are so many may indicate a growing selfishness... the 'I can light up the road just fine thanks and I don't give a damn about you' mentality. Although difficult to quantify, it can be demonstrated a general, insidious beligerence is on the increase through a rise in other forms of anti-social, inconsiderate driving: namely a complete lack of indicator use which has become dangerously prolific in my experience – whether riding, driving, or simply gauging a crossing as a pedestrian.

My personal theory is this behaviour is linked to more deeply rooted social issues stemming from our post Kantian materialistic perception of life, existence and personal responsibility [or lack of it], and the crowded rush of our 21st Century lifestyles.

Riding a motorcycle equips you with so many life saving insights and facets it's difficult to acknowledge how any pencil-necked beaurocrat could ever, in any shape or form, pass on any worthwhile wisdom or implement any life saving legislation.

Unfortunately we wont be seeing any real improvement until those in the seats act & speak on issues they have real knowledge and experience of. Don't hold your breath: Plato was aware of this 2000+ years ago, and nothing has changed.