The motorcycle WAS one of the few vehicles with mandated daytime running lights. The addition of DRL's on all vehicles has made the motorcycle disappear into the crowd.
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It's not important, the number of people I've killed. What's important is how I get along with the people still alive. Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski
I couldn't agree with that statement more. With more and more cars having DRL's I feel my bike has done just that disappeared even more into a sea cars. I've seen several bikers switch to flashing headlight - I've been thinking about adding one myself.
On a two-lane country road, the sight of another motorist's headlights is striking - enough so that it can prevent a head-on collision. On a traffic-clogged highway, however, there are so many headlights that those of a single vehicle can get lost in the sea of cars.
After growing up with DRL's in Canada and then moving here to the US 8 years ago I have to say the Roads ARE safer with DRL's. In NYState Lights are to be on when wipers are running.NO-ONE follows this law(Troopers included). These cars you cannot see in the rain or snow are the reason for DRLS. I've nearly been in a few accidents with these folks myself. So YES DRL's ARE worth it.
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Nothing is fool-proof to a talented fool
Please don't get me wrong I'm all about safety, but personally I haven't seen any data which proves how much "safer" DRL really are. And once everyone has them, any perceived effectiveness will become almost neutralized. You made some interesting comments which IMO are attributed to a deeper problem with our driver education program in the US. Problem #1 people believe a license is a right. WRONG -it is a privilege. I find it frightening as well as you the number of people who don't turn on the headlight with their wipers, or don't properly use fog or parking lights. When it comes to DRL's I've seen several cases of drivers not turning on their actual headlights when it's dark. Because they think the DRL's are sufficient (Which is quite scary when you see it in person) DRL's while maybe a good idea seem more like a band-aid solution to the larger problem of inadequate driver training and adherence to safety protocols.
I find it hard to believe that DRL's make any difference in accident rates in the middle of the day.
In my opinion, their greatest benefit is during dusk hours, when cars get hard to see. Left to their own devices, most drivers don't bother to turn on their headlights at dusk ("I can see fine, I don't need my lights.."). DRL's make sure that their lights are on and they are visible to others.
Up here in the northeast we seem to get only about 50% of the days with direct sunlight, with the rest overcast. Seems to me that particularly on the cloudy days it's easy to miss seeing a car as, say, you're pulling out into traffic at a busy intersection. DRL's pop out at you in such circumstances, which is why I almost always turn on the lights even during the day if it's not sunny. An ounce of prevention...
DRL's are only useful in very specific environmental or geographical situations. I.e. In conditions where when racing you would normally run a rain light: obviously during rain, but during snow, fog, or other low visibility conditions. Geographically in the higher lattitudes where low light conditions can exist throughout the day, and on isolated truly flat areas (desert) where incoming traffic can be seen for many miles but because of the distance just doesn't seem to move. In city or metropolitan freeway driving they are mostly useless. On european cars that just use the normal low beams and bypass the rear lights they just use up a lot of light bulbs.
Anyhow it seems proper at times when visibillity is poor. And can never predict the weather condition & leave it to individual's preference to adoptit when needed.
There is another problem which never is brought under discussion; ie "Light Saving" practiced almost throughout world twice a year without any benefit but mishaps.
How bright the practice it was to have fixed working times for Summer & Winter.
Nothing to Sync PCs or Clocks, No ambiuity about the times of other localities of concern; No day of 23Hrs or 25 Hrs. How all the records maintained for a 25 Hrs day[though it is once a month].
Because it is the person to adjust itself for change of time to get up in both the cases Time-saving or otherwise, NOT the SUN to delay or come early.
DRL's
