Daytime running lights

Questions:
1. Aftermarket availiblity? (where?)
2. Cost?
3. Worth it?

My insurance company say it offers a discount for cars with these "safety features". Depending upon how much of a discount I may persue it.

thanks,

More proof the insurance companies are clueless

Ian...

why do motorcycles have their lights on all the time?

Why do sections of mountain roads have "daytime headlight area"s?

Why do insurance companies offer lower rates for daytime lights?

BECAUSE LIGHTS MAKE YOU MORE VISIBLE.

psu98...
there is probably some kind of mod to make your lights turn on when ever the engine is on....

i have not seen anything aftermarket.

for what its worth i have my head lights and "fog" lights on whenever i drive, but i just have to remind myself to turn them on/off

[ 11-13-2001: Message edited by: Todrick ]

Probably isn't exactly what you're looking for, but I happend to go to the Hella site today and saw these.
http://www.hella.com/produktion/HellaPor...nning_Light.jsp

Buy a Canadian X! They have this feature. If your really good with wiring buy the control module for the headlights from a wrecked Canadian X. Wire it in and your done. All it does it control the current to the stock headlights making then come on but not near as bright. OR wire in some 50 watt backup light bulbs or fog lamp bulbs inside the stock headlight housing. This would give you the same effect.

DLR are a precaution against careless drivers who don't turn on their lights at dusk/dawn or harsh weather conditions. I am glad I and others have it up here.

In reality, the DRL will make you more visible. I remember somewhere that a study was done and measured the distance that a person could see a car at w/ the lights and without. You could spot a car farther away with DRL than without.

And to respond to the insurance comment- many states actually require that if your wipers are on, your lights are on. Makes you more visible during bad weather conditions.

Sorry Ian, I think you just got voted out of the tribe

How about parking lights that only work if the vehicle is parked ?

How about headlights that come on at dusk ?

How about ridding the world of red directionals, allowing yellow only (ever figure out which way someone pumping their brakes, and giving a red turn signal is going) ?

If you're going to make cars safe so stupid people can drive them, why not make them really, really safe ?

Actually what I would like to do is put higher wattage bulbs in the front corner lights and use them as my DRLs similar to the new corvettes, etc.

Maybe I read that the wrong way, but it sure sounds hostile and smug.

I gotta Ask, Todrick, what do you think Ian said that warranted that response? Chalk another one up to reading into it....

Speaking of red directionals... I thought you would never see them on a foreign car, since the US seems to be the only ass-backwards country that allows them. Certainly you would never expect to see 'em on a German car, right? German auto regulations are about as strict as they come.
BUT, the new Audi A4 has red rear directionals, and I think the A6 does too. WTF is up with that?

Brent

speaking of safer better lighting, I've been contemplating a set of 7" round lights to replace my current rectangular ones. Not sure how horrible it would look, but there are just so many better lighting choices in 7" round. I think they would fit, not sure about it though. Would that be a bit too freakish? They'd be a lot brighter....

Actually Matt, I think you quoted the wrong person. Ian was the one who said "More proof the insurance companies are clueless"

There is no information on file that supports the theory that DRLs actually prevent accidents.

ok i admit... it does sound a little smug and a bit hostile...

i didn't really mean it to...

but honestly is it any different from the way Ian responds?

i disagreed with Ian and thats about it... i guess the reason it came off that way is i thought everyone knew D.R.L.'s where safer

[ 11-14-2001: Message edited by: Todrick ]

is Ian saying DRLs are not worth it? Or that the ins companies are just not on the right track, I dunno, just asking. My ins company gave me discounts for ABS, Hell, I even tried to eek out extra discounts because it's yellow. I mean, who can claim they didn't see it? Even Red-green colorblind people can see it.

Actually 2 studies were done that showed DRL reduce some accidents by 3%. Opponents of DRL say this is not worth it. I agree if you are in the other 97%. They also say you use more gas and studies have shown this to equal about $3 per year. Which is a lot when you multiply this times the number of cars on the road.

I believe they add a measure of safety but may not be perticularly good for the environment.

Do you mind quoting your sources?

So that's the reason we Canadians get sucky mpg... I thought it was our bad driving

Ok, after an exhaustive search I have found what I think you are looking for.

JCWhitney sells it. DRL control for vehicles.

P/N 135SY5227R

It is the low voltage model.

Do a web search for daytime running lights and you will find everything you wanted (or didn't want to know) about DRL. Mostly negative stuff.


I wonder if I could connect the JCWitney item to my corner lights with higher wattage bulbs?

[ 11-16-2001: Message edited by: psu89 ]

Let me get this straight, you want to spend time and money so your lights are on when you're driving? Gee, I can do that already, I just turn the knob.

Brent

i do the same...

however, insurance companies dont trust you to remember... thats the reason he needs a hard wired system

Typical response.... How about answering a question or shut the f up. I did not ask for sarcastic remarks.

thanks Todrick

Take a deep breath and chill brother.

ok that was funny...

but seriously if you really watched all the shit Brent has caught... i think i'd be jaded too....

oh wait, i am

[ 11-16-2001: Message edited by: Todrick ]

Sorry but wouldn't using the radio or AC have the same effect? I mean your alternator has to run to charge the battery and DRL can't require this much juice (you realize DRL is dimmer than when the lights are on full blast right?). Sorry, I don't know the exaxt energy draw but don't understand how this could make that much of a difference. If you know the answer, I'll be all ears.

Your answer here: http://www.howstuffworks.com/question424.htm

I guess the cheapes way out would be to hard wire my otherwise useless stock fog lights and call them DRL. I am going to try to set up the front corner lights with a higher wattage bulb and try to make them the DRL.

Thanks for all the responses.

I had installed some aftermarket DRM modules a few years ago (here in Canada, they are standard in vehicles since something like 1990) i think they still have these boxes at Canadian Tire.

The module was a small box (2 x the size of a fog lamp relay) with an "antenna wire" that you had to wrap around a spark plug wire (to detect if the motor is running). These modules where used power on some separates running lights, only when the motor is running.

Um... why not just tell your insurance company you have them?

Are they honestly going to check it to make sure... do they have "inspections" of your vehicle from time to time?

One of my buddies has a Toyota corolla, from 96... before they started putting ABS on everything that rolls...

He gets a discount because he says the car has Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS). Even though the insurance company could just look at the car specs and see that it doesnt. They don't care.

Adamant

they don't care.. until you claim something and they check the car out... oh.. you lied, sorry ... doesn't matter if the claim is connected to the false statement or not.

Well, he's put in claims from people hitting him and for comprehensive stuff (had his car broken into)...

but he's never been called on it. DRLs are prolly just as hard to confirm as ABS... Unless they specifically look for it

I dunno, maybe its a lil dishonest, but he has only been in one accident that was his fault... and that was way back... so for the past 5 years hes basically been paying the insurance company and they have been rakin it in without him claiming anything other than a small theft.

There are certain people you can justify putting one over on. And in my mind, if an insurance company is going to charge you a lot of money and you never need it... then you should pay as lil as possible.

(i know, you never know when yer gonna need it... but after five years, yer rates should go down... by default. If not, make them go down... =0) )

Jus my take on it...

Adamant

I don't know about his insurance company but mine can tell all of the options my 2 vehicles have by the VIN #. That's all I gave them and the policy listed the exact options I had.