10/23/2023
Could your DRL’s kill you? Or a loved one?
DRL’ -Dayrime Running Lights- were a great innovation. Having an approaching car or truck more visible to pedestrians and other drivers has probably prevented thousands of accidents. But a great idea left many gaps in visibility, and ignored the human factor in ways that may actually be causing hundreds more accidents.
How, you may ask?
DRL’s leave headlights on in a lowered brightness with the idea that their use would not greatly shorten the lifespan of the headlights. The human factor here is that many drivers forget to put their full powered headlights on at night, resulting in reduced visibility for the driver, particularly an issue when driving unfamiliar winding roads at night. Even much more dangerous, however, is the fact that DRL’s do NOT turn the vehicles taillights on. A vehicle approaching from behind won’t see the car ahead until the last seconds, potentially resulting in rear end collisions. This shortcoming of DRL design isn’t restricted to nighttime driving, as driving in heavy rain also makes the visibility of a car without their taillights on, much worse.
Many of these dangers were the result of design limitations of the bulbs most cars used when the DRL regulations were first introduced. There was a secondary goal of not having hundreds of cars on the road with blown headlights and taillights due to constant usage. Today, however, most vehicles use LED’s for taillights and, increasingly, for headlights as well.
In addition, many modern vehicles have systems in place to automatically shift from DRL’s to full lighting at night. Not all cars have this feature, however.
It is time for regulators to adjust the DRL laws to take advantage of these new technologies, for all vehicles, and close the door on human factor accidents.
In the meantime, what can we do to reduce risks to ourselves and our families?
Set your car to drive with your regular “nighttime” headlights on to maximize your vehicle’s visibility day and night even at the risk of having to change a headlight bulb a little more often.
For most cars, changing headlight and or taillight bulbs is an easy DIY task.
And the small added expense is minuscule compared to the expense and headache of dealing with an auto accident.
William O’Connell O.D., F.A.A.O.,
Vision Specialist
