New Daytime Running Lights Law

In 2008 a new law was passed by the European Commission that meant all new cars and small vans purchased after February 2011 had to have daytime running lights, and lorries will follow suit from August 2012. The new vehicles will have the daytime running lights (DRL) that come on automatically when the engine is started. This law will not affect cars bought before this period and DRL´s will not have to be retro fitted.

Daytime running lights are not new to the UK. Volvo´s were the first vehicles that came with these as standard, although the driver did have the option to turn them off. Volvo´s were fitted with DRL´s due to the laws in Sweden and have always been seen as a safety feature. The European Commission had introduced this law on advice that there could be a significant reduction in road deaths and serious injuries. Those that are opposed to the new law argue that the glare from these lights will be distracting. There is also concern over motor cyclists and the possibility of a rise in pollution due to increased fuel usage.

In a report for the Department for Transport it was confirmed, "There is substantial evidence that the mandatory use of DRL would provide a net accident reduction. However, the evidence concerning the magnitude of the effect and particularly the relationship with accident severity is considerably weaker."

Many manufacturers are already planning and designing their new ranges of cars and vans with the future regulations in mind. The new range of Audi´s (which can be seen below) will all come with daytime running lights as standard.

Audi A3	Audi A4	Audi R8

Audi have tried to combat the issue of increased fuel usage by designing their new lights with LED´s. LED´s use less watts (about 5-10) when running compared to headlamps which consume 110 watts. The difference in the amount of power used will have a big impact on the amount of fuel used. Expect to see the majority of manufacturers follow suit by using LED daytime running lights as the economy will be used a selling point for new vehicles.

published: 18/02/2010