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LIGHT@DAY
Additional costs
Question
Does driving with dipped beam at day mean additional costs?
Answer
Costs do rise slightly: on the one hand, this is caused by higher fuel consumption (approx. 1-2% respectively 0,1-0,2 litres of fuel per 100 km). On the other hand, this is a result of higher lamp use and, therefore, a higher rhythm of lamp replacements.
But there is something to bear in mind: This increase in consumption can easily be compensated for by stepping on the accelerator with some more restraint from time to time.
And what about the more frequent lamp replacements?
For daytime running light, OSRAM offers a special range of lamps, LIGHT@DAY, which guarantees - with an increased lamp life - the usual replacement intervals.
And the higher price of a LIGHT@DAY?
Even a minor accident costs easily more than 50 or 100 car lamps. To sum up: LIGHT@DAY lamps are an investment which will always pay.
Daytime running lights in the EU
Question
How do other EU countries deal with the issue of daytime running lights?
Answer
The European Commission generally supports a uniform solution regarding daytime running lights for the whole of the EU. In the meantime more and more countries have set up mandatory regulations, so that its only a question of time until a collective European solution is implemented. Until then the dealings in this issue "daytime running lights" lie in the hands of the different countries.
The following overview offers information on the current status (January 2006, no responsibility is taken for the correctness and completeness of this information):
All-season compulsory daytime running lights have been introduced in:
Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Macedonia, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden.
Winter half year compulsory daytime running lights are established in:
Lithuania (1. November until 1. March), Poland (1. October until 28. February) and Slovakia (15. October until 15. March)
Recommendation of daytime running lights is exercised in:
France, Germany and Switzerland
Restricted duty of daytime running lights has been introduced in:
Portugal - only on the IP5
Prohibition of daytime running lights only in:
Greece (within city limits)
In addition some countries like Slovakia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Spain dictate the entrainment of a replacement lamp. This is equally advised in France, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Replacement light sets that hold lamps for fundamental lighting functions can be very convenient.
Lights on at day
Question
Why should I drive with dipped beam at day, too?
Answer
If you drive with your lights on at day, you will increase your own safety and you will lower your risk of accidents considerably. 50% of all people involved in car accidents (even 80% of those who had an accident at a crossroad) state that they did not see the other vehicle at all or that they did not see it in time. Those who use daytime running light are definitely seen better. Research carried out by the SWOV (Institute for Road Safety Research, NL) has shown that daytime running light is the cause of up to 25% fewer serious, fatal accidents and that the number of crashes and head-on collisions decreases by as much as 35%.
Luminous intensity
Question
Is the luminous intensity of OSRAM LIGHT@DAY lamps as strong as that of standard lamps?
Answer
To tell you straight out: a longer lamp life will always be at the expense of the luminous intensity (for physical reasons). This fact applies to the LIGHT@DAY lamp range, too, of course. The required light values and the safety criteria are still always strictly adhered to!
There is a simple rule:
If you do a lot of daytime-driving, you will drive with your lights on during the day and use the LIGHT@DAY. If you do a lot of night-time driving, however, the perfect lamps for you to use are the high-performance lamps OSRAM SUPER 30% and SILVERSTAR 50%.
Parking lights
Question
Isn't it enough, if I want to be seen better during the day, to drive with the parking lights switched on instead of the dipped beam?
Answer
A very clear no!
Here we are dealing with an important security aspect for all motorists, whose aim it is to be seen as quickly as possible at day by all other road users. The function of the parking light is to make a parked car visible at night to other motorists. Daytime running light, however, is defined in a much more demanding and powerful way in order to guarantee visibility in every situation. The light emitted by parking lights is by far not strong enough to imitate this function; only dipped beam is suitable for this function.
By the way: driving with fog lamps switched on at day and without real impediment of visibility is forbidden in nearly every country of the EU!
Safety risk
Question
Is there a higher safety-risk for motorcyclists because of more daytime running light?
Answer
Daytime running light has been limited to motorcyclists up to now to give them better protection through better visibility. This is why some voices have been raised who were worried that the introduction of daytime running light would lead to a deterioration of the present situation.
Such thinking assumes that the use of daytime running light by motorcars and trucks diminishes the perception of motorized two-wheeled vehicles and that an early visibility of these vehicles would therefore suffer. Extensive research, carried out in Lower Saxony e.g., has shown that a broad use of daytime running light offers additional safety to all road users. It is a proven fact that a vehicle with light is always caught more quickly by the human eye than a vehicle without light. This means that motorcyclists are now able to see other road users earlier, too, and this is an advantage which can help to avoid many motorcycle-accidents.
What is decisive is: everyone is seen better, no one is seen worse than before. And what is more: it is especially the weak road users (such as pedestrians and users of two-wheeled vehicles) who are able to see dangers (cars) more quickly.
