running lights

[James Sweet]

i always rode with my headlight on, and I got a hip replacement to show for
it. it didn't make a lick of difference.

How do you know you wouldn't have had more accidents without them?


I don't think they make a huge difference but the cost to have them is
minimal, and I can say for sure that they make oncoming cars more visible to
me. It may not be a drastic safety increase but every little bit counts.

 

[James Sweet]

I don't see it making much difference, heck if they get confused with brake
lights maybe the person behind you will slow down, if you really do hit the
brakes then it'll become obvious, either way I don't really see a danger.
IIRC both my Volvos have two rear fogs, I wouldn't really care if they only
had one, although it's nice to know that if one burns out there's still
another one there.

No, both taillights are still lit at their normal brightness, the foglight
is a separate bulb, with the same brightness as a brakelight (or there are
two foglights, each the same brightness as brakelights, which is why people
might confuse them with brakelights).

I don't agree that the single rear foglight could be confused with a
motorcycle, because as you get closer to the car in thick fog you can also
see the taillights. You just first see the foglight farther away, which is
the point.

My two cents...

what is it about only ONE tail light? my old volvos had both lit, didn't
they?

lines

of

where

i

are

an

indisputable safety feature, why aren't they mandatory in all countries?

[There was a very funny sketch by a British comedian called Jasper

Carrott

a
few years ago, in which he was ridiculing Volvo's running lights. When
Volvos reach the end of their life and go to a scrap yard and are turned
into a bale of steel, they STILL have their lights on!!]

Roger

 

[L.A.]

i just walked out to my 960. damned if it doesn't have just one operable
rear fog light. who'd have known?

I don't see it making much difference, heck if they get confused with brake
lights maybe the person behind you will slow down, if you really do hit the
brakes then it'll become obvious, either way I don't really see a danger.
IIRC both my Volvos have two rear fogs, I wouldn't really care if they only
had one, although it's nice to know that if one burns out there's still
another one there.

No, both taillights are still lit at their normal brightness, the foglight
is a separate bulb, with the same brightness as a brakelight (or there are
two foglights, each the same brightness as brakelights, which is why people
might confuse them with brakelights).

I don't agree that the single rear foglight could be confused with a
motorcycle, because as you get closer to the car in thick fog you can also
see the taillights. You just first see the foglight farther away, which is
the point.

My two cents...

skrev

i lines in
good where

sun)

so

with
the headlights on in dayligt its easier to spot a meeting car.

yanks are more pro own choice than safetly for all....


I couldn't possibly comment about Yanks - I'm British!

I am very safety conscious - always wearing my seatbelt (contrary to the
suggestion made by another poster) - and I believe in seeing and being
seen.
To this end, I have disabled another of Volvo's wonderful *safety*
features
whereby only one high intensity rear fog lamp was enabled at the
manufacturing stage. I now have TWO - which is far safer and far more
likely
to avoid being rear-ended in fog.

BUT, I prefer to choose when I use my headlights rather than having them
come on automatically with the ignition. If daylight running lights

are

an
indisputable safety feature, why aren't they mandatory in all countries?

[There was a very funny sketch by a British comedian called Jasper Carrott
a
few years ago, in which he was ridiculing Volvo's running lights. When
Volvos reach the end of their life and go to a scrap yard and are turned
into a bale of steel, they STILL have their lights on!!]

Roger

 

[L.A.]

How do you know you wouldn't have had more accidents without them?


I don't think they make a huge difference but the cost to have them is
minimal, and I can say for sure that they make oncoming cars more visible to
me. It may not be a drastic safety increase but every little bit counts.

Certainly I can't say that I wouldn't have been hit more or harder. But I
can say it didn't make shit for difference when the Buick hit me.

 

[~^ beancounter ~^]

ha...

i just walked out to my 960. damned if it doesn't have just one operable
rear fog light. who'd have known?

I don't see it making much difference, heck if they get confused with brake
lights maybe the person behind you will slow down, if you really do hit the
brakes then it'll become obvious, either way I don't really see a danger.
IIRC both my Volvos have two rear fogs, I wouldn't really care if they only
had one, although it's nice to know that if one burns out there's still
another one there.

which
is skrev

model.

I

positions

to

control
the way in which the lights work. This is described in the Owner
Handbook.
The V40 may have something similar - I don't know.

In my opinion, daylight running lights serve NO useful purpose in
good
daylight - apart from that of boosting the coffers of those

who
have

shares
in light-bulb manufacture. The ridiculous idea stems from
Scandinavia -
where it hardly gets light in the winter and where the locals are
apparently
incapable of deciding for themselves that they need to turn their
lights
on.
Those of us in the rest of the world have to suffer daylight running
lights
in consequence.

As you will have guessed, I have disabled mine!

Roger




Hmm here in sweden we often get the sun in our eyes due to that where
i
live we ar on the same latitude as ancorage.( steeper angle to

sun)

so
with
the headlights on in dayligt its easier to spot a meeting car.

yanks are more pro own choice than safetly for all....


I couldn't possibly comment about Yanks - I'm British!

I am very safety conscious - always wearing my seatbelt (contrary

to
the

suggestion made by another poster) - and I believe in seeing and being
seen.
To this end, I have disabled another of Volvo's wonderful *safety*
features
whereby only one high intensity rear fog lamp was enabled at the
manufacturing stage. I now have TWO - which is far safer and far more
likely
to avoid being rear-ended in fog.

BUT, I prefer to choose when I use my headlights rather than

having
them

come on automatically with the ignition. If daylight running

lights
are

an
indisputable safety feature, why aren't they mandatory in all countries?

[There was a very funny sketch by a British comedian called Jasper
Carrott
a
few years ago, in which he was ridiculing Volvo's running lights. When
Volvos reach the end of their life and go to a scrap yard and are turned
into a bale of steel, they STILL have their lights on!!]

Roger

 

[Richard Carter]

Just to be contentious, I find it difficult to distinguish between
twin foglamps and brake lights. Mind you, with the number of goons
who drive around with bulbs gone here in the UK, I guess I ought
to be just as concerned about single brakelamps. Ignore me...

Regards etc,
Richard Carter

========================
Richard Carter

"Roger Mills" <[email protected]> skrev i
meddelandet news:[email protected]... the lines of
"What model. I don't
know in the corner
of

positions to
control Owner

Handbook. who have
shares locals are
apparently their lights
on. running
lights


Hmm here in sweden we often get the sun in our eyes due to that where i
live we ar on the same latitude as ancorage.( steeper angle to

sun) so
with

the headlights on in dayligt its easier to spot a meeting car.

yanks are more pro own choice than safetly for all....

I couldn't possibly comment about Yanks - I'm British!

I am very safety conscious - always wearing my seatbelt (contrary to the
suggestion made by another poster) - and I believe in seeing and being seen.
To this end, I have disabled another of Volvo's wonderful *safety* features
whereby only one high intensity rear fog lamp was enabled at the
manufacturing stage. I now have TWO - which is far safer and far more likely
to avoid being rear-ended in fog.

BUT, I prefer to choose when I use my headlights rather than having them
come on automatically with the ignition. If daylight running lights are an
indisputable safety feature, why aren't they mandatory in all countries?

[There was a very funny sketch by a British comedian called Jasper Carrott a
few years ago, in which he was ridiculing Volvo's running lights. When
Volvos reach the end of their life and go to a scrap yard and are turned
into a bale of steel, they STILL have their lights on!!]

Roger

 

[Roger Mills]

Just to be contentious, I find it difficult to distinguish between
twin foglamps and brake lights. Mind you, with the number of goons
who drive around with bulbs gone here in the UK, I guess I ought
to be just as concerned about single brakelamps. Ignore me...

Regards etc,
Richard Carter

Well, unless the driver in front is driving with his foot permanently on the
brake pedal, the brake lights will only come on intermittently, whilst the
fog lamps will be on all the time. It should therefore be reasonably
straightforward to distinguish between them.

At the end of the day, does it really matter whether you can distinguish or
not? The important thing is that you are aware of another vehicle in front
of you in fog at the earliest opportunity. If there are two fog lamps, it
makes it obvious that it's a car (or wider vehicle) rather than a motorbike.

Roger

 

[Stephen M. Henning]

Well, unless the driver in front is driving with his foot permanently on the
brake pedal, the brake lights will only come on intermittently, whilst the
fog lamps will be on all the time. It should therefore be reasonably
straightforward to distinguish between them.

The problem comes about if you are looking away from the cars tail
lights, like at your rear view mirror or traffic, and back at the car in
front of you, there is a big difference between tail lights and brake
lights, but the only difference between fog lights and fog lights plus
brake lights is the number of lights. The intensity is the same. It is
a much smaller difference.

 

[Roger Mills]

The problem comes about if you are looking away from the cars tail
lights, like at your rear view mirror or traffic, and back at the car in
front of you, there is a big difference between tail lights and brake
lights, but the only difference between fog lights and fog lights plus
brake lights is the number of lights. The intensity is the same. It is
a much smaller difference.

I'm not sure why that is a problem!

Are you saying that you might not notice the brake lights coming on because
they may not show up over the fog lights compared with how they show up over
the tail lights?

If so, I can see *some* merit in this argument - but I still think it's
preferable to be made aware of the presence *and size* of any vehicle in
front at the earliest opportunity. Two fog lamps achieve this much better
than one.

It would be interesting to get hold of some statistics of accidents where
one vehicle crashes into the back of another in fog - and to try to deduce
whether having 2 fog lamps makes such accidents more or less likely.
Unfortunately, I doubt whether suitable data exists.

Roger

 

[H2Only]

After being a biker for many years here in the UK, and running with the
headlight on to make myself more visible to cage drivers, I run my Volvo
with the lights on as per factory spec too. Can't be too visible I say.

For bikers, no. But 4-wheel vehicles? Come across the pond and
witness all the horribly designed "fog" and "driving" lights foisted
on us as safety equipment. Has anyone ever inquired how many
accidents have been caused by the eyestrain and fatigue resulting from
facing four high-powered but poorly distributed lighting? GM, esp.
pontiac, are the worst offenders in this department. And it just gets
worse with SUVs and pick-ups, where everything is set much higher to
start with. OEM and aftermarket lights are marketed like toys,
leading to the spectacle of everyone flicking on their foglights at
night or at the first drop of rain. Where I live, you might actually
"need" fog lights less than 3 times in a year.
A second issue is that many people (including myself) are used to
having the headlights lights come on automatically, but don't realize
they have no rear lights on. Not a very safe situation IMHO.
N. America desperately needs updated lighting standards, followed by
enforcement; alas, the politicos have no inclination to address this
and the cops have too little education on the subject.
my 2c,
H2Only

 

[Stuart Gray]

"Stuart Gray" <[email protected]> wrote in message

For bikers, no. But 4-wheel vehicles? Come across the pond and
witness all the horribly designed "fog" and "driving" lights foisted
on us as safety equipment. Has anyone ever inquired how many
accidents have been caused by the eyestrain and fatigue resulting from
facing four high-powered but poorly distributed lighting? GM, esp.
pontiac, are the worst offenders in this department. And it just gets
worse with SUVs and pick-ups, where everything is set much higher to
start with. OEM and aftermarket lights are marketed like toys,
leading to the spectacle of everyone flicking on their foglights at
night or at the first drop of rain. Where I live, you might actually
"need" fog lights less than 3 times in a year.
A second issue is that many people (including myself) are used to
having the headlights lights come on automatically, but don't realize
they have no rear lights on. Not a very safe situation IMHO.
N. America desperately needs updated lighting standards, followed by
enforcement; alas, the politicos have no inclination to address this
and the cops have too little education on the subject.
my 2c,
H2Only

You've just hit on my pet hate, foglights on during times when they are not
needed. Doesn't apply to bikes, when was the last time you saw foglights on
a motorcycle.??? they just don't have them, mebbe they do on modern ones but
I drive old ones. Still, never seen a foglight on a bike on my travels...
Now car drivers with foglights - that's another story. I hate those idiots
who flick on fore and aft foglights at the merest hint of rain, really does
wonders for my visibility when I approach them. My favourite response ( if
no other traffic is around) is to put my main beams on. Whether I'm coming
up behind them or they are coming towards me. Why should I suffer from bad
visibility off their glare, I might miss something in the red or white glare
in the rain. The Big Volvo lights manage to cut though their light pollution
to allow me safe passage, then I cut the light back to the normal 740
running lights when I'm past.

My two pennies worth.

Stuart,

 

[Geoff Pearson]

"Stuart Gray" <[email protected]> wrote in message

A second issue is that many people (including myself) are used to
having the headlights lights come on automatically, but don't realize
they have no rear lights on. Not a very safe situation IMHO.
N. America desperately needs updated lighting standards, followed by
enforcement; alas, the politicos have no inclination to address this
and the cops have too little education on the subject.
my 2c,
H2Only

My V40 has lights all round during the day - not just headlights. I seldom
drive out of town in the dark so hardly ever switch to night settings -
which give you full beam - impossible to use really.

 

[H2Only]

"Stuart Gray" sprach:

You've just hit on my pet hate, foglights on during times when they are not
needed. Doesn't apply to bikes, when was the last time you saw foglights on
a motorcycle.??? they just don't have them, mebbe they do on modern ones but
I drive old ones. Still, never seen a foglight on a bike on my travels...
Now car drivers with foglights - that's another story. I hate those idiots
who flick on fore and aft foglights at the merest hint of rain, really does
wonders for my visibility when I approach them. My favourite response ( if
no other traffic is around) is to put my main beams on. Whether I'm coming
up behind them or they are coming towards me. Why should I suffer from bad
visibility off their glare, I might miss something in the red or white glare
in the rain. The Big Volvo lights manage to cut though their light pollution
to allow me safe passage, then I cut the light back to the normal 740
running lights when I'm past.

Combine all that candlepower with pot-holed city streets and worn out
road paint, and visibility actually decreases drastically in the rain.
It's a state very much like that of mutually-assured destruction, or
more = less. I flick my high beams occasionally, but most of the
offenders just don't get it.

They had it right when they simply used the low beams (at reduced
power sometimes) for DRLs. In the city at night, the function of
lights is to be seen, not to see more (there's lots of light from many
sources). I understand that's what the Euro idea of city lights is
about. I just wish my new (used 93) 940 took the old rectangular
lights; I'd throw on a set of H4s and H1s ASAP.

Raise you 2 cents . . .
H2Only

 

[Stuart Gray]

Combine all that candlepower with pot-holed city streets and worn out
road paint, and visibility actually decreases drastically in the rain.
It's a state very much like that of mutually-assured destruction, or
more = less. I flick my high beams occasionally, but most of the
offenders just don't get it.

They had it right when they simply used the low beams (at reduced
power sometimes) for DRLs. In the city at night, the function of
lights is to be seen, not to see more (there's lots of light from many
sources). I understand that's what the Euro idea of city lights is
about. I just wish my new (used 93) 940 took the old rectangular
lights; I'd throw on a set of H4s and H1s ASAP.

Raise you 2 cents . . .
H2Only

: )

One of me mates worked for Hawker Siddley in the Electronics bit. He
acquired a landing light from I think, an Airbus and wired it up somehow to
his bike. He used to love flicking that thing on when some cage driver came
the other way with full beam, but refused to dip. HEHEHEH. Christ knows what
it did to his electrics, but he said it was so bright he could actually see
the driver of the car beyond their headlights. I can't remember the wattage,
this was a while back, but I think it was rated at 500watts.

Stuart.

 

[H2Only]

One of me mates worked for Hawker Siddley in the Electronics bit. He
acquired a landing light from I think, an Airbus and wired it up somehow to
his bike. He used to love flicking that thing on when some cage driver came
the other way with full beam, but refused to dip. HEHEHEH. Christ knows what
it did to his electrics, but he said it was so bright he could actually see
the driver of the car beyond their headlights. I can't remember the wattage,
this was a while back, but I think it was rated at 500watts.

Stuart.

A little over the top, if you ask me. What the world needs is a
universal signal for "dim your lights, a***ole", besides retaliation
with more wattage. But then you have to ask what effect it would have
on those who most need to be told; as a class they tend not to be
rocket scientists, to put it mildly.
Of course headlights on all the time has removed our best means of
communicaton; e.g., for warning others about a bear in the
neighbourhood.
H2Only