Headlights in Italy

[Guest Brian Kirby]

If, like us, you are intending travelling to Italy this year, you may have wondered about the reported new law requiring dipped headlights to be used outside urban areas at all times. This has been reported in differing ways and, wanting to be clear, I e-mailed the Italian Embassy. The following is the text of their reply: In Italy, use of dipped headlights is compulsory during daytime on Motorways (Autostrade – 2/3 lanes plus emergency lane) and speedways (Superstrade – 2 lanes). On the other non-urban roads, use of them is recommended. Enjoy your trip to Italy! Best regards Giuseppe Berlendi Counsellor for legal and Consular Affairs I'm sure Sig Berlendi really means dual carriageways and not speedways! Enjoy your trips, indeed, and I hope this helps. Brian

[Guest Yorkshire Tyke]

I think that you will fin that the use of dipped headlights is being introduced throughout Europe Actually it used to be an offence in Italy to use dipped headlight except in reduced light However we found that ALL the trucks drove on dipped headlights during day light and started to do so ourselves when we were almost run off the road by an approaching vehicle (car) who was driving down the white line - A quick (well almost quick) flash of our MAIN beams moved him/her over In Germany all cars drove on dipped headlights on the Aoutbhan

[Guest bill h]

I drive a VW T5 on dipped headlights all the time in the UK. I do find that many other drivers are now doing the same. Its good policy and an advantage if in an accident. It puzzles me why so many only use parking lights when driving in poor weather, it costs nothing and surely is good for the battery too. (no doubt someone will say the opposite) DTL (Day time lights) will be the law here at some time, better get used to it now, I reckon it picks out "THE REAL DRIVERS" bill h

[Guest Brian Kirby]

Bill I've been looking into daytime running lights. Hella do two varieties, in kit form with, the necessary relays etc for control. There is a lot of debate about the advantages of dipped headlights during daytime: may claim that the relative brightness of dips makes things worse under certain lighting conditions. The hella product is only 15W per lamp, with a reflector designed to provide a bright light source, but no beam as such. They mount low, where spot/fog lights would normally mount, in which position, I gather, they may legally be used due to their low wattage. Possible dazzle affect on other drivers is thus almost totally negated. They illuminate whenever the ignition is switched on, and extinguish when either a) the ignition is switched off, or b) the main vehicle lights are turned on. Thus the vehicle is more easily seen without dazzle to other drivers but, and I think more importantly for motorhomers, all the other vehicle lights stay off unless switched on by the driver. Since the alternator already has a 'fridge to run and two batteries to charge, plus possbly windscreen wipers, adding the full lighting load at all times seems liable to a) risk poorly charged batteries and b) increased fuel consumption. For example, my van has four high position lights, four side markers, all 5W each = 40W, two tail lights, another 10W, plus 2 x 45W dipped beams, 140W in total. Running all that lot continually seems a bit unnecessary and the idea of having just the daytime running lights, which don't bring on the largely redundant position, marker and tail lights, and also run at a lower wattage than the dips, somehow seems a better solution to me. Anyone tried them? I couldn't find out if they were acceptable in Italy in lieu of the dips they appear to require. Funny, this Europe place, isn't it? You still have individual countries making law on the hoof without consulting anyone else or bothering to quite clarify how visitors are supposed to behave! Heigh, ho! Brian

[Guest BillT]

Why don't they do something useful - like banning the painting of vehicles in colours which cause thenm to be camouflaged against the road?

[Guest Yorkshire Tyke]

Like "White" today on the A66, M6 & A74 All either closed or passable "with care" Agree though WHY do people in dark cars not switch their lights on at dusk

[Guest BillT]

You are quite - er - white! About 30 years ago Mercedes did some tests and found that white was the most visible colour against any background except snow, where orange is the most visible colour. Interestingly, most of the world's air forces paint an orange stripe on their trainers to improve their visibility (seeability?. This goes right back to Anthony Fokker who, in 1909, flew over a street market and noticed that the stalls selling oranges were the most visible.