headlights Europe

[bazooka]

Just returned from western Europe.I Thought headlights on was compulsery but hardly anyone seemed to have them on .Austria- Germany-Italy-France.I think the french law came in about 3 years ago.

Baz (!)

[Blizzard]

Baz,

In France (& UK) I only switch on in the rain/fog during daylight.

Didn't think it was compulsory at all times, but could be wrong.

Ken.

[rupert123]

bazooka - 2010-07-17 1:28 PM

 

Just returned from western Europe.I Thought headlights on was compulsery but hardly anyone seemed to have them on .Austria- Germany-Italy-France.I think the french law came in about 3 years ago.

Baz (!)

 

It is not law in France just recommended. Think it is the same in the other countries mentioned.

[lennyhb]

Compulsory in Italy, Austria & Slovenia recommended in France.

 

 

[chas]

I was told by a car dealership that from this September all new registered vehicles will be fitted with daytime driving lights, same idea as Volvo have been doing for years, so I imagine it will also apply to motorhomes,and they will be wired into the ignition system.

 

Makes sense really, but will it make drivers and pedestrians " blind" to none conformers ?

[Rayjsj]

chas - 2010-07-17 6:41 PM

 

I was told by a car dealership that from this September all new registered vehicles will be fitted with daytime driving lights, same idea as Volvo have been doing for years, so I imagine it will also apply to motorhomes,and they will be wired into the ignition system.

 

Makes sense really, but will it make drivers and pedestrians " blind" to none conformers ?

 

I most definately will be a 'Non Conformer' If that means removing the fuse that feeds the 'Daytime driving lights' then that will be done.

The use of headlights during good visibility does nothing for road safety.

On Motorcycles it is a good thing, but if everyone has them on the effect is negated.

I still get annoyed when I pull over for a vehicle with it's headlights on,

thinking it is an Emergency vehicle......only to have a smug Volvo owner drive past me.

I for one 'Don't think it makes sense'

Ray

[Bulletguy]

It does seem a bit on the extreme side.

 

There are some european countries where daytime use is compulsory, and others where it is not.

 

What always annoyed me was many times I would find myself driving in brilliant sunlight.....so bright that you could not even tell if a vehicle had lights on or not. And when you park up and then return a few hours later, only to find you left the lights full on draining away your battery! *-)

 

There are some pretty obscure road traffic laws in various european countries but one of the daftest i've come across was in Switzerland where motorists used to have to switch their engines off at traffic lights. It was pushed by the batty 'greeny lot' but it wasn't long before Swiss with a brain and plain common sense pointed out that they were infact INCREASING carbon fumes rather than decreasing. It was a law which was a non-starter (uff.......awful pun!) and soon got ignored.

[BGD]

lennyhb - 2010-07-17 5:16 PM

 

Compulsory in Italy, Austria & Slovenia recommended in France.

 

 

 

 

 

I believe that Italy it's actually only compulsory to have your headlights on during the day when driving a car/MH etc outside of "urban areas"; ie it is not compulsory in towns/cities there.

[Keith T]

We've just returend from Canada where we hired a car for over 3 weeks, (rather than an RV), and all new vehicles for the last few years have to have daylight driving lights.

I've always been against this in the UK, but see no problem now, and indeed there is no likeyhood of leaving them on as they are not controlled by teh driver anyway.When you switch the engine off, they go off.

The other thing the car (a Toyota) had was automatice headlights so that if you go into an underground car park, even though the daylight driving light is already on, the headlamp beam comes on - very useful.