Does anyone else think sidelights/dim-dip headlights are a waste of time?

[Browser]

Cycling to work this morning I saw at least two cars going the other way with sidelights on. This was approx 7:10 this morning and the sun had not cleared the horizon. According to the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations, part of which is detailed here http://www.nmm.ac.uk/explore/astronomy-and-time/time-facts/lighting-up-time , headlights should be used "Headlamps are required on vehicles during the hours of darkness which are defined by these regulations as being the interval between one half-hour after sunset to one half-hour before sunrise."
Sunrise this morning was 07:31 so tyhey should have had headlights on, but I am assuing the old 'it isn't that dark and I can see OK' logic was at work.
Apart from when a vehicle is parked/stationary with the engine off and in a location which necessitates the use of sidelights to alert other road users to it's presence to prevent a collision, should cars now have a facility that when the ignition is switched on and the lights are switched/selected on, they should be dipped beams not sidelights?
Oh, and anyone with only one headlight working, please carry a spare lamp/bulb, check your headlights are both working before you set off and, if not, SORT THE BUGGERS OUT!!

 

[snorri]

should cars now have a facility that when the ignition is switched on and the lights are switched/selected on, they should be dipped beams not sidelights?

No no no, there is already too much light pollution affecting our night vision and preventing us seeing the unlit hazards that abound in the modern world.

 

[BrumJim]

7:10 was less than 1/2 hour before sunrise, so according to the Highway Code, they didn't need to have their headlamps on.

 

[tyred]

I think side lights and their usefulness seem to vary a lot from car to car. Some, like the original Ford Focus and the MK IV Astra have sidelights on the front which are in the "I need to light a match to see if they are on" category.

 

[mickle]

Cycling to work this morning I saw at least two cars going the other way with sidelights on. This was approx 7:10 this morning and the sun had not cleared the horizon. According to the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations, part of which is detailed here http://www.nmm.ac.uk...ighting-up-time , headlights should be used "Headlamps are required on vehicles during the hours of darkness which are defined by these regulations as being the interval between one half-hour after sunset to one half-hour before sunrise."
Sunrise this morning was 07:31 so tyhey should have had headlights on, but I am assuing the old 'it isn't that dark and I can see OK' logic was at work.
Apart from when a vehicle is parked/stationary with the engine off and in a location which necessitates the use of sidelights to alert other road users to it's presence to prevent a collision, should cars now have a facility that when the ignition is switched on and the lights are switched/selected on, they should be dipped beams not sidelights?
Oh, and anyone with only one headlight working, please carry a spare lamp/bulb, check your headlights are both working before you set off and, if not, SORT THE BUGGERS OUT!!

You saw them though right?

The main head lamps of automotive carriages use up a tremendous amount of energy - equivalent to the output of a pedal cyclist if my memory serves me. We should be encouraging people to use their lights and other consumers of energy as little as possible shurley.

 

[Dan B]

. According to the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations, part of which is detailed here http://www.nmm.ac.uk...ighting-up-time , headlights should be used "Headlamps are required on vehicles during the hours of darkness which are defined by these regulations as being the interval between one half-hour after sunset to one half-hour before sunrise."

Except in built-up areas, where it is legal to drive with sidelights (legally "front position lights") only

 

[wiggydiggy]

Didnt Volvo for many years have permanent sidelights on because of the Swedish heritage (low light conditions)?

Agree with OP I dont think they are needed in this country though.

 

[Browser]

Sorry Dan, should have said, this was an unlit A road with a reputation for fatal RTCs (latest Saturday 15th Oct 2011, Michaela Cook R.I.P.)
Sorry Mickle, should have elaborated, I saw the vehicle behind them first as their headlamps were showing clearly, took me several seconds and several metres of distance closure before I saw the preceeding vehicle with it's sidelights.
Given BrumJim, &;10 was less than 1/2 hour before sunrise, but I believe there is a degree of ambiguity in the regs i.e. what happens if it is cloudy/overcast (it wasn't this morning) etc. I've seen plenty of cars in full darkness in an urban setting with only sidelights on, presumably becase the driver is either unfamiliar with the car or hasn't learned how to operate the 'taps' properly or sees the lit instruments and assumes they've switched on the dipped beams.
Googling sidelights seems a bit hit and miss, but the best I could come upw with was that they were originally intended for marking the position of a parked vehicle at night and for driving in town i.e. lit urban areas to minimise glare. If a vehicle is on a stretch of road where all or nearly all of the other users have dipped beams on the sidelit vehicle is much harder to spot.

 

[Glow worm]

Didnt Volvo for many years have permanent sidelights on because of the Swedish heritage (low light conditions)?

Volvo drivers also save a lot of power by never using indicators too

 

[Kiwiavenger]

Volvo drivers also save a lot of power by never using indicators too

I thought that was BMW drivers!

 

[snorri]

I saw the vehicle behind them first as their headlamps were showing clearly, took me several seconds and several metres of distance closure before I saw the preceeding vehicle with it's sidelights.

This is precisely the point I was making, if the following vehicles had not been flooding the area with light you would have seen the closer hazard sooner.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I'd like to see dipped headlights banned in built up areas, they are a bloody hazard that have become the norm because of the stupid "more is better" safety attitude that seems to prevail now.

 

[BAP]

I did an advanced driving course a few years ago and was advised to use dipped head lights during daylight for visibility to other road users. Sidelights or parking lights were useless, I was told.

 

[Dan B]

I'd like to see dipped headlights banned in built up areas, they are a bloody hazard that have become the norm because of the stupid "more is better" safety attitude that seems to prevail now.

Sensible policies for a happier future. While we're at it, I'd also like to see it be made an offence to display high-level brake lights on a stationary vehicle. Put the damn handbrake on if you're not going anywhere, and stop trying to sear my retinas.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Volvo drivers also save a lot of power by never using indicators too

Hehe I did once clatter a Volvo's sidemirror precisely because they didnt indicate, shouted "Use it or lose it" at them