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Disabled my DRLs yesterday - so happy!

52K views 74 replies 35 participants last post by  Plap17 
#1 ·
Just as an FYI you can disable your DRLs and there are no ill effects. I pulled the fuse and tested it to see if there were any problems or warning lights or anything and there were not, everything works as it should just no DRLs which I personally dislike so I got rid of them. Then I reused the fuse position for my add a circuit and hard wired my wife's radar detector. Now no wires show at all and the dumb dim yellow DRLs are gone. I am pleased with my evenings work.

Disable them on every vehicle I can, like them on motorcycles not on cars.
 
#3 ·
Good to know I'm not just crazy for hating them lol. I was looking at the Toyota Matrix last night actually, looking for my daughter that will soon be needing a inexpensive reliable first car. Dad is suddenly much more concerned about different things when buying for his daughter than for himself..... Safety, reliability, are now first and not raw speed. Strange huh?
 
#4 ·
Glad you posted, was thinking this morning in my way into work about doing the exact same thing. I'm in the military where we are supposed to dim our headlights when pulling up to the gate. And guess what pops on when the headlights are dimmed? Those fricken DRL's!, which are the high beams with reduced wattage to the bulb!
 
#6 ·
Interesting, in Canada and Europe they are the law. Disabling them will cost us big bucks if caught. They are proven to save lives.

I have a pet peeve with people who drive around with their fog lights on no matter what the weather or time of day. Basically they are posing. In Europe it is an offense to use your fog lights unless the weather dictates it's appropriate.

Different on a bike. Be seen and be heard. First thing I did on my Harley was knock out the exhaust baffles :D
 
#8 ·
I think DRLs are a horrible invention. I see people almost daily driving after dark with no light on, the DRL is on so they have no clue thay they never turned on the lights. No taillights or marker lights while driving on the freeway. Morons. Can they save lives, maybe. People that do no turn on headlights in the rain and fog I guess, but broad daylight no difference at least as tested in the US.

Now, I think all cars should have auto headlights and you should not be able to disable the feature. That would solve the no light drivers and people that wait until dead dark to ever fire up the headlights, no light fog drivers and all would be solved. Love that feature and it should be mandated. I also think that the new HR-V feature where after the wipers are on for 30 seconds or whatever it is that the lights then come on. That should also be a standard safety feature, around here more than half the average cars in a massive rain storm will not have the headlights on. Both features are amazing and should be standard for sure. Those two features should have been standard way before back up cameras, they are required here now and while there were 6-8 people a year killed in backup accidents I'd wager there were more hurt by no lights on in bad conditions easily but that would be hard to investigate I imagine.

DRLs though, they suck and I hate them. There is no point to them and I will remove them whenever possible!
 
#40 · (Edited)
I see people almost daily driving after dark with no light on, the DRL is on so they have no clue that they never turned on the lights. No taillights or marker lights while driving on the freeway. Morons.
I live in an area where almost all streets are lit at night and I see just as many of these people driving at night with no lights whatsoever. I don't think DRL's are the culprit. I believe these people think because their gauges are lit their headlights are on. Just dumb people out there...

DRLs though, they suck and I hate them. There is no point to them...
Tell us how you really feel.....:D

I personally don't mind them. I'm glad to know that they're easily disabled if my opinion changes later on. However, I've seen first-hand how they can be useful under CERTAIN conditions. For example:



Not many drivers would think to turn on their headlights driving on a shady road in the middle of the day. And chances are automatic headlights wouldn't turn on either. But headlights on under these conditions can give oncoming traffic WAY more notice of your presence.
 
#10 ·
My first car had DRL and I haven't had them in over 10 years. Since then I always drove with lights on then again when you drive a silver Fit you need all the lights you could get to avoid being hit by Ameri-Trucks that forget to look down when they change lanes.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I seemed to have stirred up a bit of a hornets nest. DRL's are a bit like Politics, gun control, religion etc. Lots of varying views. They are not mandated in the U.S. as they are in many countries. Studies where mandated like Canada, Australia, Europe and Scandinavia indicate double digit reductions in:

daytime multi-vehicle fatal crashes. (U.S. 2013. 32,719)
daytime fatal pedestrian crashes. (U.S. 2013. 4,743)
daytime multi-vehicle injury crashes. (US 2013. 2,239,000)
daytime Multi-vehicle property crashes

Use of fog lights during daytime creates glare under normal ambient light conditions and results in discomfort and distraction to other road users.

DRL's are particularly effective in reducing head on crashes.

The estimated cost of bulb replacement and fuel for DRL's is $7.00 per year.

Sorry if I have created a fuss. There are a lot of differing thoughts on DRL's but for me I'm glad I have them.
 
#12 ·
I was so excited to get DRLs. I had gotten in the habit of driving with my lights on almost all the time. So nice to have them and the auto headlights. To each their own - glad you found a simple solution.
 
#13 ·
The DRLs are a bit 'blingy', but if they remotely prevent accidents, they are an asset.
I know they would probably be too low to be 100% effective, but could the fog lights be replaced with a spot of some type, presuming a suitable size is available for placement in the same location?
 
#18 ·
Agree with CdnColin on DRLs, and with Razer on auto headlights!

I think the combination of DRLs and always-on instrument lighting have led to the huge increase in lightless after-dark drivers. You used to at least remember the headlights when it became hard to read the speedo; not so anymore. The DRLs give some illumination up front so it's less obvious the lights aren't on, and may convince some of lesser intelligence that they don't need the headlights.

But that's not a problem with the DRLs, it's an unfinished system. When one part of a system is self-managing (DRLs and interior lights), so that there's no human engagement, it's more likely that the required manual input will be missed.

<off-topic>
This is the problem I see with all of the assistive technology, like lane-keeping, adaptive cruise, blind spot etc. The operators become so used to the nanny that it's harder for them to stay engaged and alert and properly responsive for the part of the process they're responsible for.

I think we're in a dangerous period between fully manual and fully autonomous cars. Tesla will soon have a model with freeway "autopilot": like adaptive cruise plus auto steering plus nav to put you in the right lane. They say it still requires an alert driver ready to take over... what are the chances?? I've seen first hand how that works on the waterways, with gps autopilots driving the boats while "skippers" hold cocktail parties on the back deck. I've seen several very close calls, and that's in wide-open waters with modest traffic and speeds under 20kts.

I love to drive, love the engagement of full manual control, but the sooner all vehicles are autonomous the safer we'll all be. Hopefully the real driving experience will still be available on tracks and closed courses.
</off-topic>
 
#20 ·
"A 2008 study by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration analysed the effect of DRLs on frontal and side-on crashes between two vehicles and on vehicle collisions with pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. The analysis determined that DRLs offer no statistically significant reduction in the frequency or severity of the collisions studied, except for a reduction in light trucks' and vans' involvement in two-vehicle crashes by a statistically significant 5.7%."

"The daytime running light was first mandated, and safety benefits first perceived, in Scandinavian countries where it is persistently dark during the winter season. As ambient light levels increase, the potential safety benefit decreases while the DRL intensity required for a safety improvement increases. The safety benefit produced by DRLs in relatively dark Nordic countries is roughly triple the benefit observed in relatively bright America."
 
#21 ·
I'm not a raving proponent of drls, but I think there's no downside and a chance they'd improve safety. There are lots of positive studies, including from other 'bright' countries like Australia:
A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) noted that it was uncertain how well findings like these would apply in lower latitude countries, but that it was likely they would prevent 5-10% of daytime multiple vehicle crashes. A study by General Motors in the US of the effects of DRLs on several passenger car makes showed a reduction in relevant multiple vehicle crashes in excess of 5% and a reduction in vehicle-to-pedestrian crashes of about 9%. A study by ARRB concluded that Swedish findings of a reduction of 13% in multiple vehicle crashes would be applicable in Australia.

Based on RTA crash data for 2000 Paine concluded that full implementation of DRL in Australia would save:

· Between 3% and 11% of non-pedestrian fatal crashes

· Between 4% and 11% of non-pedestrian non-fatal crashes

· Between 4% and 12% of all pedestrian fatalities.

There is potential for a significant safety advantage in fitting daytime running lights and few disadvantages. Paine estimates that daytime running lights would cost about $50 fitted on the production line as original equipment and $200 retrofitted. He estimated ongoing costs for dedicated DRL at a possible $7 per year for bulb replacement and the additional fuel used through more activation of the alternator to charge the battery.

ACRS counsels against the use of fog lights as daytime running lights. Their intensity and beam pattern create glare under normal ambient light conditions, and result in discomfort and distraction to other road users.
http://acrs.org.au/about-us/policies/safe-vehicles/daytime-running-lights/
 
#23 ·
this thread boggles my mind.

set your lights to Auto and you will get DRL AND you will get normal lights when it is dark enough. and you turn car off, never have to worry about your lights.

why are people so freaked about DRL? how do they bother you when you are driving during the day? they are just like those lights on airplanes so others can see you.
 
#27 ·
Fog lights are not allowed to come on when you use your high beams due to the fog causing light to reflect back to the driver which actually blinds or restricts forward vision. It is designed like that so you will use your low beams which is the correct way to drive in fog. They used to teach these things in drivers ed. but that has gone by the wayside with other driving tips such as correct following distance and a few other tips.

Driving light are designed to stay on regardless of the use of high beams because driving lights are designed to be used on dark poorly lit back roads in the country to avoid pedestrians and animals. There are quite a few folks out there that are either uninformed, unaware that their driving lights are on during bright conditions, whether it is sunlight or street lights or they just don't have enough manners to care about their effects on other drivers.

The moral is, you as the driver need to know the type of auxiliary lighting you have and how to properly use them. If you decide you want driving lights instead of fog lights then get them and have the technician wire them to stay on with your bright lights. If you live in an area where fog is commonplace then you will be thankful for having fog lights. No mater what type of auxiliary lights you have they need to be properly aimed so you get maximum benifit from them.
 
#28 ·
As a note many aftermarket LED headlights for the CR-V, and now the HR-V, state that the DRLs will have to be disabled as they use the same bulb as the headlight, but at lower power and LEDs do not always play nice with that. If they do you'll get what looks like PWM flicker in your DRLs at times.


Also, tonight I passed two cars in the dead dark of a two lane road. First car was fine, second car had not a single light on of any type. Sigh. Also on the freeway I had two people only running DRLs and no tail lights. Seems to be a lot of VW drivers this way as the DRLs are almost full brightness headlights and the dash lights are on too so they are oblivious.
 
#31 ·
Also, tonight I passed two cars in the dead dark of a two lane road. First car was fine, second car had not a single light on of any type.
See, if the second car had DRLs there would at least have been that! ;)

Seriously, I fully undstand and agree with your frustration with people running on DRLs alone at night. Auto headlights should be mandatory. But I really don't get your hate for DRLs. I did a lot of driving on winding 2-lane highways years ago, and when DRLs started showing up the difference in visibility was obvious and dramatic... always saw the cars with lights way earlier than those without, in any weather.
 
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