You don't need headlights on streets with lighting and 30mph so that's a non issue.
Drivers driving with no headlights in the dark
- Thread starter cheesefest
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Man of Honour
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My car turns the headlights on automatically when it rains, but I do agree that a lot of people nowadays seem to be relying on auto lights to do everything. I was driving in horrendous conditions just before Christmas and it was mostly people in newer cars which almost certainly had auto lights that didn't have headlights on.
Di ya like dags?
Deleted User 298457
Deleted User 298457
When auto wipers come on, auto lights should come on too
Some Fords do this... If the auto wipers activate at or above a certain frequency, the car turns on the lights.
Soldato
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You do know the secondary purpose of your headlights is to alert pedestrians and other road users to your presence at night/during poor visibilit?
While the long LED DRT strips on some cars make them visible som distance away, the vast majority of vehicles don’t have these.
You do know there is no mention of what you say in the highway code. Whereas,
"You MUST use headlights at night, except on a road which has lit street lighting. These roads are generally restricted to a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) unless otherwise specified"
While there is a section for "use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced" that doesn't mean night time.
You would also still need to use sidelights.
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That doesn't change the fact that this is a stupid rule. Why would you purposefully NOT use your headlights in the dark unless you're a complete idiot?
I don't know. But that's what it says so you can't really complain at them for following the rules.
Headlights are for you to see the road not for you to be seen that's what side lights are for.
Soldato
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And which do you believe makes your car more visible? A 5W sidelight or a 55W dipped beam headlight?
I'm not arguing with you over the wording merely pointing out what the actual rule states. It's irrelevant what we think.
Though by that logic we should all have green lights (our eyes are more sensitive to it) and use fog and full beam all the time. Sadly other factors come into it. Hence the rules.
There is nothing that says you can't use headlights on lit streets, merely you don't NEED to.
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There are very obvious & valid reasons why we don't do those (green is used for a specific purpose and also isn't as good for illumination to see where you're going, fog & full beam dazzle other drivers).
It would be interesting to know what "other factors" were taken into account when that rule was written to be honest, it does seem a bit daft!
You got me curious so I had a look, because that doesn't sound right. To my surprise it is there in the highway code. However further down the highway code it does say
"You should also use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, to ensure that you can be seen"
So what @Terminal_Boy said is in the highway code.
Edit: HP Source
Lighting requirements (113 to 116)
You MUST ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise
www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk
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You got me curious so I had a look, because that doesn't sound right. To my surprise it is there in the highway code. However further down the highway code it does say
"You should also use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, to ensure that you can be seen"
So what @Terminal_Boy said is in the highway code.
Edit: HP Source
Lighting requirements (113 to 116)
You MUST ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrisewww.highwaycodeuk.co.uk
"SHOULD" = advice only and not a legal requirement (much as I may disagree in this case)
I agree with you on the differences between "should" and "must" in the highway code. However if a driver is deviating away from the advice of the highway code, they are going to need a really good reason on why they have, otherwise they will be found to at fault.
I'd happily take some idiots not using headlights after being dazzled the last few nights by folks using stupidly bright bulbs in their cars or being unable to dip the lights themselves. I had spots in my eyes a few minutes after getting home yesterday from how silly it's getting with some headlights.
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The one that gets me is the morons with fogs on for weeks after a foggy day, because they're too thick to notice the switch is on or the icon on their dash is lit up.