Are sidelights pointless?

I use them quite a lot when its actually unnecessary for dipped beam, ie when I want to improve me being seen but when I do not need to enhance the visibility on what I can see. So times such as driving in a line of traffic when you just want it to be clear there is a car there but you do not need to add any visibility.
I think daytime running lights are really no diff to sidelights theya re just impossible to switch off so you have some lighting at all times. It becomes law at some point soon for all new cars to have daylight lighting.
When you need to improve the visibility on what you can see, then you need dipped beam, until this point you add sidelights to make yourself seen.

Also sidelights normally work with dipped beam, if you have a failed dip beam it stops you looking like a motorcyclist.
 
If you feel you need to improve your own 'see-ability' but don't feel it's dim enough to require a dipped beam, a typical pre DRL sidelight is almost certainly going to achieve absolutely nothing to make you more visible because they're so bloody dim IMO.

Secondly, if you have a failed dip bulb you should be replacing it, not relying on the sidelight.
 
Kenai said:
If someone is driving around with their main beams on constantly then they're a certifiable retard day or night but I don't see how a dipped beam (which is what I suspect you really mean) is going to be anymore dazzling during the day than it would be at night? If dipped beams are dazzling anyone then the lights are probably misaligned.
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Apologies, I do mean the dipped beam. And you would be amazed how many of them can be dazzling both day and night once you sit as low to the ground as you do in an MX5. Especially with the amount of cars that now simply sit higher off the ground (think Nissan Juke height), their headlights are pretty much in line with my eye line.

I also have quite good sidelights in my MX5 as I uprated them when I did the main bulbs hence why I feel they improve my "see-ability". On the other hand my other half drives a Micra, and the side lights on that might as well be non existent so she hardly ever uses them.

I suppose it does depend on the car you drive and whether its side lights are any good.
 
Kenai said:
So why not just use dipped beams? Even better visibility than sidelights?

I just don't see where the logic arises that there is a particular point where people feel a sidelight is providing an enhanced visibility due to outputting light but a dipped beam wouldn't be better?
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Tbh, its more about the overall visibility of the vehicle i.e. its an HGV and it has side marker lights running the length of the tractor and trailer (a combination of ~54ft) the marker lights come on with side lights. Headlights on in the middle of the day - in good conditions - is frowned upon by a lot of drivers so we are encouraged to just use side lights anyway, all about image I guess!, the side lights on modern Scanias are LED's and highly visible anyway! Clearly, in poor light or weather conditions, of course, headlights (dipped beam) are used.
 
I issue I have with side-lights is not the lights themselves, which are merely pointless, but the drivers who turn them on when visibility is seriously compromised and think this makes them visible. I'm not talking full dark here, just dawn, dusk, thin fog, heavy rain etc. Times when side-lights are barely more visible than the car. If you want me to see you, turn some proper lights on. I haven't used sidelights in well over a decade.
 
West said:
Tbh.. it's DRLs or On. Sidelights are just a bit pointless on the road whilst you're driving.

*waits for the DRL hater patrol*
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What I find really funny in the last few cars I've driven with DRLs, specifically VAG cars and Insignias - the DRLs are BRIGHTER than the sidelights. So effectively you can drive around during the day, it starts becomes dusk and you actually then make the lights dimmer :confused: and then brighter again once its dark? ... Once you have DRLs they really are pointless. That said I do occasionally use them on dull days as neither of my cars have DRLs.
 
[ui]ICEMAN;24845402 said:
Considering you snipped this out of the middle of his post, you surely must have read it?

Isn't it blatantly obvious he's talking about HGV's? Many drivers would indeed frown upon HGV's using their headlights in perfect conditions.
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Yes I did read it, it didn't contain any inference that drivers only frown upon HGV headlight use during the day, especially given that would be a particularly bizarre thing for a significant proportion of people to be bothered by - HGVs and only HGVs using headlights during the day, cars fine, buses fine, vans fine, lorries - NO!!
 
Kenai said:
It is? :confused:
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So were told by our training dept, yes. - [ui]ICEMAN, I am indeed thinking mainly from the point of view of an HGV driver, I don't use my sidelights or dipped beam headlights in my car during the day.

I just find it odd,headlights on in daytime, but can't say it bothers me personally, no.

Plenty of buses use headlights all day for example....
 
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Kenai said:
Yes I did read it, it didn't contain any inference that drivers only frown upon HGV headlight use during the day, especially given that would be a particularly bizarre thing for a significant proportion of people to be bothered by - HGVs and only HGVs using headlights during the day, cars fine, buses fine, vans fine, lorries - NO!!
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Are you joking? No inference? The sentences immediately before and after are quite obviously talking about HGV's and the rules that he abides by. In fact, his whole post mentions nothing other than that topic, it's not a hard conclusion to draw.

There was absolutely no need to try and pull him up on a quote that you took not only out of context, you removed it completely!

"Headlights on in the middle of the day - in good conditions - is frowned upon by a lot of drivers so we are encouraged to just use side lights anyway, all about image I guess!"
 
I wasn't trying to 'pull him up' on anything, I was asking a question, wind your neck in please. I only quoted that part as I didn't have any issue with the rest of the post, it all made sense to me.

I obviously read it differently to you as I didn't take that particular statement to be strictly and solely only referring to HGVs despite the rest of the post being generally about an HGV. As it was the start of a new sentence, I didn't interpret it as being only in the frame of reference of the preceding sentence.

I'm still at a loss as to why anyone would find HGVs in particular using their lights a frown-worthy occurrence though, and not any other vehicle. Seems an utterly stupid notion to me, probably why my immediate interpretation of the post wasn't that this is what he meant, it seems too stupid to me for it to be the first thought that enters my head.
 
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Kenai said:
I'm still at a loss as to why anyone would find HGVs in particular using their lights a frown-worthy occurrence though, and not any other vehicle.
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Because a lot of trucks (older ones especially) don't have adjusters for the headlight beam, and when heavily loaded with an adjustable setup the driver would (or should at least!) lower the beam, in a non adjustable one the beam is often pointed way up, usually right in the poor car drivers line of sight!

Thats why. :)
 
Can't say i've ever encountered such a nuisance personally, daytime or night time :p

Maybe i'm just incredibly imperceptible to dazzling lights because I just can't fathom how some people get so irritated by a problem I can barely recall encountering at all.

About the only thing that's ever bothered me was early Insignias with Xenons behind me which IIRC turned out to be a self levelling sensor fault so they were pointing higher than they should :p
 
I use them because they are there to be used in dim conditions. What is the point in turning on dipped beams if you don't need to illuminate the area in front of you?
 
bainbridge said:
I use them because they are there to be used in dim conditions. What is the point in turning on dipped beams if you don't need to illuminate the area in front of you?
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Because you're actually more visible to other motorists with dipped beams, unlike with sidelights where you might as well be waving your mobile phone screen around for increased visibility :p
 
I tend to use my sidelights when I park up at the side of the road. Still visible from front and back but I'm not blinding anyone in the process. A pet hate of mine is when someone pulls up at the side of the road and leaves their dipped beams on, they dazzle me, especially if the car has pulled up on the wrong side of the road.

Sidelights are also useful for seeing on dark driveways at night without waking people up with your dipped beams lol.
 
Kenai said:
Because you're actually more visible to other motorists with dipped beams, unlike with sidelights where you might as well be waving your mobile phone screen around for increased visibility :p
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The problem with your theory is that this statement just isn't accurate. You're completely disregarding the fact that having your sidelights on illuminates your rear lights as well, making the rear of your car just as visible as when you have your dipped beams on. For front visibility it completely depends on the car. Some do have exceptionally poor sidelights (the K12 Micra for example) but on some they are highly visible.
 
Kenai said:
If you feel you need to improve your own 'see-ability' but don't feel it's dim enough to require a dipped beam, a typical pre DRL sidelight is almost certainly going to achieve absolutely nothing to make you more visible because they're so bloody dim IMO.

Secondly, if you have a failed dip bulb you should be replacing it, not relying on the sidelight.
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Did I say I rely on it, no

Get off your high horse its a safety measure. Plenty of people do not check their headlights before every journey. In fact I bet very very few do check more than weekly at best.

They do make you more visible not a lot more visible but down country roads where I regularly drive they clearly do have an effect.
 
I think the reason more cars have DRL's is apparently in europe (i read this but i havent looked into it with much detail) its the law for all new cars to have DRL's on all the time. I think with regards to blinding drivers, everyone should have xenons as they are self adjusting and i really wish people would learn how to use fog lights proberly when its foggy its one of my main bugbears when driving being dazzled by the retard in front with his rear fogs on.
 
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