Light please - especially black cars

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MJI

MJI

Well-Known Member
Posts
14,950
Location
Worcester
Took the boys to school as someone has pinched their bike pump and one has a flat tyre.

What is it about driving in dark conditions in black cars with no lights?

Some BMW hatch did not get the full beam message while I followed him, I didn't even notice it until I got close, flash flash, still unlit.

Personally I hate dark coloured BMWs since one exploded in front of me causing a pile up.

I hate crap drivers. And to be honest some school run mums are among the worst. Not women, not all school run people just a few of the school run mums.
 
Oh and I came across a few black no lighters, followed 2 of them and a few were noticed because they were partly blocking cars with lights on.
 
try the motorbikes that are out in force just now.

i counted 15 single lighted vehicles on my way home. when i were a lad(only 10 years ago) we used to flash folk with headlights out .... this would then trigger you to check your lights at the next chance.

i flagged down a neighbour as he was running his rangey with no RHS headlight for weeks - now its dark its obvious.

told him , he said - i know the dash is like an xmas tree -" it will get done when it goes for a service" (its a main dealer baby) .... did it for him and showed him how easy.

explained that when you drive a van/lorry/bus and only have the mirrors to rely on - there is a good chance you wont see a vehicle with one headlight sitting behind you.

although with some french cars i can buy that they wouldnt have changed the bulb as it can be a bumper off job.
 
Theres a major design fault with a lot of cars that have DLR's (especially fiestas) when you start the engine the dash illuminates and the DLR's come on because the dash is illuminated drivers forget to turn there lights on when it gets dark.
 
Just as bad are cars with 'automatic' headlights that seem to universally switch themselves off when they're needed and on when you don't. If you're that incompetent that you're incapable of operating a light switch when required then get off the roads.
 
Ah, a headlight rant. I do enjoy those.

What annoys me most is people with side lights on in dark, the fog or heavy rain. They have obviously thought that they need lights on, why turn on the piddling little lights that are designed to only be used when parked at the side of the road? They may as well have no lights on. It even says in the highway code not to drive with side lights on at any time.
 
james6546 said:
It even says in the highway code not to drive with side lights on at any time.
Click to expand...

Chapter and Verse please?


I believe you'll find that....
113
You MUST

ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise​

I see nothing that says during daylight hours they cannot be used.
 
top drive said:
try the motorbikes that are out in force just now.
flagged down a neighbour as he was running his rangey with no RHS headlight for weeks - now its dark its obvious.
told him , he said - i know the dash is like an xmas tree -" it will get done when it goes for a service" (its a main dealer baby) .... did it for him and showed him how easy.
Click to expand...

You could remind him that it's a fixed penalty offence ;)
Trouble is you see so many of these plonkers. I don't know about others but I've been driving long enough to know, or at least suspect enough to get out & check, if I've got a light out when I'm driving. Either we are too short of traffic cops or the ones we have can't be bothered to give these morons a tug. Anyone on here a copper who would like to give us their side of the story?
.
 
MJI said:
What is it about driving in dark conditions in black cars with no lights?
quote]

Interestingly enough ROSPA did a survey several years ago & it revealed that the colour of the car made no difference at night - it was the shine on the paintwork that your eyes picked up on. By that token old LR's must be invisible without lights :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
 
Murtle said:
Chapter and Verse please?


I believe you'll find that....
113
You MUST

ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise​

I see nothing that says during daylight hours they cannot be used.
Click to expand...

Well damn me it doesn't! I'm sure it did when I passed, but that was 10 years ago...

In my opinion side lights should only work when the car is stationary, they are pointless when the car is being driven as they just aren't visible. At all. If in doubt put headlights on, my car has its headlights on all the time, I think that is a much better idea.
 
Hence they're often called parking lights or position lights.

Sometimes in my neighbourhood at night there are more cars with one light not working than there are with both on. Not necessarily old bangers either, but vehicles only a year or two old in some cases. I'm sure there's more of it about now than there used to be. Also you very rarely see police pulling people over these days, when it used to happen as a matter of routine in the 70s.
 
james6546 said:
Well damn me it doesn't! I'm sure it did when I passed, but that was 10 years ago...

In my opinion side lights should only work when the car is stationary, they are pointless when the car is being driven as they just aren't visible. At all. If in doubt put headlights on, my car has its headlights on all the time, I think that is a much better idea.
Click to expand...

If that's the case then volvos wouldn't have been allowed on the road with lights are on all the time. Most motorcycles are now made so the lights cannot be switched off.

Another point concerning motorcycles, my front indicators are lit orange all the time and just flash brighter when indicating. The amount of times car drivers have pulled out in front of me is unreal. Their excuse? I thought you were indicating!!!
 
james6546 said:
when
In my opinion side lights should only work when the car is stationary, they are pointless when the car is being driven as they just aren't visible. At all. quote]

In town I can still make use of the Dim-Dip system on my RRC, at least whilst it continues to function & when it expires it's not an MOT failure. I remember when London taxis all had it.
Click to expand...
 
daddy2coull said:
If that's the case then volvos wouldn't have been allowed on the road with lights are on all the time. Most motorcycles are now made so the lights cannot be switched off.

Another point concerning motorcycles, my front indicators are lit orange all the time and just flash brighter when indicating. The amount of times car drivers have pulled out in front of me is unreal. Their excuse? I thought you were indicating!!!
Click to expand...

They weren't side lights they were day running lights and the front one's were 21w not 5w as side lights are.

Its funny how Volvo's were ridiculed for having DLR's but now most if not all cars have them. ;)
 
oldskool said:
They weren't side lights they were day running lights and the front one's were 21w not 5w as side lights are.

Its funny how Volvo's were ridiculed for having DLR's but now most if not all cars have them. ;)
Click to expand...


And they were a hell of a lot better.

1) Not as dazzly as LED eye burners
2) Let you know it was a Volvo
 
MJI said:
And they were a hell of a lot better.

1) Not as dazzly as LED eye burners
2) Let you know it was a Volvo
Click to expand...

Very true, they just made you look twice
Yep cos you didn't want to be pulling out in font of one with the big bumpers :D

And these modern LED DLR's that dim when the indicators are used are fecking anoying anorl and wot's wiv the lights that come on when you turn the steering wheel FFS i keep thinking there flashing me, if your looking where there pointing YOUR LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE :(
 
james6546 said:
Well damn me it doesn't! I'm sure it did when I passed, but that was 10 years ago...

In my opinion side lights should only work when the car is stationary, they are pointless when the car is being driven as they just aren't visible. At all. If in doubt put headlights on, my car has its headlights on all the time, I think that is a much better idea.
Click to expand...

Yep after driving in parts of europe where lights are on constantly it makes a massive difference to vusibility day and night being able to see cars. Ive started having my headlights on all the time :)
 
MJI said:
1) Not as dazzly as LED eye burners
Click to expand...

I counted the rear brake light LEDs on a car at the traffic lights in front of me, 72 , I couldn't see a bleeding thing, the whole street was lit up.

Modern halogen headlight bulbs are as good as you need on a car, they've inproved dramatically over the last 30 years, my fiat doblo vans main beam lights up the road for as far as I need to see easily.

It must be as much to do with the way the light is projected as bulb technology
 
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