Road Safety - Auto Headlights Should Be Mandatory

Skramit on 15/07/2016 - 09:53

I regularly commute home around dusk and am sick and tired of seeing motorist in the near darkness or proper darkness driving around with no lights on. Not only is it a danger to other motorists and pedestrians who can't see you, but it's dangerous for the motorists behind you who will also be a blinding recipient of oncoming cars flashing their high beams at you to encourage you to turn you lights on. Nearly every night on the way home I see 1 or 2 muppets driving around with no headlights.

Auto headlights are standard on many new cars but not all models. The base models of new cars often don't have auto lights or wipers.

Rather than legislating 30 kph in zones and putting breathalysers on car park exits, how about legislating something useful like mandatory auto headlights for all new cars sold in Australia from 2020 or something. Gives manufactures time to catch up and clear existing stock.

Governments have legislated many other road safety items before, why not this relatively cheap and easy solution since the technology already exists?

Automotive

Comments

  • JimmyF on 17/07/2016 - 21:28

    Brains should be standard…… But sadly thats looking not to be a option, so yeah auto head lights it is.

  • dbun1 on 18/07/2016 - 08:49

    Alternatively DRLs achieve the same thing and most newer cars have this too.
    I'm keen to see one or the other become standard as it makes a huge difference in seeing cars in low light conditions from dusk, heavy rain, car parks etc.

  • kiribatian on 18/07/2016 - 20:56

    In Norway and some other Scandinavian countries it is compulsory to have headlights on at all times. Obviously this is important in these countries due to the all day darkness during winter.

    This document includes a fair bit of research such as meta-analyses on mandatory headlights (http://www.dot.state.mn.us/research/TRS/2011/TRS1009.pdf).

    Quick summary:
    1) There are less crashes when it is mandatory for all cars
    2) Cars with automatic headlights are involved in less crashes even when it isn't mandatory for all.

  • bod311 on 18/07/2016 - 21:12
    +1

    Just thought I'd add that my Auto headlights decided to turn them off in the middle of heavy fog this morning. They are far from foolproof. Just goes to show that it all comes to the driver being aware. It scares me to think driverless cars are going to come about when they can't even do something well as simple as turning headlights on. Scary stuff indeed…although perhaps not as scary as the average driver.

  • DWH on 19/07/2016 - 09:52

    THIS!!! It really bugs me, and I see it a lot especially where I live in around the Melbourne CBD. I honestly think some people think headlights are only so THEY can see, and it's bright enough with all the street lights so they leave them off. It does seem more common with some drivers than others.

    The other thing that really bugs me are people who put those CHEAP EBAY HID lights that are totally illegal, extremely glarey and dangerous to other road users. We have ADR's, you can't simply put in whatever you want in your Honda Civic with a huge exhaust. I wish the cops would crack down on these.

    • Skramit on 19/07/2016 - 15:14

      Spot on. Interested in your comment:

      It does seem more common with some drivers than others.

      Are you not specifying which group out of fear of a backlash? :P

      • DWH on 22/07/2016 - 11:20

        Absolutely. Unfortunately we cannot discuss these things like adults without fear of being attacked and called names.

  • fusion17 on 19/07/2016 - 17:33

    The most amusing thing is that generally, it's the extra cautious drivers who forget to turn on the headlights.
    You know, the ones with baby on board stickers, doing 10km under the limit in the right lane.
    Because, only SPEED kills.

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