Daytime running lights are external lights on vehicles. They should not be confused with side lights designed to indicate the dimensions of the car in the dark and in poor visibility. Daytime running lights have a different function and different conditions of use.
Varieties of daytime running lights
As the name suggests, daytime running lights are turned on during daylight hours to improve front visibility of a moving vehicle.
In 2010, amendments to the traffic rules came into force in Russia, requiring that during daylight hours on all moving vehicles, for the purpose of their designation, either dipped beam headlights, or fog lights, or special daytime running lights were turned on. They began to equip modern cars - the first was Lada Granta. If desired, the driver of a car that is not equipped with these lights can complete his car by purchasing a special set. After all, dipped beam headlights are more energy-intensive.
However, in the absence of special daytime running lights, different types of headlights can be used as them. The dipped headlights turn on when the car is started. In Russia, they are most often used as daytime running lights when driving during the day, and in some countries this is prohibited - there such a light is turned on only on a parked car.
In the USA and Canada, dimmed high beam headlamps are preferred as daytime running lights. They are turned on at reduced voltage to reduce the light intensity. World manufacturers even equip cars with low-voltage high-beam headlights that automatically switch on.
In Russia, the use of fog lights is also allowed as daytime running lights. They are bright, illuminate the roadside well and create good visibility conditions for the driver, and make the car visible from afar for pedestrians. But this option also has a negative side: very bright "fog lights" blind oncoming drivers, therefore in some countries (for example, in England) they are prohibited for use in some cases.
Continuous front direction indicators can also serve as daytime running lights. However, in this case, it is easy to confuse them with an emergency sign: the faulty car turns on all the "turn signals" in the event of a breakdown or towing.
New trends
Recently, powerful white LEDs have been used as daytime running lights. It is much less energy-consuming, convenient and beautiful - they are used as design elements. Most often, when the head light is turned on, the LED emitters continue to glow at a reduced brightness.
The idea of daytime running lights is criticized by many car owners: the energy consumption due to constantly on headlights increases (and some drivers even forget to turn them off when they arrive and leave the car). However, numerous studies state that daytime running lights increase road safety.
