Cyclone Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 I agree that pedestrians are smaller than cars, but I'm not convinced that they are difficult to see. Nor am I convinced that on a normal day a car with headlights on becomes any 'easier' to see, and without that there is no change in how visible smaller things are. Maybe the moral is that as a cyclist you should have your lights on all the time, and as a pedestrian you should avoid walking in the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 All car electrical operations are taken direct from the battery, the alternator just tops it up. AFAIK there are no cars wired with dual electrics that take power from the battery when the engine is off and switched to the alternator when running. That's why on some modern cars I've seen people report their radios and heaters are not working and its been found to be a duff battery and the car is operating in "economy mode" where the BSI has disabled operation of them - leading to frantic checking of fuses. Cars with an information display may report "Economy Mode" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxmaximus Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 When you are starting it, the engine isn't yet running. So if you already have the lights and the radio on then the battery is having to start the engine and supply power to those other things. This does not contradict the fact that once running the battery does NOT supply power to anything, the alternator does. Not always, some of the old cars that chavs drive, in which that have increased their cars electrical requirements with silly lights and sound systems that belong in a night club will use more power than the alternator can supply so the battery is drained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxmaximus Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 I agree that pedestrians are smaller than cars, but I'm not convinced that they are difficult to see. I didn't say they were, I said they are less visible than the vehicles. Nor am I convinced that on a normal day a car with headlights on becomes any 'easier' to see, and without that there is no change in how visible smaller things are. I find cars are more visible when they have their head lamps on, the down side is that when I’m confronted with a queue of traffic with their headlamps on during the day, the pedestrians and cyclists become more difficult to see. Maybe the moral is that as a cyclist you should have your lights on all the time, and as a pedestrian you should avoid walking in the road. They are road users and are entitled to use the roads and the law doesn't require cyclists, pedestrians lights during the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vwkittie Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 "As of 7th February 2011* DRLs have become a mandatory fitting to all new type approved passenger vehicles..." Oh! I do apologise, I was nine/ten weeks out with the time-frame. An unforgivable mistake! DRLs aren't sidelights though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eater Sundae Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Well it does seem that there is a lot of confusion as to what car lights are for, not surprising considering what i see people doing. Anyway, sidelights, officially known as parking lights or position lights, only to be used when parked, at the side of a road, they remain lit with dipped headlights in case one fails and then it becomes a position light so other road users can see the width of the vehicle. there is no circumstance where you should drive with sidelights on. Dipped lights, obviously for use when driving when visibility is low whether it be dark, raining, foggy Main beam is for when its very dark, and there are no other vehicles approaching you or when you can see a vehicle in front. Sidelights arent suitable to be used as daytime running lights. in most cases, sidelights are 5w lamps, daytime running lights are usually 21w lamps, and for vehicles type approved after 7th February 2011 are mandatory, and are lit all the time the engine is running, they turn off when the dipped lights are turned on because at night, they can dazzle other drivers. I have automatic lights, which come on when its raining, but when its misty, or only raining lightly they dont, and depending on the road, i put my dipped lights on. With rear fog lights, which people seem to confuse most of all are for use when visibility is severely reduced, so not when its raining, or a bit misty, or snowing. basically, if you can see the car ahead, you dont need them on, if you really think they are needed, turn them off once a car has caught up with you as rear fogs mask brake lights. I have never seen rear fogs needed driving on the motorway in traffic, which seems to be when people like to use them as for front fogs, i dont care what you do, they dont dazzle. oh, and people who get flashed a lot with their headlights on, get them checked for alignment, it might be that one is pointing up in the air. moan over Re BIB. Which shows the importance of actually switching on the dipped beam, when it starts to get dark, and not rely on the driving lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil-minx92 Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 If it's poor enough visibility to put your wipers on, it's poor enough to put the lights on... Surely it's better to be visible and be proactive in preventing accidents? Rubbish. A bit of rain doesnt mean poor visibility. People with their lights on are just as likely to cause accidents by dazzling oncoming drivers. If i can still see other cars in the distance without their lights on, i dont put mine on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Rubbish. A bit of rain doesnt mean poor visibility. People with their lights on are just as likely to cause accidents by dazzling oncoming drivers. If i can still see other cars in the distance without their lights on, i dont put mine on. It's the ones you don't see that are the problem.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 All car electrical operations are taken direct from the battery, the alternator just tops it up. I suppose my understanding could be completely incorrect. But I believe that if a car is running, you could disconnect the battery and it would continue to run. AFAIK there are no cars wired with dual electrics that take power from the battery when the engine is off and switched to the alternator when running. There would be no need for some sort of switching system. That's why on some modern cars I've seen people report their radios and heaters are not working and its been found to be a duff battery and the car is operating in "economy mode" where the BSI has disabled operation of them - leading to frantic checking of fuses. Cars with an information display may report "Economy Mode" I can't comment on this as it's not something I've experienced. As an experiment for yourself. With the engine running and the window up, press the up button again. You will notice the revs blip slightly as the motor tries to energize, that wouldn't happen if the power were coming from the battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 I didn't say they were, I said they are less visible than the vehicles. I agreed with this, but still not in any way difficult to see. I find cars are more visible when they have their head lamps on, the down side is that when I’m confronted with a queue of traffic with their headlamps on during the day, the pedestrians and cyclists become more difficult to see. I've never noticed this, I don't think it happens to me. They are road users and are entitled to use the roads and the law doesn't require cyclists, pedestrians lights during the day. Nor does it require that cars not use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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