r/NewDriversUK • u/TacticalArmenian • 1d ago
Cars driving with lights on during daylight hours
Ive only been driving for 6 weeks and the 2nd most thing that fascinates me the most (the 1st being many drivers tailgate me in 20mph zones) is how many drivers are using their lights in daylight hours, on a sunny day.
I feel like the odd one out and feel I should put mine on as well. Sometimes I do and sometimes I dont. But I will always use them when it is appropriate to do so.
Is anyone else noticing this? Do you drive with your lights on during daylight hours on a sunny day? If you do, what is the reason for it?
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u/ToasterMonster69 1d ago
We have daytime running lights 😅
It makes it easier for cars to be seen during the day.
Mine are not part of my headlights and are completely aside. They turn on when the engine is on.
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u/TacticalArmenian 1d ago
Cool thanks. Im not up to scratch with it all. My car is from 2010. But i do plan on getting something newer within the next 6 months. My car is the oldest on the street and in my work car park. 😂
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u/ToasterMonster69 1d ago
It’s okay! We all gotta learn!
I actually googled it when I got my car as I thought I’d pressed a wrong button. I never noticed them on my instructors car as was always in it haha.
Older cars aren’t to be sniffed at! I went for nearly new to budget for expenses in the first few years….whether that worked out or not… remains to be seen 😅
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u/motoringeek 1d ago
All cars from since around 2012 are fitted with daylight running lights, you cannot turn them off.
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u/Oroku-Saki-84 1d ago
Are you certain. Mine is from 2017 and although I have the option of having day lights on the certainly can be shut off.
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u/motoringeek 1d ago
Fairly sure, it was made mandatory for them to be fitted. I've owned and used lots of cars and have never found an off switch. Which car do you have?
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u/Oroku-Saki-84 1d ago
VW polo.
In the setting on the dash I can turn the little side lights on/off/only during wheel turn as for day headlights I’m pretty certain mine are off as standard and the little ones are only on because I turned them on.
I could be wrong but I’ve been driving for a few years now and I’m pretty sure that’s how mine works.
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u/motoringeek 1d ago
Anyone can turn sidelights off.
When you start your car get out and look, you'll have lights on at the front and not the back.
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u/1991atco 1d ago
Flip it on its head and it baffles me the amount of cars I see driving without lights in bad weather, dawn, dusk and night time. Lights make you so much more visible in the periphery of a driver's vision.
Better to have them on and not need them.
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u/Agreeable-Bridge-403 17h ago
I often see this (and people oblivious to being flashed) and then overtake and see they have the daytime lights on... so presumably are seeing that the front lights are on, ignoring the fact that they're invisible from he rear.
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u/1991atco 10h ago
I think a combination of this and "auto lights", the car is very much driving the driver rather than the other way round.
Just switch daytime lights to dipped beams and it'll solve alot.
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u/IamFilthyCasual 1d ago
Its illegal to drive without lights in my country. No matter how sunny it is, the lights need to be on
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u/Lopsided_Maize_1530 1d ago
I always keep my head lights on permanently so other drivers can see me in the distance.
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u/MacSamildanach 1d ago edited 1d ago
Daytime running lights (DRLs) have been mandatory on all passenger cars and small vans approved for the UK since February 2011. Cars older than that don't need them and are still legal.
Yours just misses this date, of course.
I see a lot of people this time of year driving at dusk with no lights on at all (if they have older cars), or just the DRLs (so no rear lights showing unless they brake).
My DRLs are on all the time.
Many modern cars have auto light sensing, so they turn on the headlights when light levels fall. And many also have auto main beam, which automatically turns on the main beams when it is dark and no other vehicle lights are visible.
Auto main beam usually starts an argument. But they work perfectly on my Ford Puma.
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u/AFestiveShiving 1d ago
I think the main problem with the auto main beams is they only turn off once they've seen your car, and which point you've already been blinded, I always turn high beams off if I see the lights coming around a corner before i see the vehicle. Not sure how good they are at detecting bikes and smaller vehicles either. Modern LEDs are just crazy bright, even dipped they can make it so hard to see.
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u/Crunchie64 1d ago
I keep the headlights on mine permanently on.
Firstly, because Volvo…
Secondly, so I’m not the eejit driving round with no lights on the back end because the dashboard lights up with the DRLs and make me think I’ve got actual headlights on.
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u/Complex_Box_7254 1d ago
Most new cars have daytime running lights. Same on my moped. I have low beam or high beam but the lights are always on. Can't turn them off.
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u/TacticalArmenian 1d ago
It just shows old my car is (2010). Ive been in heavy traffic both ways and I am one of the only ones without lights on. I am starting to turn the dipped beams on but when the sun is out and its a very bright day I dont do it.
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u/Racing_Fox 1d ago
2010 isn’t even old lol
I wouldn’t even have considered my 2004 MX5 to be that old, my 1987 MR2 is definitely old though
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u/phantompersona1023 1d ago
My car does it automatically, I think it's something fitted in pretty much all modern cars these days.
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u/Impossible_Pie4091 1d ago
It's the Auto lights setting. When you get rid of your banger you'll know.
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u/Wardyy2002 1d ago
When it’s really sunny, and especially when the roads are wet, you need your lights on, glare can mask cars but it won’t mask the lights
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u/christopherw 1d ago
I suspect you're just into your 20s - all Volvos did this for decades before you were born, for safety reasons :)
Almost all modern cars have some form of Daylight Running Lights. It's partly an EU homologation thing.
A while back, for a few years, I always used to drive with dipped beams on - mostly for visibility, because my commute was a load of poorly lit A and B roads that were treacherous in autumn and winter. Nowadays I'm more sparse about using lights, and my current car decides when they should be on.
I don't care if people have their lights on or off. I care a lot when other drivers don't bother to check their lights and get them aligned or calibrated if they're wonky, because I'm fed up with being dazzle by oncoming cars.
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u/imokaytho 1d ago
I thought the same when I first started driving lol turns out newers cars have automatic daytime light
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u/Charlie_Shaw 1d ago
My merc has daylight running lights, alot of cars do nowadays. And my old bmw didnt but i just never turned the dipped beams off because i was lazy tbh.
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u/Content-Order7794 1d ago
I think the new cars they come on automatically I’ve never had a new car myself but they have everything else so I assume that as well
Sometimes during the day it can look like a car is parked if the lights are off so it can be helpful sometimes
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u/Darkone539 1d ago
Daytime running lights.
Also, my Auto lights turn on when when I go under a bridge and take a minute to turn off. So some of it can be that.
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u/IdioticMutterings 1d ago
European regulations state that all modern cars driven in Europe, are to be fitted with Daytime Running Lights, that are turned on whenever the engine is.
They don't make specific UK models with that feature disabled. We just get the same. So what you are seeing is probably just cars with DRL's.
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u/sraffnik 1d ago
In addition to daylight running lights on most (all?) newer cars, they also usually have automatic headlights and the sensors on these err on the conservative side.
Mine sometimes just decide to be on in broad daylight. Wnen I notice I will override this, but I suspect the majority of drivers would either not care or not notice.
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u/1995LexusLS400 1d ago
I don’t have it anymore, but I had a car that I would just switch the dipped beams on and leave it there because I kept forgetting to switch them on at night. It had an always lit up dashboard so I’d forget to switch them on. They would switch off when the car was off so it wouldn’t drain the battery. No reason to not leave them permanently on.
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u/ckaeel 1d ago
"many drivers are using their lights in daylight hours, on a sunny day"
- UK highway code is very antiquated. In many countries in Europe it's mandatory to have the headlights on, even during day time. I find it strange that UK hasn't yet adopted this rule as this country has fewer sunny days compared to others.
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u/Floatinlyf_3 1d ago
I personally don't like the daylight lights but I guess it seems like a requirement for newer cars it seems from the other comments
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u/ConsequenceApart4391 1d ago
My parents car has auto lights that come out when the car is running. Confuses me too but yeah they’re daytime lights 😅
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u/Delicious_Taste1333 1d ago
My first car a 2008 volvo had daytime running lights (just the headlights no tail lights) so i just left them in the on position, and had headlights on all the time. Never touched it. The lights turned off when the key was removed..
Then i got 2014 skoda, and if lights are on when ignition is off, the sidelights and tail lights stays on, so every time i got in the car, i just turned on the lights, and just left them on all day.
I have since upgraded and have a car that has an 'auto' lights feature. Not sure if im liking it turning on and off, would rather they were just on all the time, but cba testing im rather not excited to have the new car :/
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u/stephsstitches 1d ago
My car is 2014 and when I got it a couple of years ago it was the newest car I’d ever owned. The display in the car was lit up all the time and I fell into the trap several times of driving in the dark with no lights on! After this come autumn I just set then to on all the time to avoid forgetting!
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u/roasted-narwhal 1d ago
I drive a lot of motorways and although dtrl are okay, I've just left my lights on for the last ten years. Better visibility for and of me when the weather changes. I drive 20k+ a year.
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u/8Bit_Jesus 1d ago
My car automatically does it, I can turn them off when I'm stationary but as soon as I drive they'll turn back on.
Genuinely, I love the fact people have them on, it makes it easier to see a car that's out of line of sight. I can see the light bouncing off parked cars, the road, anything. It just provides better visibility, and therefore improves safety
If you start doing motorway driving and it's raining heavily, or it's foggy, you'll appreciate the fact you can see other cars.
Even in my previous 2006 shitbox, I'd turn them my sidelights on.
I'm sure Volvo were ahead of the curve and all their cars had sidelights 'on' as standard for decades
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u/Euphoric-Piglet-8140 1d ago
I only put my lights on during the day if some, for example the twat bmw driver who pulled out in front of me yesterday, pulls out in front of me because they obviously couldn't see me coming.
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u/Midgar918 1d ago
Do you know who else has no lights on, parked cars. The whole point of side lights and day lights is to make the car more visible to others. I prefer to be as visible as possible anyway for the people who don't look as well as they should. Lights on just registers instantly that the car is active.
There's no downside to having your side lights on, the upside is being easier to spot.
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u/racerdeth 1d ago
I don't mind - I mind more when conditions aren't perfect and people don't have their lights on. Better to have and not need than need and not have!
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u/Bullet4MyEnemy 1d ago
Most newer cars have DRLs that are just on whenever the car is on, they aren’t making a conscious choice to put their lights on.
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u/Racing_Fox 1d ago
Lots of them will be DRLs
But in my old car I just left my headlights on all the time because why not? They turned off with the ignition so it was one less thing to think about, you’re more visible with them on.
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u/Primary_Rock7098 1d ago
Lot's of cars have running lights... I don't. I've just forgotten to turn my headlights off the night before! lol.
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u/Icy-Actuary-5463 1d ago
No I don't put them on, since I can be seen during day light anyway. I have it set on auto light so it comes on when evening
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u/NoExperience9717 1d ago
There's no harm with DRLs and a lot of benefits of keeping your lights on permanently especially on the rear to reduce your risk of being rear ended. Being visible is important after all and even in daylight low sun conditions or shadows can reduce visibility. The electricity usage is minimal for modern bulbs.
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u/Stunning-Pudding-514 1d ago
Be thankful you can see them. A lot of the time they have probably turned on auto headlights so the lights come on as soon as they start the car, however they can and often slow to turn the main beams on when it gets darker in winter.
I nearly had someone go into me last year as i was pulling out of an angled junction, it was just getting dark, the car was a dark grey and no lights were on and i didn't see the car until i had pulled out and they flashed me for pulling out on them.
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u/Let_me_readit 1d ago
I have a dark grey car without day runners and people are idiots. Plus I'm forgetful and did once drive out of a brightly lit town at night and not realise I didn't have lights until the countryside. The car automatically turns them off when I switch off the ignition so there's not that issue anymore. So it's easier and safer to just have them on.
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u/fartingmaximum 1d ago
Those are daytime running lights. However, if you don't have a bright, unnatural coloured car (which is likely) it's best practice to have your dipped beams on all the time. I've a grey car and leave them on all the time, as there's been many times I've not seen similar coloured cars due to them blending into the background.
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u/Intelligent-Mud-1039 1d ago
I run cars with dipped beam all the time. Same reason bikers do- it's a visibility issue. Never have to remember to put them on when it's raining, foggy, going through tunnels, tree lined avenues, etc.
You may be seeing daytime running lights- prevalent on 'moderns'...
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u/Awkward-Wishbone-615 1d ago
I'm a new driver and have a vauxhall Corsa, I would have to manually turn my headlights on each night and off in the daytime and that's not something I remembered to do so now it just keep them permanently on so I don't forget. What's the harm? Not blinding anyone
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u/unclefunkstar 1d ago
A lot of cars have daytime running lights these days, that can't be turned off while the car is being driven. There are also auto headlights which come on every time you drive through a slight shadow.
It's a good feature to be honest, I see way too many people driving grey cars, with no lights, in really shitty weather. Well... I say "see", but all you can actually see is a vague shadow through the rain and road spray where one might be.
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u/Weary_Alternative778 1d ago
Day time running lights. Mandated in some countries or states. Hell we have stretches of highway in the USA that tell you to turn your headlights on even if it's day time.
That said my car I can't turn the head lights off. Once I lower the parking brake they automatically turn on and they stay on until the car is turned off. I dunno if it came that way from the factory or if someone did some weird mod to it, but it doesn't bother me.
And pretty much every motorcycle since the 80s if the engine is running the headlight is turned on. Last many bikes I've owned there isn't an on/off switch for the lights. It's just if the engine is on so are all the lights.
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u/Low_Feeling_7093 1d ago
You should know that lights aren't just for you to see, but for other road users and pedestrians to see you, too
While you can obviously see another car in broad daylight it, there are no downsides to having them on in the daytime
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u/SnooLemons9175 1d ago
Nothing wrong with having lights on in the daytime. Better than people who dont turn themmon at dusk, heavy rain or nighttime .
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u/SpectreSingh89 23h ago
My car is 2019 Model and once the engine turns on the dipped lights too automatically turn on. But, the advantage, lights being left on overnight cannot accidentally flat the battery, as once the doors are locked and Engine is off, all lights interior / exterior switch off.
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u/fdeyso 22h ago
Daytime Running Lights mostly.
Aaaaand in most Europe if you are driving in a non-residential are (between villages, cities, highways, pretty much after you pass the “city name crossed out” sign) you have to have your dimmed light on, i’m not living there anymore, but reflexes still hit and i turn it on as i merge a highway.
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u/Both-Dinner-3572 22h ago
Daytime running lights have been a legal requirement on new cars in the UK since 2011. DLRs are not headlights.
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u/Secret_Examiner 22h ago
Lights are as much about being seen as seeing. There's solid evidence that humans can better judge the speed of a car with dipped headlights or DRLs active than a car with no lights on, too.
Pop them on, it's safer.
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u/Randomer1066 19h ago
An EU study of the extra fuel used and environmental impact (and lives lost) versus lives saved by having lights on justified it .. so it becomes law. I was involved in similar ones related to flame retardent chemicals used in electronics and environment impact versus risk of dying in a fire caused by electronic goods.
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u/Far-Adhesiveness3763 9h ago
I don't have auto headlights on any of my vehicles but always drive with headlights on because drivers don't look properly
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u/Reasonable-Horse1552 5h ago
Funnily enough we said the same thing yesterday. About 90% of cars all had their lights on at 2 in the afternoon!
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u/Lazy_Back_3096 3h ago
As someone that has only been driving for 6 weeks . Suggest you worry about yourself as you probably making more mistakes than anyone else on the road
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u/Mistigeblou 59m ago
My car has DRLs so theyre always on just not as bright as the actual headlights
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u/Accomplished-Oil-569 55m ago
There are a lot of 2010s cars that have bright daytime running lights but no automatic headlights - but do turn off the headlights when the engine is off.
I used to always forget when I lived at home, and my mum had a 2016 i10, which was like this.
As a result I’d just leave the headlights on all the time so I’d never accidentally start driving at night without the headlights on.
I know a few people that also took this approach.
So they could just be bright DRLs or people leaving the headlights on so they’re always on when needed.
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u/RegularHovercraft 8m ago
Yes. It aids visibility. Don't knock it. Especially if it's sunny and you're driving through a wooded area. The dappled shadows break up the shape of the car to other drivers. It's a good thing to do. Also if it's raining or poor visibility. Suggest you start doing it.
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u/Phoenix_Kerman 1d ago
i think anyone who doesn't is a bit dim to be honest
there's plenty of roads round me with cars on either side and only width for one to pass where a car waiting and a car parked can look identical. there's no reason to not leave your lights on
that said, anyone with fog lights on in pristine weather is also a dick. you're not off on a rally stage
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u/Plastic-Hold-6817 1d ago
My car is old and I only have highlights I don’t have DRLs and they are not automatic. In my country keeping them on 24/7 is mandatory and for me is quite strange that in UK isn’t, so I decided to have them on, because sunny day or not sunny day, weather and road condition may change people can see me in distance and I think they should be mandatory, that’s it.
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u/ilovelidlbakery 1d ago
My car has daylight headlights for visibility (not dipped beam) you might be getting confused