They are only visible if the brain registers them. . They can be "seen" but not "seen" that's why cars often pull.out in front if motorbikes and cyclists... sorry mate I didn't see you

One thing the OH has noticed is that many drivers now forget to turn their lights on when entering tunnels because of the DRL's. Unless they have their car lights set on auto they see the DRL's on, assume they're also their headlights and so you have cars in the tunnels with no rear lights showing because they haven't been switched on.

I have just purchased a 2009 van (vivaro)
I cannot turn the lights off, they are not auto lights but when the stick is in the off position the dipped beam stays on. When sidelights are selected they work fine, when dipped and main beam selected they work fine, but in the off position they stay on.


Would something have been purposely done to pass MFK so they are always on? If not, I guess there is a problem with my light switch (although not such a bad problem after reading they must stay on by law)


They turn off when I kill the ignition

It's normal for cars of that year and newer.

There is nothing wrong with the switch.

Tom

My Merc Viano (also 2009) has an option to switch the lights on automatically. It is set using the console menu, but only when the car engine is not running.

Sounds obvious, but have you looked through the car's manual.

Also, what kind of lights are they? I don't agree with Tom that all cars that age are like that. More executive cars with Xenon headlights had them, but cheaper cars like my van did not have it built in as automatic. So for example my Discovery with it's xenon headlights had daylight running as an option, as well as light sensors for tunnels/auto night time running, but the van which has normal traditional lights doesn't (as mentioned).

Edited to add: The link is the manual I found on line - pages 75/76 indicate that there is an automatic daylight running option. https://www.vauxhall.co.uk/content/d...nual_Jul06.pdf

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Never let right or wrong get in the way of a good opinion

We just replaced our 1996 Volvo 850 with a 2005 Ford Focus, as it was getting on in years and we don't need such a big car anymore. The 20 year old Volvo had an Auto setting for lights and we just always left it there. Maybe because it wasn't an issue for us, neither my wife nor I knew/heard of/remembered the DRL law (could also be because we don't own a TV, don't listen to the radio and don't read the Swiss papers). Anyway, our newer Ford doesn't have the Auto setting or DRLs, but I always believed DRLs were safer, so when we first got the car I was trying to remember to turn them on, and always annoyed by the beep when turning the car off.

Well, a few weeks ago the Luzern police setup a checkpoint and were pulling people off the road who didn't have their lights on, including yours truly. The best part is that I was searching the same day for a replacement switch that would add the Auto setting to our car. Irony was lost on the ever so friendly police officer, and he so kindly gave me a 40.- fine.

I saw some discussion on the efficacy and necessity of this law, compared to seatbelt laws and helmet laws. I think there's a big difference here, which is very succinctly illustrated by the old Volvo vs newer Ford situation I have. Simply put, when I'm driving with my seatbelt off, the police can't see it until I'm right next to them, but they can spot my car from hundreds of meters away when the lights are off. And more importantly, it will be the more expensive and/or newer cars that have automatic lights that reduce the risk of violation to nearly zero. That means those with the older or less expensive cars will get nailed every time. If I were driving my Volvo, it would have remembered for me to turn the lights on. My Ford doesn't. That fits with the other people I saw pulled over the day I got fined – all older or cheaper cars.

So perhaps it wasn't designed to catch the less affluent, and perhaps it wasn't meant to be such an easy way to nab violators from a long distance, but it effectively does both. You won't see anyone in a BMW pulled over for not having their lights on.

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My car is 16 years old, never a problem to switch the lights on after starting the engine. It becomes automatic

I have driven here for 25 years and always with headlights on in day. It cost me a couple of bulbs. It became a natural reflex and took some weeks to learn to leave the light switch alone when I got a car with DRLs.

The point here is why do you think your Volva had DRLs??

The old Volvos could all be set to have the sidelights turn on/off with the ignition.

Do you ever read the whole post before commenting? Of course not!

congratulations!

Sarcastic mood today, hey?

In between the tears of having to pay a 40Fr fine.

No, but I'm not in the mood for abfab's contrarian trolling. He/she never reads before the fingers start typing, and I was making a serious social commentary that deserved more than a cursory skim and snark.

And thanks for the groan.

Hahahahaha

I keep forgetting


Now I have stuck a note on my steering wheel; "lights".


Works for me most of the time.

Love this forum how it's so much like primary school.

Sorry, but auto light setting these days at least would do absolutely nothing regarding this law. Auto settings on newer cars work on the amount of available light, too dark and they switch on automatically, plenty of light and they turn off. That's why you always have to check in uncertain light conditions whether they've come on or not. In fog for example, if it's not too heavy it won't be dark enough for auto lights to work so you need to turn them on manually.

Two years on and still many people driving without lights at all and now they forget to turn the normal lights on when going into tunnels if they have DLRs and no auto setting. So no rear lights when they're in a tunnel.

Frankly I think the law is pretty useless and actually makes certain situations more dangerous, not less.

I often see older cars driving with parking lights switched on. Can I assume these are not strong enough to be considered DRLs.

That depends on the car and the settings. Most new cars these days have DRLs on in the auto setting.