Statistics contradict you. It's often hard to spot a car in daylight due to any number of factors. The fact is, lights reduce accidents since they're simply hard to miss and/or ignore...and since most cars made in the last 10 years have some kind of "auto" mode, it's a no-brainer really.

Lights on during the day makes a huge difference esp in hot countries where the heat haze obscures normal vision.

it was 37 degrees last week....

also where is the link to confirm this....

In 2006, 370 people were killed on Switzerland's roads according to Astra. Is this to save kittens?

DRLs are questionably effective. But faultmate will save me.....

Compared to the 6, 000 who died from catching infections in hospitals. Maybe they should fit doctors with headlights?

I am exempt , I am bright enough

I have noticed quite few new cars with DRL but rear lights are not lit, not good in tunnels

Not a case of 'disconecting' it - simply turn the function on or off with the little grub screw on the housing of the light switch. Probably not there any more on modern ones, but AFAIAA all Volvos through the '80s and well into the 2000s had this option.

Anyone want to buy a SAAB?

http://www.bfu.ch/French/medien/Pages/2013_08_13.aspx

Here is the link in French I posted earlier. Sorry don't have it in English or German or Italian.

The langauge options are on the to green menu bar ....... here is the DE, but the English equivalent doesn't seem to be available.


http://www.bfu.ch/German/medien/Seiten/2013_08_13.aspx

Probably, I don't know the technicalities, but I think they did it because it was illegal in Switzerland at the time to have headlights on during the day. So now we're going 180 degrees and will be illegal if we don't have them on.

Statistics can mean nothing. How do they factor in other causes as opposed to not being visible? Did they even look for them? What's the ratio between accidents caused by things like speeding against vehicle visibility?

As usual, it's more likely because people haven't been using their headlights when they should - bad weather or visibility - and don't maintain their cars properly, never checking their lights are working in the first place. OH has commented many times to me that when we first moved over here we never saw a car that had faulty lights, but now you'll be lucky to go out and not spot at least one and probably more. So the idiot drivers have forced yet another law on the sensible people who do look after their vehicles and make sure to use their headlights when necessary.

I still don't find a link to astra.admin.ch confirming this for 2014.

But I do know now that most EU cars of modern build can have a Scandinavian mode enabled for DRLs. There's also often a Canadian mode.....

It's not such a big deal, though - just a case of everyone doing what many already do.
I already use lights for the majority of daytime journeys (sometimes not local ones, in good driving visibility).
I just have one little niggle, with lights on, the instrument panel is dimmed, which in bright sunshine makes them tricky to read accurately, when wearing sunglasses. There is no dash light brightness adjustment with my jalopy.

...... and as any motorcyclist will testify, having lights on during the day isn't a cure all, when it comes to blind and impatient drivers' ability to see other road users.

Things have changed a little since then.


Mine is 2011. You can turn the lights off just like you can with any other car. If you leave them on though, they automatically turn off when you switch off the engine.

My garage switches them off after servicing. The first time I didn't notice. Then I got flagged down by a policeman who kindly pointed out the error (and didn't give me a fine).

Some of you were asking for an official link to the information. Here is the bpa link in DE and FR that talks about the percentage of people with their lights on and the new law for 2014. The quotes are from the pdf at the bottom of the page.

The press release is not available in EN.

DE: http://www.bfu.ch/German/medien/Seiten/2013_08_13.aspx

Auch in der Schweiz wird das Fahren mit Licht am Tag durch die Gesetzgebung gestützt. Bereits seit Anfang 2002 gilt eine «Sollvorschrift», deren Miss- achtung allerdings bisher keine Konsequenzen für den Fahrzeuglenker hat. Ab 1. Januar 2014 wird diese Sollvorschrift im Rahmen des Massnahmen- pakets «Via sicura» durch ein Obligatorium ersetzt.


FR: http://www.bfu.ch/French/medien/Pages/2013_08_13.aspx

La conduite de jour feux allumés est aussi inscrite dans la législation suisse. Elle fait l’objet d’une prescription obligative depuis début 2002: son inobservation était jusqu’ici sans conséquences pour les conducteurs. A partir du 1janvier 2014,
elle sera remplacée par une obligation dans le cadre du paquet de mesures de sécurité routière Via sicura.

__________________
Do or do not, there is no try(ing). Yoda

Swedish cars are the best by their strength, quality (rust-resistant), durability... I may be a little biased though
as my grandma on my dad's side is a Swedish citizen

So I've found out that you face a 40 franc fine: http://www.astra.admin.ch/dokumentat...e&msg-id=48516

Do note the alcohol tolerance changes too.

Looks like I'll be getting my non-compliant car adjusted when the software's updated. I have to check whether the Canadian mode complies or whether I need Scandinavian settings....

Does anyone know the absolute specification of DRL requirements?

For example if you install some aftermarket LEDs in your vehicle and these are on when your engine is running, must they turn off when your dipped beam comes on?

Does anyone know the facts because I'm still puzzled.

Chow!

OK, my research is done. If you have aftermarket DRLs fitted that are LEDs (so bright like anyone earning 120k+), they must TURN OFF when you put the car lights on. This is the Euro norm to which Switzerland will surely be complying.

http://www.astra.admin.ch/themen/ver...x.html?lang=de gives some information. Paket 2 in the downloadable Via sicura Faktenblatt states that the changes are planned for 2014. I assume this means that they're set in stone.....

And it says just this:
Obligatorisches Fahren mit Licht am Tag: Motorfahrzeuge müssen künftig auch tagsüber mit Licht fahren.