Daytime running lights – which can prevent up to 25% of daytime fatal accidents – are the Christmas gift that keeps on giving, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.
Dogandlemon.com editor Clive Matthew-Wilson – who is an active road safety campaigner – says:
“Daytime running lights are the ideal Christmas gift. They're hugely effective and look very cool, and you can buy daytime running lights online for way less than the cost of a cellphone."
Daytime running lights are now fitted to many new cars, but can be retrofitted to virtually any vehicle.
According to European studies on the effectiveness of daytime running lights in improving road safety , the potential savings are:
• 25% of daytime multi-vehicle fatal accidents (11% of all non-pedestrian fatal accidents)
• 28% of daytime fatal pedestrian accidents (12% of all fatal pedestrian accidents)
• 20% of daytime multi-vehicle injury accidents
• 12% of daytime multi-vehicle property accidents
Unlike spotlights and foglights, which often dazzle other drivers, daytime running lights are designed solely to be noticed. Thanks to LED technology, daytime running lights now use less electricity than some car stereos.
Daytime running lamps normally turn on automatically when the engine is switched on, and turn off automatically when the engine is switched off or the headlamps are switched on.
Matthew-Wilson adds:
"Let's face it: many Christmas gifts are forgotten in a week. With daytime running lights, you're not only making a car look cooler, you're giving the gift of life."
Disclosure of interest: nil
