Daytime Running Lights – Should They Be Mandatory?

A lot of modern vehicles are fitted with daytime running lights – a set of little lights that go on automatically every time the engine gets switched on.  This is particularly the case for European vehicles for the very simple reason that the EU requires all cars to have them.  Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland) have had mandatory daytime running lights for quite some time (since the 1970s, in fact), so you can bet your boots that any self-respecting Saab or Volvo is going to have them.

A nice example of daytime running light design from Audi.

The purpose behind daytime running lights is simple safety.  The human eye is drawn to glittery, shiny objects – that’s the whole reason why precious stones and very shiny metals are considered so valuable and why luxurious fabrics and paints have a bit of a sheen to them.  This means that if you’ve got the daytime running lights on, it’s easier to see you.  And the stats do bear the basic theory out.  According to the Australian College of Road Safety, daytime running lights are “able to prevent up to 11% of multi-vehicle severe crashes, and up to 12% of pedestrian fatal crashes in Australia.”

Many of the countries that make daytime running lights compulsory are in higher latitudes: the Scandinavian nations mentioned above, plus Canada and now the rest of the European Union.  This is because during wintertime in places that are a bit further from the Equator, days get a lot shorter and the sun doesn’t get as high or as bright.  The question therefore needs to be asked if they would have the same effect if made compulsory in Australia, which is what the Australian College of Road Safety is campaigning for.  After all, we don’t get as much of a difference between winter and summer daylight hours, especially the further north you go.  Even in Tasmania, it doesn’t get anywhere near as drastic as it does in, say, Sweden.  They could consider it across the ditch in New Zealand, but over here?

Some have argued that making daytime running lights compulsory would make carbon emissions worse, as using the lights requires more energy and that energy has to come from somewhere, which is usually the fuel that you put in your car.  The more lights you have on, the more gas you’ll go through.  However, the flip side of that argument is that proper daytime running lights with LED technology use much less energy than conventional headlights put on dip, which is the El Cheapo equivalent of fog lights or daytime running lights.  LED lights tend to look prettier, too, and some designers get quite creative with how they include them in the front end design  (look at the example from Audi above).

Personally, I’m ambivalent about them.  They’re a pretty good idea on dull, grey days or when it’s raining.  They’re also pretty good on quieter streets or out in the country, especially on silvery grey cars that have a tendency to be camouflaged against the tarmac.  However, on main roads, you’ve already got tons of lights flashing and flickering, competing for your attention: indicators, traffic lights, warning lights on maintenance vehicles, advertising, Christmas lights at certain times of year, various other lights on your dashboard, all going “look at me!”  It’s a bit of visual overload, and you run the risk of just tuning it all out, with the end result that all those daytime running lights become part of the landscape, kind of like sunlight reflected off puddles or a well-polished bonnet.

Some researchers have noted that if all cars have daytime running lights on all the time, motorbikes (which also have daytime running lights and have them more often) become less visible.  Motorbikes are a lot more vulnerable than cars when it comes to crashing in the first place, so maybe this isn’t a good thing.

What do other people think?  Should daytime running lights be compulsory in Australia?  Let us know in the comments below.  If you want more info about the Australian College of Road Safety’s campaign, you can read all about it at http://acrs.org.au/about-us/policies/safe-vehicles/daytime-running-lights/.

Safe and happy driving,

Megan http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/moneza-online-zaym.html

Misogyny, Motors and Mechanics

Dear, oh, dear… do I detect a slight note of misogyny in my fellow blogger’s post “Something Wicked This Way Comes” (a title that, incidentally, Ray Bradbury nicked from Shakespeare’s Macbeth)?  The first example is a female P-plater, there’s references to a granny driver and there’s a photo of a woman who doesn’t look that old in this complaint about bad driving.

I have absolutely no complaints about the actual examples of bad driving.  And it may be pure coincidence that the bad driver first mentioned happened to be female.  However, there is a long tradition in motoring of misogyny and general sneering at woman drivers.  Whether it’s the advertising tradition of putting bikini babes on the bonnets of cars for sale, car racing games that assume that the player is a bloke or comments like “driving like a grandmother” or calling a particularly sizzling sports car a “chick magnet”, it’s been going on for a long time and does make things a tad more difficult if you’re female and a driver.  Even those “pink parks for women only” that have appeared in some parts of the world are patronizing and annoying.

You’ve also got the whole “women aren’t good with machinery and don’t know anything” attitude that can be taken by mechanics.  This is best exemplified by what cropped up when I was trying to find an image for an earlier post of mine about women doing car repairs.  The vast majority of images that Google popped up for me either showed a woman staring at an open bonnet looking helpless and hopeless, or else it showed some cheesecake babe bending over the bonnet (or lying on her back showing only a pair of trim bare legs) with sexily smeared grease on her face, skimpy shorts and a crop top.  There are a few that do show women trying to look moderately competent but these are so obviously posed – you’re not going to make me believe that anybody is going to wear a long-sleeved white top to tinker about under the bonnet or wear a swishy skirt, dangly hair or high heels.

Here’s hoping that the only reason why she looks horrified is because she’s got to do roadside repairs while wearing white rather than because she doesn’t know what she’s doing.

Hooray – there are some decent and realistic images out there!

Yes, I always wear a short skirt and high heels to fix my car, and my skirt’s not going to ride up AT ALL.

Long loose hair, crop top, short shorts… and not a spanner in sight. The perfect outfit for repairing cars.

It gets worse than just popular images, too.  Fortunately, it hasn’t happened to me, but you hear stories about mechanics charging women more than men for work done or giving poorer service.  You also get the impression that women don’t exist if you go into your typical automotive supply shops – a patronizing “well, your husband would probably prefer this for his car” sort of attitude.  Hello?  There are a lot of single, divorced and widowed women out there who have their own cars, thank you very much.  And even the ones who do have a bloke of their own may be doing their own car maintenance.  In some households, it may be the woman’s responsibility (or just her turn) to take the car in for a service.

Anybody can have a rant – and you’re more than welcome to tell your stories about what it’s like to be a woman taking a car into the mechanics’ – but it’s something else to actually do something about the situation.  So, if you’re a woman, here’s some actions you can take:

• Educate yourself.  You are less likely to be ripped off by a mechanic if you show that you know something about what you’re talking about.  For example, don’t say that “it’s making funny noises” or “this little red light keeps coming on”. Instead, try something specific – “the cam belt needs replacing,” “it’s due for a service,” and “the automatic transmission needs flushing”.  Also learn a bit of the technical lingo so you know what your mechanic is talking about.
• Learn how to do your own repairs and maintenance.  This doesn’t require Y chromosomes or testosterone.
• Drive properly (everybody should do this – male and female).
• Be prepared to walk away from any mechanic who is patronizing, rude or who tries to bamboozle you.
• Don’t just put up with things.   Ask the mechanic to explain technical lingo and try to look interested.  Complain to the management (or walk away) if there’s visible in-your-face pinups or porn where customers can see it (this includes the customer loo).  If you’ve got the kids, ask for something that they can do while you’re waiting and/or a place to change nappies.  Send back freebie calendars with “bonnet babes”.

Here’s to a world where the difference between good drivers and bad, or between car nuts and those who are ho-hum doesn’t depend on gender!

Happy driving,

Megan http://credit-n.ru/offers-zaim/srochnodengi-online-zaymi.html

Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Apologies to Mr Bradbury for pinching his title, but it’s so incredibly appropriate for this contribution.

Driving a car appears to be, for some, more of an act of witchcraft than an ability; more an act of guesswork than education. It’s not a black art, it truly isn’t, it’s a simple mix of being observant, being coordinated and exhibiting common sense. Yes, yes, I understand the laughter at that last one, as it’s been legislated into obscurity, courtesy of political correctness and idiots.

What’s sparked this discussion, you ask? Simple; a close encounter with something dangerous. In this case, it was a young P plater female…well, driver isn’t the right word…perhaps, person that has no idea of basic driving rules. Properly educated and reasonably settled in attitude drivers know that, when you come to a T junction intersection, you slow, look to your right and stop for oncoming traffic. When it’s safe, you then continue. This simple piece of road safety was utterly beyond this person; with NO look to the right and NO intention of slowing, she gaily sailed through, opposite locked for a left hand turn before barely giving my oncoming car room to brake. her exit speed would have been at least 50 kilometres per hour. Something wicked this way comes.

When there’s a stop sign at an intersection, it’s generally recognised by intelligent, considerate drivers, that you stop at this intersection. Thankfully, most people do so. However, there seems to be varying interpretations of what to do with the indicators on a car. It’s not a problem if it’s a four way and the driver intends on going straight. It’s a different story when you intend on going right or left and even less complicated when the stop sign is for the road that is the vertical part of a T. Witness the mature aged lady in her medium class AWD, stopping correctly but having “a broken indicator” on numerous occasions. A simple tip, dear readers: when you come to an intersection and you’re NOT going straight ahead, the road rules of Australia stipulate you MUST give sufficient indication. For this lady, oncoming traffic would have had no idea which way she was going. Something wicked this way comes.

During my recent involvement with a major world brand’s new luxury car launch, our team leader, a renowned driver educator, remarked upon the driving styles of the participants; one hand on the wheel, one arm hanging out the window and seat leaning back. These were vehicle sales staff he was talking about…again, it’s pretty simple. When you get into a car as a driver, you should always check your seating position, ensuring the mirrors (rear and wing) give you as much rear view as possible. BOTH hands should be on the wheel and your arms extended from your body and slightly angled, not with your body and arms hunched up over the steering wheel like the stereotypical “grandma” driver. With the overwhelming majority of cars on the road having airbags, the hunched over the wheel position is physically more dangerous to the driver if, for obvious reasons, the steering wheel airbag is set off. Guess which chest they’ll hurt more? Guess which arm stands more chance of being severely damaged (not to mention sun damaged!) from a side on impact? Guess which driver has less control of the vehicle? Something wicked this way comes.

When it’s dusk (that means when the sun is going beddybyes), it’s cloudy, it’s raining, it’s foggy, it’s not just a smart idea (and lawful, at that) to have some level of lighting turned on, it’s also a SAFE idea to do so. Why’s that, you ask? Here’s a parallel story: in WW2 sailors were banned from smoking a cigarette on deck as that tiny, tiny glow was distinguishable from miles away, against a dark background, using shipboard observing devices. Simply out, any form of lighting when it’s dark makes something easier to see in the dark. Think about that the next time you drive your dark coloured or silver painted (melds WONDERFULLY into the background) car in the circumstances described…Something wicked this way comes.

When it comes to that magical device known as a traffic light, it seems most drivers failed the colour vision part of their test (what, you mean there ISN’T one????) due to the truly extraordinary amount of cars and trucks, controlled by non computerised humans, that don’t know what the lights at the top and middle mean. Hmmm, red is bad, amber is not so bad so……go figure. If you’re one of the drivers that thinks red means go, think again. When it’s green, everything is sweet. When it slides into amber, it’s now a good time to think about two things: how far away from the stop line you are and how long it will take to stop. If it’s red before you’ve crossed the line, well then, who’s a naughty boy/girl then? yup, something wicked this way comes.

Bottom line is this: driving a vehicle SAFELY isn’t hard. It truly, really isn’t. Slow down/stop at t junctions; slow down/stop for amber/red lights; use headlights and indicators. If you think this is below you or can’t be bothered but STILL think you’re a good and safe driver, then, please, hand in your license. You’re not good. You’re not safe. You’re dangerous.

  http://credit-n.ru/blog-listing.html

Life With A Learner Driver

For some time now, my teenage son has had his learner’s licence and the blue-tack holding the L-plates to the back and front windows is starting to get a bit the worse for wear.  It doesn’t seem like that long ago that we were having to explain which pedal was which…

Most of us who have teenagers go through the journey of watching them progress through the licenses and become fully fledged motorists.  It’s quite an emotional roller coaster – and some journeys feel physically like a roller coaster, too.  However, in spite of what it can do to your stress levels at times, I recommend that parents encourage children to get their drivers’ licences early on.  Not only does it suddenly make your kids grow up and learn some responsibility but it also saves hassles later on.  If you’d seen one of my friend’s daughters wind up as a young mother with no driver’s licence, or if you’d seen one of my other friends constantly ferrying around a teenage boy who prefers a gaming console to a steering wheel, you’d feel that way too.

The first few forays out in the car are always amusing.  For once, your teenager will be listening carefully to everything you say and will (for once) act like they don’t know everything.  This phase, which usually takes place on quiet roads, involves stalling, lurching and incorrect gear selection, plus the odd near miss as your teenager realises that you have to start braking earlier in the picture than you do with computer driving games.

Then you teen will master the basics and will get back to thinking that he/she knows it all.  The times that you are driving, you will wish that you had duct tape handy, as you will have the world’s worst back seat driver on board who will tell you exactly what they would have done and ask why you’re not going at the full speed limit at the moment (when it’s raining cats and dogs late at night and the road is flooded so you can barely see the white lines in the middle).  This is where you grit your teeth and explain why you’re doing what you’re doing.  Are you familiar with the phrase “teachable moment”?

During this phase, you’ve got to teach them as much as you can.  Let them learn good habits.  You shouldn’t stop riding with them altogether during the provisional stage, as they’re still inexperienced, but you still need to make the most of the learner phase to ensure that the next generation of drivers has decent skills, by trying things like the following:

• Drop your teens in the deep end.  You don’t have to be quite as vicious as my husband was, getting our son to do his first parallel parking manoeuvre between an expensive new Audi and an equally expensive new Jaguar , but make them do the difficult stuff.
• Hand the keys over as much as possible.  Yes, you like to drive.  However, your teenager needs the practice, so give them all the chances they can get.
• When you are in the driver’s seat, model good driving etiquette and attitude.  Would you want your teenager going just a shade over the speed limit and trying to nip into small gaps because he/she is running late?  Would you want him/her leaning on the horn at the slightest provocation?  Trying to just nip through on an orange light?  Checking the cell phone while driving just for a few wee seconds because this text might be important?  You get the picture…

There’s also one very important thing that you need to do:

• Get them driving in a car with as few driver aids as possible.  These days, you can buy cars with blind spot monitoring, warnings about things approaching from the side, cameras all over the show to help you park, collision protection that automatically jams on the brakes if it detects that a ding is likely and so on.  My own inner alarm bells are going off to think that some teenagers are learning to drive in cars like these.  Of course, we want to protect our beloved sons and daughters and make sure that they’re safe.  However, if they’re always driving a car that does a lot of the work for them, they’re going to learn to rely on these driver aids.  They won’t know how to do it the hard way.  The time will come when they buy their own cars… which will probably be older models that don’t have all these active safety features.  And they will probably be driving them solo.  Scary stuff.  Beeping noises don’t have the same impact on behaviour as much as “What the heck were you doing? You nearly hit that car/truck/person!  You’re supposed to turn your head and check the blind spot before you change lanes!  Don’t you ever do that again!  I want to see your head turning to check.  Let’s try that one again.”

Safe and happy driving for you and your teenagers,

Megan http://credit-n.ru/debitovaya-karta.html