Mr Morlock wrote:There is scientific data around that finds drls are effective in daylight to improve visibility- it's not fiction, nor opinion its' proven and that's why some countries legislate for it to be mandatory. A drl works very effectively for oncoming traffic. Automotive lighting co's invented drls to be seen in the day and to avoid having to run a battery of lights i.e. 2 headlamps and 2 taillights. The purpose of the drl is visbility so noticing it is the purpose- if you cannot see it then its no value. I am sure you are better off with a drl than without one in a car like an MX5 or say a thing like a Clubman. When you drive a typical large SUV or 4WD you have a large outline. We said it before h/lights are legal in the day but its still optional if they are turned on - with a drl you don't have to think about it.
I am not sure if they will ever legislate in Au for drl's but my guess is that new car makers will fit them anyway and these will be legal spec.
Since it is indeed true that DRLs reduce accidents (and tend to reduce the worst kind of accidents), it should be the case that they get rolled out worldwide. For sure, I was glad today to be on a test drive with a customer in a Czech built i30 rather than a Korean built one as ours had DRLs and we were both convinced they helped a driver at a side road do a double-take and give way to us instead of driving into us.