In support of daytime running lights in cars

Sir,

With regard to the letter printed in Cyprus Mail on October 2 from GC Evans entitled ‘Daytime lights: another ludicrous idea from the EU’.

This letter seems to be more of a “let’s bash the EU” effort rather than any serious attempt to justify the non use of Daytime Running Lights (DRL)

To describe DRL as “unbelievably dangerous” and “typical of the stupidity and lack of logic shown by the European Union” does not stand up to even the most cursory examination of the facts.

A study by Dutch researchers found they could save 5,500 deaths and 155,000 injuries across Europe. Also Edmund King, president of the Automobile Association in the UK, said: “Daytime-running lights offer a significant safety advantage, particularly for pedestrians trying to spot moving cars through a line of parked vehicles”.

I don’t follow the logic of children, cyclists and pedestrians being less visible; it’s daylight, they will be as visible as they were before DRL.

I understand that carmakers are opposed to the idea because they think that there is a risk that some drivers will forget to switch their headlights on at night. What rot, as an ex-police officer, I can tell you that lots of drivers forget to switch their lights on now. I doubt that DRL will make much difference on that score.

Manufacturers don’t want to implement this change because it is being imposed on them and they cannot see the profit angle; mainly because there isn’t one – there is a safety one instead.

Mr King of the AA also addressed the issue of fuel consumption saying, “However, that threat has been diminished by restricting the measure to new cars only, many of which have energy-saving LED lights for driving in daylight.”

Seeing as Mr Evans does not like the EU I have sourced some facts from the good old US of A, a place I suspect he approves of, where a study showed that they use 27 billion litres of gasoline every year for air conditioning their vehicles, equivalent to 6% of domestic petroleum consumption, or 10% of US imported crude oil.

Maybe we should get rid of air conditioning in motor vehicles as well as not having Daylight Running Lights.

WR Hughes.
Peyia, Paphos

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.