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 To My Kids 7/5/00 12:46:08 PM
Kids, etc. 7/9/00 8:13:29 PM
Children may be the root of All Evil 7/14/00 7:10:42 AM
Left lane slow drivers 7/14/00 7:20:06 AM
How do you know they are slow in the left lane?? 7/14/00 5:42:15 PM
Women and mirrors 7/14/00 5:45:30 PM
Bright Running Lights 7/14/00 9:12:04 PM
Question those statistics! 7/14/00 11:12:07 PM
people overly distracted by their children 7/15/00 1:00:36 AM
Your speedometer is an indicator of your speed. 7/15/00 4:01:02 AM
Kids not necessarily the root of All Evil 7/15/00 4:15:37 AM
Is it just me, or what? 7/15/00 4:21:16 AM
If it's illegal to have a TV within view of the driver, why should cell-phones be any different? 7/15/00 11:33:58 AM
The Speed Limit is slow in the left lane 7/15/00 12:17:09 PM
Daytime running lights 7/15/00 5:05:19 PM
Billboards, mobile billboards, and "autowraps" and other advertising 7/16/00 12:08:51 PM
OUTDOOR ELECTRONIC ADVERTISING 7/17/00 5:44:03 PM
Not Just Electronic Equipment! 7/18/00 3:05:19 PM
Vacant and Careless Drivers 7/18/00 5:39:31 PM
Billboards are intended to be distracting. 7/18/00 8:02:56 PM
saab night panel (illumination) 7/18/00 8:48:57 PM
Personal grooming 7/18/00 11:40:00 PM
Electronic advertising in Portland, Oregon 7/18/00 11:50:47 PM
Bright lights day and night, a.k.a., DRLs, "highway lights", brights, etc. 7/19/00 6:29:48 AM
Driver Fatigue biggest problem on the roads 7/19/00 6:37:29 AM
Sign of the Times-Live With It 7/19/00 8:23:23 PM
Develop a driver alarm system to warn of pedestrians/bicycles also using roadway nearby 7/19/00 10:16:40 PM
READING BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS! 7/20/00 11:01:56 AM
It's what you make as your main focus that is important; distractions are nothing new 7/20/00 3:44:44 PM
It's called the PASSING lane for a reason 7/23/00 2:00:55 PM
Slow in left lane 7/23/00 2:06:50 PM
Daytime running lights 7/23/00 2:20:39 PM
WHY IS THE NHSTA TAKING SO LONG? 7/25/00 11:02:45 AM
Daytime Running Lights 7/26/00 7:16:46 AM
I HATE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS 7/26/00 7:56:15 AM
Daytime Running Lights are the worst hazard on the road 7/26/00 8:11:50 AM
Who initiated Daytime running lights? 7/27/00 3:32:04 AM
Lights on during the day very disturbing 7/27/00 11:34:41 AM
why is the nhsta taking so long? 7/27/00 11:38:34 AM
Too many big trucks 7/27/00 3:01:24 PM
Question your own ethics 7/27/00 3:35:48 PM
Yeah, right 7/27/00 3:45:24 PM
America home of the stupid laws! 7/29/00 9:08:11 AM
Who pushed Canada 7/29/00 10:18:40 PM
DRLs = Biggest Classaction Lawsuit Coming in History 7/30/00 12:58:36 PM
Who pushed Canada? 7/30/00 11:17:56 PM
DRLs - A Different Perspective 7/31/00 12:18:14 AM
DRLs Indeed are a hazard 7/31/00 9:52:31 AM
Indiana Tri-Level Study of Traffic Accident Causation 8/1/00 7:11:46 AM
READING BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS! 8/1/00 2:13:58 PM
Drivers over 70 8/1/00 8:44:41 PM
RE: Drivers over 70 8/2/00 6:42:04 AM
RE: READING BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS 8/2/00 7:15:31 AM
NHTSA activities re DRLs 8/2/00 10:45:37 AM
Agree, plus target young driver as well 8/2/00 7:46:35 PM
Kids too young? 8/3/00 1:01:03 AM
Re; Drivers over 70 8/3/00 8:57:16 AM
HELP ME SOMEONE!!! DRL's Are Out of Control! 8/3/00 10:27:48 AM
For the MANY who find DRLs DANGEROUS please visit www.lightsout.org 8/3/00 12:23:45 PM
DRLs & "In Your Face" Drivers 8/3/00 4:53:25 PM
DAYTIME HEADLIGHTS ARE THE WORST DISTRACTION 8/3/00 9:50:18 PM
DRLs from a motorcyclist point of view 8/4/00 7:55:16 AM
Agree - Left Lane Bandits started road rage! 8/4/00 8:03:05 AM
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS (DRL'S) 8/4/00 8:08:02 AM
Daytime Running Lights - WHY? 8/4/00 8:28:27 AM
live with it? 8/4/00 12:14:09 PM
Running lights from the rear. 8/4/00 12:32:10 PM
Please! Give us some relief from DRLs! 8/4/00 5:49:55 PM
Why the delay?
I appreciate the efforts of NHTSA in dealing with DRLs, and it's recognition of the glare problem. I also understand that there's a heavy workload for the Safety Performance Standards group. However, it's been over two years since NHTSA proposed changes to FMVSS 108 and nothing has been done. It appears that we're now looking at October or December as a target date for the final rule. Given that these target dates tend to slip, can't we get some immediate relief from high beam DRLs? Then work on getting the intensity down on the low beam DRLs and dedicated DRLs. Perhaps a series of supplemental rule changes would work. However, we'll still arrive at the question, "Should we even have DRLs?" Thus far, the DRL experiment in the US has been an utter failure, so it's hard to answer that question in the affirmative.
Had the original proposed changes been implemented, even with their inadequacies in controlling low beam DRL intensities (needs to apply to the entire beam pattern, not just the top half), high beam DRLs would have been gone by now. Unfortunately, each delay for the final rule means hundreds of thousands of vehicles hitting the road with DRLs producing unacceptable levels of glare. If the "satisfactory" intensity for DRLs is somewhere between 500 and 1000 cd (according the the Kirkpatrick study cited in NHTSA's proposed rule change), why are drivers still forced to endure 7000+ cd on so many vehicles?
Effectiveness?
Regarding NHTSA's preliminary assessment of DRL effectiveness, I've read the report and I'll reserve my comments for either another post here or to the docket.
DRLs are a distraction!
Now, for my own personal experience with DRLs and their distraction effect. On a four-lane road with a left turn lane shared by both directions of traffic, I was entering the left turn lane while approaching a street intersection. A recent model BMW sedan was on the opposite side of the intersection also making a left turn. When I entered the turn lane, the BMW's high glare, high beam DRLs hit my eyes and startled me for a few seconds. This momentarily took my attention away from oncoming traffic in the two lanes I was about to cross. Because I could no longer accurately determine the distance and closing speed of the oncoming traffic, I quickly aborted my left turn. Fortunately, a trailing car also making a left turn was sufficiently far behind me to come to a stop before hitting me. The bottom line: if the BMW did not have highly offensive DRLs blasting through my windshield, I could have safely made the turn, and the potential for disaster could have been avoided. If this isn't a dangerous example of distraction, I don't know what is.
The benefits are DRLs are questionable.
The hazards of DRLs are clear.
It's time for DRLs to be eliminated.
DRLs are a stupid idea. 8/4/00 6:57:08 PM
DRLs and risk to motorcyclists 8/4/00 11:03:22 PM
Why does GM get away with it? 8/5/00 2:28:22 PM
Big Trucks On The Interstate 8/5/00 2:33:57 PM
DRL causes driver distractions on roadways 8/7/00 1:42:15 PM
Sign of the Times--Live With It 8/8/00 10:53:26 AM
Yes, but... 8/8/00 10:31:05 PM
DRLs, headlights, and highway lights using high powered, focused beams 8/9/00 6:12:21 AM
NHTSA- -Preliminary Assessment- - - -DRLs 8/9/00 12:24:19 PM
Headlight glare getting out of control 8/9/00 9:31:53 PM
DRLs in accident reports? 8/10/00 11:54:59 AM
Ban DRL's - the NHSTA Should Be Ashamed 8/10/00 4:12:38 PM
Effectiveness of DRL in Canada 8/11/00 9:15:32 AM
Police officers should not be exempt from any new regulation 8/11/00 10:03:49 AM
Response to Transport Canada posting re DRLs 8/11/00 3:25:31 PM
DRL, OTHER CONSIDERATIONS 8/11/00 4:03:20 PM
DRLs a menace and anyone who believes they are not is very misguided 8/11/00 4:08:42 PM
Very Informative Posts Regarding DRLS 8/11/00 4:34:40 PM
Transport Canada rebuttal 8/11/00 4:56:14 PM
Keep Your Stupid Drls in Canada Then 8/11/00 5:38:36 PM
It's the GLARE 8/11/00 6:51:18 PM
SLOW DOWN, REDUCE FUEL CONSUMPTION & POLLUTION, INCREASE SAFETY 8/12/00 12:44:40 AM
DRLs Damaged My Eyes 8/13/00 4:00:40 PM
Just found - If Not Too Late - please submit comment re strong disapproval of drls 8/13/00 5:58:58 PM
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