Daytime running lights (DRL) are the small lighting elements in the front and back of a vehicle that turn on automatically when you start your car.
Although they don't provide enough light for driving, they help other drivers notice your vehicle and prevent accidents especially at dawn and dusk, or during foggy conditions. Motorbikes often also have DRLs. This enables them to have a smaller chance of being involved in collisions by increasing their visibility to other road users.
DRLs come in various forms, but generally, they're either:
Bright LEDs that turn on when you start the engine. LED daytime running lights combined with a sensor that turns them on at dusk and off at dawn. When it's particularly dark or foggy outside, your DRLs may stay on for longer than usual.
Yellow light visible is an alternative to white daytime running lights. The wiring is similar to that of LEDs. They should run even when the headlights are turned off and should not exceed 25W power.
The safety benefits of daytime running lights on a dull day with reduced visibility are clear in road safety practices. The lights serve as an indicator to other road users of your presence so they can avoid hitting you. The accepted colour of daytime running lights is a white or yellow light.
European studies suggest that using other road users' headlights could reduce accidents by up to 10%. This is because other drivers can identify the vehicle earlier, increase their awareness of it, and subsequently decrease their likelihood of being involved in an accident with the car.
Sometimes DRLs are excessively bright for motorists who are driving at dusk or dawn. They may cause glare for oncoming traffic. This is why many cars have a control where you can adjust the angle of the lights, depending on whether they're pointing at. However, most modern headlights are fitted with technology to prevent this from happening. Generally, they either have a shield built in front of them that directs light away from other road users' eyes. Otherwise, sensors will detect oncoming traffic and automatically turn down the brightness of your DRLs to prevent dazzling oncoming traffic.
Remember, if the use of daytime running light car features is a legal requirement in your area, then technically, it's illegal not to use them when driving. If stopped by police, you may be fined. However, losing points is much less serious than being involved in an accident that can lead to serious injuries due to lack of visibility, so it's probably best just to fit DRLs and keep on the right side of the law.
No. If your car is compatible with the DRL system, you don't have to do anything. The system is either standard or optional for most new cars, and it's also very common on older cars as well. The only reason why you'd want to check if your vehicle has DRLs is because if it doesn't, it could be unsafe in certain conditions.
Studies have shown that DRLs are better at increasing visibility. They light up with minimal glare than alternatives such as 'parking lights' or leaving your main headlights on at all times. If you're concerned about the safety of other road users, then fitting DRLs is probably your safest bet.
Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) are usually fitted with either H1 or H7 globes.
H1 wattage - 55W (for vehicles with high/low beam together in one bulb).
H7 wattage - 55W (for vehicles with separate front and rear lights).
There is no difference in the performance of the H1 and H7 bulbs for your car if they're just used as your DRL. However, if you choose to drive with your DRLs on at night, then the higher wattage will be better for seeing further down the road than a lower-wattage bulb would be. This is because brighter light allows you to see objects more clearly, especially when they are far away. In new vehicles, LED technology in daytime running lamps is increasingly replacing the globes. LED daytime running lights yield brighter white light. In general, LED provides a sharper high beam. Daytime running lights are required in some places, so you'd either have to switch them on every time your car is parked or fit globes that are brighter than standard if you want to use them when driving. In some Nordic countries, daytime running lights are a legal requirement for light trucks and passenger cars. Even if their use is not a standard safety regulation in your area, the use of your car's daytime running light provision increases your safety and that of other road users. If your vehicle is not installed with the LED DRLs for daytime use, most drivers agree it is safer to use the low beam headlights or parking lamps in low light conditions than driving blind. Using lights during the day as a precaution makes it easy to get noticed by pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers of other vehicles.
It's best to check with your manufacturer/workshop manual for this information, but most vehicles with DRLs take H1 or H7 low-beam bulbs. If they're high/low beam headlights together, then they will likely be 55W (for example, 9005). If they're separate front and rear lights, usually the rear is 35W (such as 9012), and the fronts are 55W (9006). You can get whatever globes you want, but if your car is European and has DRLs, there's a strong likelihood it will take either H1 or H7 low-beam globes.
No. If your car has fog lights, they will usually be a different colour to the DRLs and may not come on when you switch on your daytime running lights. Typically, daytime running lights come on automatically when the vehicle ignition is on. If you turn the fog lights or the low beams on, daytime running lights switch off.