Off the rear lights are still a problem – the driver has the responsibility

In the survey, conducted last fall by market research firm Yougov on behalf of the assistansbolaget SOS International, posed this question to 1.010 swedes:

”do you Know if the backlight on your primary drive (rented, leased or owned) is automatically switched on when you start the car?”

said to be safe: ”Yes, I have control.” 13 per cent answered: ”No, I'm not sure.”

17 per cent stated that they had no car. With the billösa borträknade was the 84 per cent who had full control, while 16% were uncertain, corresponding to approximately every sixth motorist.

the Safest was in the north of Sweden, where 91 per cent said they have control. At least the safe was bilinnehavare in the Stockholm region, 76 per cent.

the light on the cars in traffic is not new. It was, however, again brought to the fore when a EUROPEAN union directive on daytime running lights on new cars was introduced on 7 January 2011.

It was not primarily caused by road-safety considerations, but was about to keep down the carbon dioxide emissions from the EU vehicle fleet. The environmental aspect and the energy efficiency of this was that it contented itself with front daytime running lights alternatively, the beam shone in the daytime, which saved energy. While the rear lights remained off.

so would the emissions be kept to a minimum, at the same time, road safety was raised.

A number of EU countries had at this time no requirement for daytime running lights/dipped headlights during the daylight hours. For type approval in the union that followed after January 2011, however, was that the vehicles were delivered with forward-facing daytime running lights/dipped headlights that came on automatically.

t that the drivers of the newer cars type – approved in accordance with the new rule, and drove around in the dark with darkened rear lamps. The drivers relied still on their dipped-beam headlamps/daytime running lights, but given that no lights were switched on at the rear. And the problem with these relatively new cars, it remains still. Or rather: the problem with unaware drivers.

– It is the driver who is responsible for ensuring that he or she is in front of the vehicle with the basis of the conditions prescribed lighting. Many do not go through what is written in the vehicle owner's manual. Take the time necessary, read through how the new car works, calls His Cassepierre, investigators at the Swedish transport agency. And adds:

" Sometimes I think that there are drivers who have good control of how the sound system in the car works, but do not have a clue about how the car's lighting works.

-rule became obsolete, since the law on mandatory daytime running lights/dipped beam has been in force since 1977.

the EU directive was perceived as a novelty in 2011, but our team from 1977 says basically the same thing. And has been all the time, " says His Cassepierre.

He recalls that the English text of the law also are talking about, when the use of daytime running lights, so it is enough that these forward-looking lights are lit. Then it came fitted to many car owners yellow glowing lanterns on their vehicles. And everything was fine and dandy – so long as you remember that in the dark to go over to the dipped-beam headlamps.

the lights, or literally fell off when the mounting and contacts began to dwindle. Swedish car-owners found it easier to use the dipped headlights, is always interconnected with the rear lights – thus helgarderat.

Domestic Volvo and Saab were at the same time quickly out there and provided their nybilar with automatic daytime running lights where the rear light was hanging with. Cars from foreign manufacturers was delivered with halvljusautomatik.

the EU rule from 2011 got a completion in 2016. On the new cars then in July of that year type-approved within the union, should the tail light be switched on together with the automatic daytime running lights/dipped headlights.

Mondeo model year 2018 says to DN that the automaticity with sensors in his car, the type-approved before 2016, is equipped with ”works like clockwork”.

– When external conditions as darkness, poor visibility, fog or the like occurs, the switches automatically from daytime running lights to dipped-beam headlamps and glowing tail lights, " says bilinnehavaren, who both read through the manual, and then listed what the car's instruments indicate.

Read more: Volvo and Audi keeps the style – lighted rear lamp for all models