Morris Minor Owners Club

Well, if it was auto-lighting then why on earth don't the rear lights come on at the same time?? Seems daft to me!

I imagine it's just the daytime driving lights with which all modern vehicles are fitted that we're talking about here.

All cars, post 2021/13 are required to have Daylight Running Lights (DRL). There are basically bright white lights, around 21W, whereas front Side Lights are 5W. Which is why it's so annoying that some numbskull drivers with DRL equipped cars chose to drive on sidelights when the weather is a bit dark.

In most of Europe, DRLs are only Front Lights, but I have read that some Scandinavian countries require the rear lights to be on at the same time.

The matter is compounded by the fact that most cars have permanently lit dashboard instruments, unlike the good old days when the inability to see the dials was a good prompt to put the lights on.

Then you can add the number of cars with Auto Lights, which will not switch on until it's actually dark; but their owners/drivers are too dumb to realise their lights aren't on.

So all the fancy gadgets of modern cars, supposedly intended to improve 'Road Safety' actually combine to make the situation far worse.

Rant over....

Volvo 240 series had running lights in the 70's, but the rear were on as well as the front. Volvo were made with safety in mind back then with lots of safety features, side impact bars, built in roll cage and all round disc brakes, they were way ahead of the game.

I agree with the comment re dial lights, a good reminder to switch on when it gets dark.

Like many of you, I don't understand not having the tail lights on when the Daylight Running Lights are on in the front. Our old VW Golf does not have DRLs as it is a twenty years old. The side lights are pretty dim and I hardly ever use them - does anyone know (or has actually done it) if I can simply swap the existing 5W sidelights for brighter LED bulbs so I can effectively use them as DRLs? Or would doing this contravene some law and be an MOT failure etc?

Many thanks,

Pete

Lighting regulations are complex....
MOT requirements are here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspect ... tion-4-2-1

It doesn't actually detail the brightness of Front Position Lamps, as they are called.
The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 don't specify a Wattage, BUT, do say lamps have to carry an approved mark and I think that's where the 5W marker lights comes in, either in British Standards or something similar.

Side Lights, or Position Marker Lights as they are now officially referred to, are these days intended for little more than vehicles being parked up on unlit roads (over 30mph speed limit).
Years ago people drove on them in twilight conditions, but even then it was a daft thing to do. I remember nearly pulling out in front of a A35 while on a Driving Lesson in 1975; it was almost dark and the idiot was driving it only on side lights, those miniscule little glow worms that sit on top of the wings.