Cars, Traffic & Roads - Thread

[dmrodgers]

What pees me off is the drivers that dont put lights on at all in fog and the clowns that have auto-lights set which dont work in fog (have folk lost the ability to assess and turn lights on manually) or have DRLs on at front and no tail lights.

The problem with the LED DRL's is they are so bright that some drivers at night believe they have put their headlights on yet the rear of the car remains unlit which can be very dangerous. Whilst a few makes put both the front and rear DRL's on, the majority only light up the front. The law should be changed to make it compulsory that all new cars built after a specific date that when the front DLR's are lit the rear lights also come on. Not ideal in bad weather as everyone should be driving with headlights on and rear fog light's on when visibility is poor.

 

[The Pole]

The problem with the LED DRL's is they are so bright that some drivers at night believe they have put their headlights on yet the rear of the car remains unlit which can be very dangerous. Whilst a few makes put both the front and rear DRL's on, the majority only light up the front. The law should be changed to make it compulsory that all new cars built after a specific date that when the front DLR's are lit the rear lights also come on. Not ideal in bad weather as everyone should be driving with headlights on and rear fog light's on when visibility is poor.

Like Volvo used to do in the 80s
No start up front side lights and rear tail lights illuminated.
We need a new thread for off topic moaning!

Like Volvo used to do in the 80s
On start up front side lights and rear tail lights illuminated.
We need a new thread for off topic moaning!

 

[ls27]

The rule was at one time was not only in fog but in falling snow. Perhaps LBA4 Ever could enligfhten us.

 

[White Heather]

Fog lights only to be used when visibility drops to 100metres or less!
Hate those drivers that put their normal headlights on when its only slightly dull, they make it look darker than it is!

It's not the drivers, it's the auto lights setting on their cars. Mine does it. Auto lights, translated, means lights come on when you pass under a tree or the sun goes behind a cloud, but dont always come on when you want them to or in heavy rain when it's a legal requirement. So you have to turn them on manually then have a lie down to recover from the effort! 😂

#CarLights#Cars#CarAutomation

 

[Len Fish]

That’s the problem with automatic systems, people tend to rely on them completely but sometimes you have to manually intervene and override them. Same goes for aircraft.

#CarLights
#Cars
#RoadTransport
#CarAutomation

 

[The Pole]

That’s the problem with automatic systems, people tend to rely on them completely but sometimes you have to manually intervene and override them. Same goes for aircraft.

Ah but pilots are trained to concentrate and not put lippy on or pick their noses whilst driving 😆

 

[The Pole]

Going back to the vehicle lights topic, most cars now have the dashboard back light when the ignition is on or in newer ones is digital, so combined with the bright DRLs and the permanently lit dashboard there are no visual cue, i.e a dark speedo, to alert the driver they haven't turned the lights on!

#CarLights #Cars #RoadTransport

 

[Aviador]

Earlier in the week on morning TV there was a guy calling for all cars to go back to basics and be standardised. He claimed cars were becoming too complicated and it was interfering with the users ability to drive. Personally I'm fine with automation for cars, perhaps not full automation but anything to make it easier and safer for drivers must be considered as a good thing. Only a couple of weeks ago there was a call for car headlights to be reduced in strength as many people have been reporting being dazzled at night due to the number of cars with lights that are too bright. When I'm heading to work in the early hours of the morning I have come across it a few times. It's often the higher SUV style of cars that seem to have extra bright lights but sometimes lights will appear offset with one pointing towards the oncoming traffic whilst the other seems to be fine. The LED lights definitely seem brighter.

#CarLights #Cars #RoadTransport

 

[jfy1999]

from what I’ve seen, it seems car mechanics don’t just need to be mechanics now - they also have to be computer programmers!

I suppose the benefit is if the computer detects faults in advance. As a child I remember at least three occasions where I had to sit by the side of the road for hours after an unexpected breakdown (which always happened on long journeys and tended to spell death for the car. my parents got through several second hand cars during my childhood).

 

[Kevin Farnell]

from what I’ve seen, it seems car mechanics don’t just need to be mechanics now - they also have to be computer programmers!

I suppose the benefit is if the computer detects faults in advance.

The drawback is that you can't fix it yourself. Yes, a warning light may show up on the dashboard, but the software to interpret the fault is very expensive. As cars get more complex and are under more computer control, the risk of failures as they age increases, to the point where fixing the fault may become prohibitively expensive.
My first car (in fact, my first 3 cars) were Mini 1000's. There was nothing that you couldn't fix with a good set of spanners and a feeler gauge. The only part of a Mini 1000 that I never took apart, was the gearbox. I even replaced the rear sub-frame, which is a notorious job, but wasn't in fact that bad. Compare with my current Mini Cooper and it's a whole different story. I noticed that the high level rear brake light wasn't working. The handbook said that this was 'LED technology' and could only be fixed by a dealer - nonsense! I looked it up online and it's a simple replacement and the electrics just plug in. But, it was more simple than that. I put the battery on charge until full and the rear high level brake light worked again. The 'electronic brain' of the modern Mini, shuts down features such as 'stop-start', air-con (air-con in a Mini 1000 was - open the windows) etc, if the battery charge falls below a certain level.
Just don't get me started on electric vehicles. I never ever want to own one of those things.

 

[Aviador]

Couldn't agree more Kevin, I feel the same and not to mention the cost of a new electric car battery. The costs might come down over time but the current cost is estimated at around £7000 for a replacement battery. Owning an EV will feel like having a 7 year leasehold on a car with the clock ticking on day one of your purchase. Selling your second hand car will come with questions about how long a life your battery has left and the cost of a replacement severely depreciating the value of your purchase in a way not experienced before.

#ElectricCar