Drl Disabling

[mckellyb]

I know, I know, there is a large percentage of the US driving population who just *love* these...I'm not one of 'em. Took me a while, but on my Suzuki Grand Vitara, I nuked both the positively stupid automatic headlight turn on (did it in tree shade...really, it did) and the DRL's, yet everything works as it should (like the E-brake light).

I've seen, on another RX300 board, how someone did some jumpers on fuse box connections to nuke the DRL's, but has anyone here done it with success? I tried searching, but the search engine returns all posts, regardless of what you're searching for.... :-( Turns out, the DRL's can start to discolor the insides of the lenses, as they're hot *all* the time.

If you're still reading, the reason DRL's have become even somewhat common here, in the US, where they are *NOT* needed, is 'cause GM was going to save pennies by equipping *all* their cars with DRL's, not just the ones going to northern Europe/Canada. Now, if you're driving where it's dusk/dawn for like, 6 hours a day, then yeah, they provide value, but here in the US, they just annoy others, and *hide* motorcycles, as they now kinda just 'blend in', they're 100% unnecessary. If you can't see a freakin' full-sized GM pickup, you shouldn't be driving, period.

Thanks, sorry for the rant.

[1990LS400]

Although I have not yet purchased a vehicle with DRL's, my wife and I have driven with headlights on in and outside of the U.S. since the mid 1970's - ever since I ready a study which correlated crash rates and daytime headlight use in northern Europe and before daytime headlight use was legal in some U.S. states and the U.K.

If you don't like DRL's you probably don't want to know about the studies correlating car color and crash rates. I first saw statistics on this in the Mercedes owner magazine "In Aller Welt" in the 1960's - since then the only acceptable car colors for us, even in cars we rent when away from home, are white or bright yellow. There has even been discussions on using car color a factor in setting insurance rates - and yes I am with a large multinational insurance company.

Another factor is that vision requirements getting a drivers license are not particularly high. I suppose that governments could make the requirements more strict but it is a fairly high priority of governments to allow as many people as possible to drive -- there isn't much public transportation in the U.S.

It is not that I like or dislike DRL's. Driving is an amazingly dangerous activity - the number 1 cause of death of younger people - and DRL's and the daytime use of headlights provide a big edge for protecting the safely of you and others.

[mckellyb]

Oh, I agree, visitility is crucial, my problem with it is, the whole US DRL thing was done only to allow GM to save some cash, and given we have *much* different lighting conditions here than say, Norway, there is much less benefit from having them on our already overcrowded roads.

To me, *real* driver training/testing would result in much safer roads, not more 'nanny' devices.

Plus, as I said in my initial statement, it makes motorcycles almost invisible, and as an ex-rider, you need every single attention-getting edge. On the last bike, a screamin' yellow GL1800 (I'm only 35, but it really was a neat bike), with *4* headlights, which I ran on high-beam during the day, people still didn't 'see' me. I mean, really....

Hey, people pull out in front of trains...unfortunately, we've gotten good enough at medicine to keep Darwinism at bay.

I like the way you approach it, driving is dangerous, which seems to escape 99% of the public. IMHO, *life* is dangerous, and living guarantees you die. Enjoy it. Seems pessimistic, but having been dead, once (fortunately, don't remember a second of it), I'll enjoy what time I have left to the fullest, and I don't regret taking risks, even large ones, if the enjoyment factor, for me, is worth it.

[SKperformance]

the main question

which seems to have been lost is can you stop the drl's from working

yes

it may be a relay to be removed

but i would rather not be the one to get into how to

i drive for a living and saying drl's are useless and it hides motorcycles are minor points of an argument to say the least

the lights do help the studies are right

and i don't even bother using mine in any vehicle i have i use the full headlights day or night

once you cna be in a controlled enviorment and see the actual difference on the road

you'll realize what it means

europe has much better standards for auto safety than anywhere in north america

and they don't make up stupid legislations like carb or the 80's style headlights,

where every car has to have the exact same headlight for road saftey?????????????

to me your idea of drl's is like the guy who thinks seatbelts are still useless ( especially since they have airbags

[mckellyb]

skperformance, it isn't as simple as a relay. Regardless, that isn't why you posted.

I don't see where I mentioned driving for a living, but I did put myself through college with that kind of a job. Liked it, in fact. Oh, wait, no capital letters, and not much punctuation...*you* drive for a living. I hope you enjoy it, as it can be quite enjoyable, especially if you drive people around, as I did, driving a tour bus and airport shuttle for a few years.

Let's see, saving car drivers, who have a decent amount of crash protection built-in, not to mention a *bunch* of other safety devices (seat belts, crumple zones, air bags, etc.), by minimizing the admittedly *small* safety factor daytime headlights add to motorcycles is **MINOR**?!?!?!?!?! So, what you're saying is, saving one kind of driver is okay, even when it means sacrificing another.... That's okay, as long as you're not in the group being sacrificed, I guess.

<sigh>

So, let's take that logic another step. Those who drive small cars, yet get taken out by oversized SUV's/jacked up pickups, well, those people were expendable, as the small cars weren't safe enough.

I agree with your Europe is ahead of us bit, but sealed beams have been around as a US standard since at *least* the 60's, not the 80's. Even with 'modern' aero-light housings, you'd be surprised how bad some are. Go drive a 93-94 Intrepid some evening, you'll see....

It seems, in reading your reply, you missed my point, *entirely*. Let me make this as obvious as possilbe... DRL's *aren't* *really* *NEEDED* in the lower-48 states or Hawaii. Hello!! McFly.... They *do* help in areas located at extreme latitudes, which the lower 48 ARE NOT. Read up on it more, you'll see. Sweden, Norway, etc., *those* folks benefit quite a bit, as would those in *way* South America. Look on a world map, see those places near the top and bottom, *those* folks really have value in DRL's.

You reference a 'controlled environment'. Um, driving on US roads is *anything* but 'controlled'.

Being as I *always* have, and will, wear seatbelts, and wish I could have full-on four-point belts. I consider airbags another one of those 'nanny' devices which tends to protect those who obviously haven't thought about the inherent danger of traveling faster than human running speed, and the sacirfices made to make them more effective for *unbelted* occupants which actually causes harm to those of us who use seatbelts.

I really thought antilock brakes would help with avoiding wrecks, but it seems people slam on the brakes, panic, and don't steer, so they *still* slam into stuff, just like before ABS was commonplace. Can't protect people against themselves, though we *are* trying hard!

Equating DRL 'value' with that of seatbelts is just plain stupid. Game over.

[SKperformance]

your funny

and so is your banter

this is a community based forum

not an argumentative one

what i posted were MY thoughts

i never said you had to belive them,or even understand them

so leave the name calling and other hissy fits outside

thanks

replying anymore than this is not needed so i will leave your questions stated unanswered

in what ever relavent or irrelavent points that maybe