phil1336 Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) When will Ford finally take that huge "leap of faith" and finally install DRL`s on all Ford vehicle for its North American market, not just for Canada alone? I know that Canadian laws many years ago mandated that all vehicles sold in Canada have Day Time Running Lights as a safety feature. Now, most vehicles sold new in the US also have DRL`s installed by almost every manufacturer both foreign and domestic with the (2) lone exceptions being Ford and Chrysler. How much more costly would it be to have the same wiring harness installed in all cars and trucks coming down the same assembly line? Every new Ford vehicle I have purchased beginning with a 94` Mustang, 98 Escort,01`Focus,04 Explorer, I`ve had to purchase through the Ford dealers parts department, a genuine FMC DRL module/relay which needed to be hard wired and spliced into the wiring harness. The module cost was but $70. or less but it required over 2 hours labor charge to install at the dealership. Something that would have cost merely dollars and cents to install on the assembly line ends up costing almost $300. as an after purchase installation. Just build in this important safety device when the cars and trucks are built. If for some reason, someone does not want the DRL`s activated, make a simple default mode or remove a dedicated fuse and deactivate the feature! Edited March 16, 2010 by phil1336 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevedebi Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 When will Ford finally take that huge "leap of faith" and finally install DRL`s on all Ford vehicle for its North American market, not just for Canada alone? I know that Canadian laws many years ago mandated that all vehicles sold in Canada have Day Time Running Lights as a safety feature. Now, most vehicles sold new in the US also have DRL`s installed by almost every manufacturer both foreign and domestic with the (2) lone exceptions being Ford and Chrysler. How much more costly would it be to have the same wiring harness installed in all cars and trucks coming down the same assembly line? Every new Ford vehicle I have purchased beginning with a 94` Mustang, 98 Escort,01`Focus,04 Explorer, I`ve had to purchase through the Ford dealers parts department, a genuine FMC DRL module/relay which needed to be hard wired and spliced into the wiring harness. The module cost was but $70. or less but it required over 2 hours labor charge to install at the dealership. Something that would have cost merely dollars and cents to install on the assembly line ends up costing almost $300. as an after purchase installation. Just build in this important safety device when the cars and trucks are built. If for some reason, someone does not want the DRL`s activated, make a simple default mode or remove a dedicated fuse and deactivate the feature! On my 2008 FEH, the dealer was able to program the smart junction box to turn on DRL. It took about 5 minutes, although I had to print out some web instructions for them to before they figured it out. I think that the vehicles have the capability, but it must be manually turned on in the US> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 When will Ford finally take that huge "leap of faith" and finally install DRL`s on all Ford vehicle for its North American market, Hopefully never. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Hopefully never. Exactly. That said, you no longer have to buy the module. The dealer can turn on DRLs in all new Fords and most do it free of charge. You can certainly negotiate that into the purchase of a new vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibinubu12 Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 When will Ford finally take that huge "leap of faith" and finally install DRL`s on all Ford vehicle for its North American market, not just for Canada alone? I God, I hope they won't. It's annoying seeing countless winking GMs running around town. Looks awful, and, lets be honest, it doesn't really make driving safer. Sure you can be seen, but the people who were going to hit you are still going to hit you, because they're NOT looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 God, I hope they won't. It's annoying seeing countless winking GMs running around town. Looks awful, and, lets be honest, it doesn't really make driving safer. Sure you can be seen, but the people who were going to hit you are still going to hit you, because they're NOT looking. Personally, I think DRL's should only be on vehicles equipped with automatic headlights. I can't tell you how many times I see people driving in the dark with nothing but their DRL's on because they are just bright enough to give the driver the impression that their headlights are on. Meanwhile, they have no other marker lights visible at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillum Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) Just build in this important safety device when the cars and trucks are built. If you can't see my car in broad daylight without my lights on, please don't drive. Besides, it's all perception. Sure, if you are the only car on the road with lights on, you will stand out. Go over to Canada and drive. The cars you notice are the ones without lights. I guess they need to pass a law to outlaw DRL's since it's easier to notice the cars without them. Edited March 16, 2010 by jwillum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 All U.S. market 2010 Ford passenger cars offer DRLs as a $45 option, though as a fleet only option, a valid FIN code is necessary to specify it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil1336 Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 God, I hope they won't. It's annoying seeing countless winking GMs running around town. Looks awful, and, lets be honest, it doesn't really make driving safer. Sure you can be seen, but the people who were going to hit you are still going to hit you, because they're NOT looking. Well, that said if there is absolutely NO safety benefit, why do Motorcycles ALL have DRL`s? Ever drive down Route 1 through the Florida Keys on that narrow 2 lane road? The billboard signs along the highway remind drivers....Light`s On For Safety! I know, just another one of those liberal socialist agenda items us left wingers are trying to push on the American people. Next it will be to take away your Guns! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil1336 Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 All U.S. market 2010 Ford passenger cars offer DRLs as a $45 option, though as a fleet only option, a valid FIN code is necessary to specify it. A lot of good that will do an individual who orders 1 vehicle for their own personal use. Can you get a valid FIN code for a Fleet of (one)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Well, that said if there is absolutely NO safety benefit, why do Motorcycles ALL have DRL`s? Ever drive down Route 1 through the Florida Keys on that narrow 2 lane road? The billboard signs along the highway remind drivers....Light`s On For Safety! I know, just another one of those liberal socialist agenda items us left wingers are trying to push on the American people. Next it will be to take away your Guns! Well, until the safety benefit of DRL's on during the day outweighs the benefit of having only DRL's and no other marker lights on at night, then I'll pass on them becoming standard. See my previous post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 A lot of good that will do an individual who orders 1 vehicle for their own personal use. Can you get a valid FIN code for a Fleet of (one)? You don't need one. The dealer can activate the DRLs in just a few minutes before you even take delivery. Most dealers don't even charge for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil1336 Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 The US "NHTSA" should finally make a decision one way or the other on DRL`s! I personally think its a valid safety feature having lived in Canada and based on the Canadian Governments experiences. However, this patch work of allowing car manufacturers to sell vehicles in the USA either with or without DRL`s is stupid. Declare once and for all, its either a good idea or its a bad idea. Mandate or eliminate DRL`s period. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has deemed DRL`s like a door edge guard or a doors side trim panel that avoid dings in parking lots. Its time to have some direction and uniformity! Like Nike says....Just Do It! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 The US "NHTSA" should finally make a decision one way or the other on DRL`s! I personally think its a valid safety feature having lived in Canada and based on the Canadian Governments experiences. However, this patch work of allowing car manufacturers to sell vehicles in the USA either with or without DRL`s is stupid. Declare once and for all, its either a good idea or its a bad idea. Mandate or eliminate DRL`s period. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has deemed DRL`s like a door edge guard or a doors side trim panel that avoid dings in parking lots. Its time to have some direction and uniformity! Like Nike says....Just Do It! Why? If manufacturers want to offer them, let them offer them. No need to legislate us into oblivion. The only way DRL's should become mandatory is if automatic headlights are also mandatory, and manufacturers and customers would hate that because it would raise the price of every vehicle that doesn't already have automatic headlights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyvan Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 I have a solution just turn your lights on bobbyvanmc streetdreams.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmech2k Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 If you can't see my car in broad daylight without my lights on, please don't drive. That's the problem. Those people ARE out there driving! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackintire Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 That's the problem. Those people ARE out there driving! I tend to get really pissed of at the moron driving the gray car in fog without parking lights on. Parking lights being turned on when its twilight or foggy is significantly more important. There's nothing like driving down the road in fog and discovering a gray car is driving slow without any lights on. Yes I have control of my vehicle....still its very creepy to discover a car like that. DRL are dangerous without parking lights. Great so now more morons can drive down the road and forget to turn on their running lights, because they forget to turn them on due to the DRL being on. Remember idiots only notice that the lights are off when they can not see something. In my opinion DRL's are as much a benefit as they are a hazard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 I tend to get really pissed of at the moron driving the gray car in fog without parking lights on. Parking lights being turned on when its twilight or foggy is significantly more important. There's nothing like driving down the road in fog and discovering a gray car is driving slow without any lights on. Yes I have control of my vehicle....still its very creepy to discover a car like that. DRL are dangerous without parking lights. Great so now more morons can drive down the road and forget to turn on their running lights, because they forget to turn them on due to the DRL being on. Remember idiots only notice that the lights are off when they can not see something. In my opinion DRL's are as much a benefit as they are a hazard. Vehicles should not be driven with nothing but the parking lights on, hence the name parking lights. You're that close to the switch. Make the extra effort and burn another 1/8 of a calorie and turn the headlights on while you're at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRanger27 Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 I'm Canadian and I haven't liked them from the get go. I guess I'm old school, we used to flash the lights to let the trucker know, that was passing us, he was clear and could pull in, then he'd give you the flash back, Now hardly anyone is courteous anymore, you're lucky if you get a signal light from a 4 wheeler and all the trucks use the center lane because of speed limiters (105 kph limit)??? As for driving in the fog, it's only common sense to put your headlights on, but as others have mentioned, I don't know how many cars I've seen on the highways up here driving in the dark with no tail-lights. Guess DRL has it's pros and cons??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil1336 Posted May 6, 2010 Author Share Posted May 6, 2010 I believe the same reasoning that has had Motorcycles equip with headlights on all the time to insure better visibility is the same rational for doing the same with motor vehicles. Here in the Florida Keys, on narrow Route 1, billboards along the highways proclaim, "Lights on for safety". On a sunny glare ridden road, it helps to identify an oncoming car in case your attempting to pass another vehicle. My only point in starting this DRL Blog was to get the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to FINALLY take a stand and have some uniformity and rule one way or the other that all cars and trucks sold in the USA are required to have DRL, daytime running lights or decide once and for all, they are useless/redundant and that after a certain date, NO vehicles sold in the USA can have DRL`s as standard equipment. This hodge/bodge of three quarters of cars and trucks have DRL`s and twenty five percent don`t..mainly Ford, Chrysler & Nissan, doesn`t make sense. Once and for all take a stand, its either a good idea for safety or its a bad idea. NHTSA should finally indicate some direction on the matter. Its only been over two decades to get the data together! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 I believe the same reasoning that has had Motorcycles equip with headlights on all the time to insure better visibility is the same rational for doing the same with motor vehicles. Here in the Florida Keys, on narrow Route 1, billboards along the highways proclaim, "Lights on for safety". On a sunny glare ridden road, it helps to identify an oncoming car in case your attempting to pass another vehicle. My only point in starting this DRL Blog was to get the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to FINALLY take a stand and have some uniformity and rule one way or the other that all cars and trucks sold in the USA are required to have DRL, daytime running lights or decide once and for all, they are useless/redundant and that after a certain date, NO vehicles sold in the USA can have DRL`s as standard equipment. This hodge/bodge of three quarters of cars and trucks have DRL`s and twenty five percent don`t..mainly Ford, Chrysler & Nissan, doesn`t make sense. Once and for all take a stand, its either a good idea for safety or its a bad idea. NHTSA should finally indicate some direction on the matter. Its only been over two decades to get the data together! Why must it be one way or the other? Is it upsetting that right now it's not uniform? :shrug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRanger27 Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 My only point in starting this DRL Blog was to get the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to FINALLY take a stand and have some Well I for one could live with this, if every vehicle in North America was using the same rule book, that would take any guess work out of what I mentioned earlier. You know when I first got my license way back when, we even had laws in place that made the manufacturers standardize the candle power of headlights. That went by the wayside when they started to allow foreign cars into our markets I think??? Nowadays often times you can't tell if the oncoming vehicles have their high beams on or not??? I remember when our plant got ISO certification, the cars we built going over to Europe had to meet certian cryteria, I think it should be a 2 way street, don't you, instead of caving in to foreign manufacturers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carforford Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 If I ever bought a new Vette (The only GM Product I would touch) those DRL's would be the first to go. Secondly, I don't need the govt. giving us yet another pointless rule to follow. Those DRL's here do nothing but drain more voltage from the electrical system, and burn out your bulbs quicker. I know this because I have seen many a GM product with their lights out on what would be the DRL. We don't live in Canada, We live in the USA where it's always Sunny Out, and our vehicles are in MPH (English Measurements) If our roads are that dangerous where by a motorist cannot see a another vehicle in the sun, perhaps the answer is don't drive. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil1336 Posted May 6, 2010 Author Share Posted May 6, 2010 (edited) If I ever bought a new Vette (The only GM Product I would touch) those DRL's would be the first to go. Secondly, I don't need the govt. giving us yet another pointless rule to follow. Those DRL's here do nothing but drain more voltage from the electrical system, and burn out your bulbs quicker. I know this because I have seen many a GM product with their lights out on what would be the DRL. We don't live in Canada, We live in the USA where it's always Sunny Out, and our vehicles are in MPH (English Measurements) If our roads are that dangerous where by a motorist cannot see a another vehicle in the sun, perhaps the answer is don't drive. Thank you. With all due respect, I`m not sure if Glenn Beck, or Rush Limbaugh has stolen your Blue Oval Forum ID and posted this "Teabagger" Rant? I live in Florida where it is supposed to be always "sunny", you know....Sunshine State. Why Canada bothers you so much puzzles me? I know where I reside, know one is going to force (Metrics) on you! You can keep your MPH and not be forced into KPH. No one is attempting to change pounds to kilo`s or change temperature from F` to C`. As far as having to (follow) Another government regulation, I Agree! Just either mandate ALL vehicles in the USA have them or get rid of them all together. Just have some Uniformity. Yours truly, and have a pleasant day. Edited May 6, 2010 by phil1336 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carforford Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 With all due respect, I`m not sure if Glenn Beck, or Rush Limbaugh has stolen your Blue Oval Forum ID and posted this "Teabagger" Rant? I live in Florida where it is supposed to be always "sunny", you know....Sunshine State. Why Canada bothers you so much puzzles me? I know where I reside, know one is going to force (Metrics) on you! You can keep your MPH and not be forced into KPH. No one is attempting to change pounds to kilo`s or change temperature from F` to C`. As far as having to (follow) Another government regulation, I Agree! Just either mandate ALL vehicles in the USA have them or get rid of them all together. Just have some Uniformity. Yours truly, and have a pleasant day. All I am saying is that other countries regs. do not work in the USA. Neither does socialized health care or higher taxes. And yes I am a member of the Tea Party. I believe in freedom. P.S. Since you are in Florida, please don't screw up the election. We had enough with Miami-Dade in 2000 and BHO for 4 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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