kyle Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 It seems more and more automakers are offering HUD units to display relevant information in lieu of ever busy center dash-any thought on why or if this is coming in the near future? I'm also puzzled by Ford continues to ignore the benefits of day time running lights? They are advocating safety-so maybe the stats don't show DRL's to be beneficial? I personally think it helps-just like it is mandatory for motorcycles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Newer Fords (and Lincoln's) do come with DRLs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfeg Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Are not DRLs mandated in some Canadian Provinces? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 It is a law in Canada and has been awhile. RMC your right-it is standard on some vehicles but I am not used to it showing up on Ford's since the vast majority on the road don't have them and I just assumed (know that word:)) it had not migrated towards standard equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 It is a law in Canada and has been awhile. RMC your right-it is standard on some vehicles but I am not used to it showing up on Ford's since the vast majority on the road don't have them and I just assumed (know that word:)) it had not migrated towards standard equipment. Yeah, it seems as though they're slowly proliferating through the lineup.....like getting the more decorative type (see 2016 Explorer) as opposed to just the parking lights on as DRLs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 It is a law in Canada and has been awhile. It has been the law in Canada for at least 20 years; I know that there was a DRL module available for my '95 SHO (in case it decided to emigrate). They have (or had) a positive safety effect in Canadia, but they don't/didn't have the same effect in the US, and never took off beyond GM products, and then they're really only good for Sylvania and for helping identify GM products (by the one DRL that's inevitably burned out). As I recall, the main safety benefit in Canada was seen because they logged more miles over rural two-lane highways, where ours tended to be more on multi-lane divided highways. There was something about snow in the mix, but it has been way too long since I read about and discussed DRLs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice-capades Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Ford's been adding Daytime Running Lamps as standard equipment in US vehicles on a regular basis and expect that it will be included on all vehicles before long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Don't get me started... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LX302 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 DRL have been mandated in Canada since 1990. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosetang Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Hey guys have daytime running lights been mandated in Canada? *ducks* 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 (edited) It is a law in Canada and has been awhile. Since 1990 model year Edited September 17, 2015 by J-150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonj80 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Yeah, it seems as though they're slowly proliferating through the lineup.....like getting the more decorative type (see 2016 Explorer) as opposed to just the parking lights on as DRLs. Explorer and U.S. Edge just use the headlights as DRL, the LED lights are just accent lights and will remain on even if you switch of DRL's in the instrument cluster. The Chinese and Euro Edge (as well as Mondeo) have real LED DRL's that are on the bottom of the headlamp cluster. It has been the law in Canada for at least 20 years; I know that there was a DRL module available for my '95 SHO (in case it decided to emigrate). They have (or had) a positive safety effect in Canadia, but they don't/didn't have the same effect in the US, and never took off beyond GM products, and then they're really only good for Sylvania and for helping identify GM products (by the one DRL that's inevitably burned out). As I recall, the main safety benefit in Canada was seen because they logged more miles over rural two-lane highways, where ours tended to be more on multi-lane divided highways. There was something about snow in the mix, but it has been way too long since I read about and discussed DRLs. When the US studied the accident reduction with DRL's it was found that the sun angle was the difference. The farther south you went the less positive impact they had, by the 37th parallel there was no impact and they actually hurt fuel economy. (GM lobbied and DRL's are deactivated for fuel economy testing) Though even had they shown a huge impact they probably wouldn't have been mandated. Amber rear turn-signals were shown by NHTSA to have an almost 6% reduction in vehicle crashes and they still haven't made them mandatory. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Explorer and U.S. Edge just use the headlights as DRL, the LED lights are just accent lights and will remain on even if you switch of DRL's in the instrument cluster. The Chinese and Euro Edge (as well as Mondeo) have real LED DRL's that are on the bottom of the headlamp cluster. When the US studied the accident reduction with DRL's it was found that the sun angle was the difference. The farther south you went the less positive impact they had, by the 37th parallel there was no impact and they actually hurt fuel economy. (GM lobbied and DRL's are deactivated for fuel economy testing) Though even had they shown a huge impact they probably wouldn't have been mandated. Amber rear turn-signals were shown by NHTSA to have an almost 6% reduction in vehicle crashes and they still haven't made them mandatory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 When the US studied the accident reduction with DRL's it was found that the sun angle was the difference. Now that you mention it, that sounds very familiar. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Mandating automatic headlamps (and taillamps) that also work with the windshield wipers would be a FAR bigger safety improvement. Every day I see at least one or two cars with no lights on and that is a very real danger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 My personal theory is most left turn or intersection accidents where DRLs might be helpful are actually caused by people who simply don't look at all, in which case DRLs don't matter one bit. For DRLs to be effective the person turning left or pulling into an intersection has to A) look for other cars and B) Not see a car that is close enough to hit them in daylight without DRLs. If you're close enough to a car that they can hit you in the daytime and you actually look for it, you'll see it. With or without DRLs. Any other situations where DRLs would help (low light or visibility, etc.) would be better served with auto headlamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 And if your vehicle is a GM, chances are, your DRL is already burnt out anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonj80 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 The lights on the Top of the '16 Explorer headlamps are just accent lights and are very dim, you will not see them in bright sunlight (similar to the lights under the headlights in the MKC, or in the Edge) When you activate the DRL in the Explorer it uses the low beam headlight. Focus and Escape have LED DRL's (well I guess the Explorer and some F-150 technically do too because their headlights are the DRL's but those are not styling DRL's) Mandating automatic headlamps (and taillamps) that also work with the windshield wipers would be a FAR bigger safety improvement. Every day I see at least one or two cars with no lights on and that is a very real danger. I've wondered if its because so many lights on the dash are always lit up so people assume the headlights are on. I think if its dark and you're driving around the message center should display "Turn on Headlights" if the headlight switch is in the off or parking light position. At least to give people a warning they aren't on. I'm amazed at how many rental cars I see with DRL's on at night, because the people have a faint headlight and the IC dash is lit up. Also in most new Ford's if you have the lights in Auto position the lights will come on with the wipers, there is a setting though that can disable it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 The lights on the Top of the '16 Explorer headlamps are just accent lights and are very dim, you will not see them in bright sunlight (similar to the lights under the headlights in the MKC, or in the Edge) When you activate the DRL in the Explorer it uses the low beam headlight. Focus and Escape have LED DRL's (well I guess the Explorer and some F-150 technically do too because their headlights are the DRL's but those are not styling DRL's) I've wondered if its because so many lights on the dash are always lit up so people assume the headlights are on. I think if its dark and you're driving around the message center should display "Turn on Headlights" if the headlight switch is in the off or parking light position. At least to give people a warning they aren't on. I'm amazed at how many rental cars I see with DRL's on at night, because the people have a faint headlight and the IC dash is lit up. Also in most new Ford's if you have the lights in Auto position the lights will come on with the wipers, there is a setting though that can disable it. I see that all the time here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 I've wondered if its because so many lights on the dash are always lit up so people assume the headlights are on. Personally, I think it's just that they think they can see fine so they don't need to turn on the headlights, not thinking that it'll help other motorists see them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share Posted September 18, 2015 Yes I'm like Akirby in Atlanta and it is everywhere. I am in a lot of rentals and 9/10 I have to turn the lights on. Pisses me off that the car rental companies don't leave the switch in auto. But this is a huge issue that needs to be addressed quickly. Why should I get a light on my fash if my washer fluid is low or my fuel is low (like I can't read a gauge) but no G D warning that my lights are not on? I taped my switch so my kids would quit touching the damn thing. How hard could a warning light be that Jason suggested? And I'm not just signalling out Ford since it is an industry issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 I've wondered if its because so many lights on the dash are always lit up so people assume the headlights are on. That's the biggest reason why I'm glad the Fusion has automatic headlights... I'm that absent-minded at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 How hard could a warning light be that Jason suggested? And I'm not just signalling out Ford since it is an industry issue. This is the issue in Canada. With so many cars having back lit displays, when the DRLs come on, many drivers assume the headlights are on. Only a physical inspection of the headlight switch tells you is they are on or not. This results in as many as 1 in 20 cars driving at night without lights on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 I'm all for Auto Headlamps, I've never had a car without them. I'm shocked to see how many cars do not have them nowadays. And then I have people asking me "You left your headlights on"...Hmm no...they turn off on their own. And some are surprised...then getting into friends cars like Mazda, Honda, Toyota, I'm seeing that most of them don't have any of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonj80 Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 (edited) Yes I'm like Akirby in Atlanta and it is everywhere. I am in a lot of rentals and 9/10 I have to turn the lights on. Pisses me off that the car rental companies don't leave the switch in auto. But this is a huge issue that needs to be addressed quickly. Why should I get a light on my fash if my washer fluid is low or my fuel is low (like I can't read a gauge) but no G D warning that my lights are not on? I taped my switch so my kids would quit touching the damn thing. How hard could a warning light be that Jason suggested? And I'm not just signalling out Ford since it is an industry issue. It would be very simple, it is just very basic programming the hardware is already there! (assuming the car already has auto headlights, people just have the switch turned off) Just looking at the switch position in relation to ambient light form the light sensor. The give the person the option to click okay and exit the warning, then display the warning again after 3min. Hopefully someone at Ford sees this and makes it happen! That's the biggest reason why I'm glad the Fusion has automatic headlights... I'm that absent-minded at times. Number 1 reason Cops pull over drunk drivers, headlights aren't on. Edited September 18, 2015 by jasonj80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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