He said "like" John Edwards, not John Edwards specifically. I do think you can make a case that John Edwards is responsible for the greatly increased use of a fetal monitors and an increase in the number of caesarian births - at least in North Carolina. WHether or not these are good thing is beyond my level of knowledge. I do know that having a child in an NC hospital is an expensive proposition. I assume there might be some other trial lawyer somewhere, "like" John Edwards who is responsible for the implementation of dubious "safety" devices "like" DRLs.
It is adding your comment to the top of the previous posts, rather than scrolling to the very bottom and adding it there. It is a complaint that seems to be the last refuge of those who have nothing to add to a discussion, so they start ranting about the form of the post, carefully ignoring all content.
And don't forget that if EVERYONE drove the most eonomical car available, then the DIFFERENCE made by the DRL's would be a much larger percentage of the total fuel consumption than it is right now!
Several different types of DRLs common in North America *encourage* driver misuse of lights (driving in bad weather and/or after dark without proper lights turned on). It's much easier for a cop to spot a dark car than an improperly-lit car.
As a minor point of clarification/support, one of the "choices" personalized to your key when you take delivery of a new E46 BMW is DRL settings. For instance, you could choose to deactivate DRLs any time your key is used and your spouse might choose to have them on. However, if you do not make a choice, the off-the-lot default is set to "No DRL".
When I got my '03 Disco, I was informed that for $80 they would set my key so I could run both the foglights and high beams at once. While the prospect of absolutely blinding all oncoming traffic was delightful, I didn't want to spend the eighty bones.
Actually, the proper way to post is directly below text that one is addressing. Other text is trimmed (deleted). Unless a lot of quoted text is addressed with multiple interspaced comments, most properly formatted posts will not require scrolling at all.
I assume you are speaking of American cars sold in the USA.
GM is the only American car company that mandates DRLs on all current models. Last I checked, they are not a option...you must accept them on the GM vehicles or go elsewhere with your dollars. GM will not disable them, even if you want them to. The customer is not always right in their minds...I guess. One exception that I'm aware of are the large GM pickups and SUVs where the DRLs (and auto light control system) can be temporarily programmed to be disabled _FOR ONE IGNITION CYCLE ONLY...THEN IT DEFAULTS BACK TO ENABELED AT THE NEXT START_.
Ford does not mandate DRLs, but I understand they can be enabled at the owners request (a BCM programming change). Last I read, they do not intend to force them on their customers, allowing their customers to choose for themselves.
Chrysler is a German-owned company now, but for those that still consider it an American company, DRLs are optional on their vehicles as well and I don't believe they are planning to force them on their customers either.
Now, to gauge how many people really want DRLs, how many Ford/Mercury and Chrysler/Dodge vehicles do you see with DRLs? Damn few!
GM...Mandatory VWs...Mandatory Volvos...Owner Controlled Option, default on Saabs...Mandatory (Same as GM) Toyotas...Owner Requested Option, default setting differs per model (Toyota used to be mandatory, but changed position in 2002) Lexus...Same as Toyota BMWs...Owner Controlled Option, default is off
Also...
Mercedes...Optional (not sure if owner controlled or request) default off Mitsubishi...Mandatory (as of 2004) Subaru...Mandatory Ford...Owner requested option, default off Chrysler...Owner requested option, default off
Reading comprehension Dan (you're usually good at that)...Please read my quoted text two paragraphs up again...the poster changed the topic within the body of the post to "nanny functions" in general. Again, I will state, I was responding to "nanny functions" (and the laundry list of said nanny functions that was provided as an example).
| > Ah, but you're grossly mistaken. It isn't "_two_ wee little light bulbs", | it's | > _400,000,000_ wee little light bulbs (in the USA alone). And they aren't | > really so "wee little"! Most are 23-55 watts each! | | | Well it is not just your 300C using a lot of gas. It is the 400,000+ | 300C's Chrysler hopes to sell. |
Except I don't have a 300C. The rest of your premise is on the mark though.
He was speaking of cars of whatever nationality, sold in the USA.
Unless you are prepared to factory-order your car rather than take one out of lot stock *and* you can find a very cooperative and knowledgeable salesman who will agree to order your GM car with "RPO T62" *and* GM accepts the order and builds the car accordingly. That is "Regular Production Option T62". Regular Production Options are GM's term for all the different variants of all the different aspects of the basic vehicle. US headlamps, Export/RHD headlamps, Export/LHD headlamps. Fed/Can emissions, California emissions, European emissions, Japanese emissions, Middle East emissions w/o catalyst. MPH speedometer, KM/H speedometer. Every possible trim package, every possible tire. You name it, there's an RPO for it, and T62 is "Daytime Running Lamps - Delete".
GM is fervently trying to get NHTSA to mandate DRLs in the US.
Ford's position is that there's no demonstrated significant safety benefit to DRLs.
True.
Also true. It does not help that Consumer Reports, Woman Motorist and other such publications continue to harp the praises of DRLs on faulty "If it saves just one life..." illogic.
If I remember correctly, the '03 GMC 3500 cargo van where I work has a setting on the headlight switch to not use the DRL's. The settings are "O", the "DRL" icon (identical to the idiot light), "parking lights" and "headlights." I am pretty sure that if you chose the "O" (which is on the far left) the DRL's go off, or at least the idiot light on the dash does.
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