Re: Group seeks law on window switches

Just got your license, then, did you?

Horizontally-mounted rocker switches for power windows have been fitted to vast numbers of different car models for a lot of years.

DS

Interesting! I have never heard anyone refer to sidemarker lights in the UK, but that doesn't mean a small group of US-influenced enthusiast don't the term...

I have heard of sidelights but not of standing lights, and I live in "the rest of the world"... :-)

I also have parking lights, I believe, the things that come on at the first position when turning the knob. In common parlance these are sometimes referred to sidelights. Of course what happens is that weak white headlights come on.

Also, what do you mean by "countries where UK English is spoken"? Beside the UK and some language schools in other countries, where would that be???

Doubtfully in London (not Ontario) DAS

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Given that Jaguars and Land Rovers and Mazda MX5s all come with sidemarkers in the UK, I daresay it's nothing to do with a "small group of US-influenced enthusiasts".

Australia, South Africa, New Zealand. You'll forgive my gross linguistic generalization, I'm sure.

DS

Daniel - This raises a question that has long baffled me, so I will post it here for your reply (and those of others who wish to comment). In this day and age is there still a need for parking lights? Do people still use parking lights? I have never used them (of course I have always lived in the metropolitan L.A. area and there never has been a need). And if there still is a need for parking lights why do auto manufacturers insist on having the instrument cluster light up when parking lights are turned on to give the driver the impression that his/her headlights are on?

Dan,

Don't know what you've been driving, but my stratus has the window switches angled in such a way that if you Press down hard on then, the window goes down not up. My mustang did this also same with my Honda Accord and my Civic.

You must drive a Volvo. I've seen them have horizonal rockers for hte windows I'd agree that those are dangerous.

Pierre.

3> I don't know what you're driving but I've never seen power window 3> switches where pressing down on them raises the window.

2> Horizontally-mounted rocker switches for power windows have been

Occasionally, but it hasn't got power windows.

I wouldn't. Besides, what happened to your statement that you've "never seen" such switches?

Were you lying when you said that? Or are you lying now?

DS

Well...yes! The most important reason for them is probably that if a headlamp burns out, oncoming traffic can still perceive that you're a double-track vehicle, not a motorcycle, and therefore have some chance of perceiving your actual position, distance and width. Beyond that, a car stopped after dark in a non-parking location, where other vehicles could suddenly encounter it, needs to have some "I'm here" presence marking that does not convey "I'm a hazard" or "there's an emergency" like the 4-way flashers do.

Because motor vehicle safety regulations require it. I have no idea why. It encourages people to drive after dark with just their parking lamps on, which is unsafe. Worse, it encourages people driving cars with Daytime Running Lamps to solve the lack of dashboard illumination by making lackadaisical sweeps at the headlamp switch. Parking lights go on with the first click...dashboard lights up...problem "solved" in the mind of the motorist. Meanwhile, he's driving around with inadequate illumination and/or throwing tons of glare at everyone else.

What's even less understandable is how the regulatory authorities say "We're sure this isn't a problem".

DS

You're being too literal. The armrest-mounted "toggle" switches used in many cars (probably your 98 Stratus, certainly in my wife's 93 Vision TSi) can be activated inadvertantely if you were to press on the whole area around the switch. It might go up if you pressed slightly forward, it might go down if you pressed slightly rearward. Certainly a child or pet stepping on the armrest *might* activate the switch, which is why the "wdo lock" button gets pushed when my dogs are riding back there.

Switches mounted vertically in the door and recessed don't have that problem. "Lift to raise" switches don't either.

Don't get me wrong, I think its ridiculous "nanny-ism" to dictate a switch type when the problem could be avoided by judicious use of the lockout switch, but the scenario isn't completely impossible.

Good reserve for parking on dark streets. In my car and many others) it's possible to loght up one side only.

DAS

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The German StVZO (road code) requires the one-side-only ability. Confusingly, *these* are called "parking lamps" in European regulations (while what North Americans know as "parking lamps" and Commonwealthers know as "sidelights" are known in European regulations as "position lamps).

The need for the one-side-only lamps is obviated in North America by the requirement for side retroreflectors, amber at the front and red at the rear.

DS

I thought it was "across the pond". :-)

Since you've probably never actually lived with a BMW, I'd expect you're guessing or repeating something you've heard from someone as clueless as you. I've had BMWs continuously for nearly 20 years now and they are no more nor less reliable than the average Mopar - and easier to work on. Wanna know how I know?

-- C.R. Krieger (Been there; drove Dodges, Plymouths, Chryslers, *and DeSotos*!)

Well done; you've found a new word to try to cover lots of variants...are you including Canadians...? (But I thought they do many things in an 'American' way, despite Lizzie on their coinage...

:-)) DAS

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