Daytime Runnig LIghts.

I coulda sworn "Philip" typ'd:

Well, it isn't the planet of my birth. Other than that I can't say for sure . . . ;^)

I'm glad to see that you've decided that drivers' movements are secondary. I agree.

But you got me to thinking (which is a GOOD thing) and I wondered if I'm missing an important ingredient in trying to keep my hide 'n' head intact while I ride motorcycles in all kinds of traffic. So did a little experiment.

I tried watching drivers while riding my motorcycle to and from work today. It was very interesting and informative. Here's what I found out:

At highway speeds (above 40 or so) looking at the drivers was difficult at best. By the time I saw the driver clearly (and I couldn't make out a driver clearly in many of the cases) it would have been too late to take any action if the driver decided to do something st00pid.

At slower speeds or stopped in town it was easier to make out the drivers and see what they were doing. although it was still difficult to see drivers clearly because of glare, angle of vision, or tint on windows.

When I could see them clearly, I saw lots of things going on. Most of the drivers on the way in at around 7:15 to 7:45 were driving as if asleep; either staring mostly straight ahead or else looking like they might nod off. The others were in animated conversations with cell phones or passengers; dealing with bratty kids in the back; singing along with whatever was on the radio or CD; reading in one case (!); and some looked alert and attentive (a decided minority). On the way back after work, things were a little better, but still not optimal; there are a LOT of tired zoned-out drivers out there!

In no case could I see a clear clue of what a vehicle was going to do based on looking at the driver. Maybe I'm clueless and there are clues to be had, but if there were, they were too subtle for me.

Of course, this is based on one day's observation of a very small subset of drivers (NOT scientific!) but the conclusion for me was clear: I will keep watching what the vehicles are doing and not spend valuable time trying to see the people inside. My time is much better spent observing traffic flow patterns and trying to decide, based on those patterns and previous experience, where the threats are likely to come from and what I should do to evade or avoid those threats.

As for looking at the tires, that really only applies to traffic close in: at low speeds and stopped at traffic stops. Otherwise I look 10-15 seconds ahead and scan for what vehicles seem to be the most likely threats when I get to where they are and scan my mirrors looking for which vehicles are most threatening coming from behind . . . .

What any of this has to do with Daytime Running LIghts , I haven't a clue.

-Don (keeping the rubber side down in Rochester MN)

I coulda sworn "\"Dbu''" typ'd:

Yup.

You are right on every point; I try to keep all of them (and more) in mind EVERY time I ride -- my life depends on it.

That's the only part I disagree with. There are many other BETTER sources of information about what a vehicle is doing, and I only have a small amount of time to evaluate and react. So I'm ignoring noise, which is what I consider the eye of the driver to be, because what I see there is so ambiguous.

See my reply to Philip for more details.

-Don

Ahnold has little time for girlie men, so you LIEbrawls take note.

In an ideal world, with ideal motorists, yes, turning on the headlights whenever the motor is running would be...ideal. However, this not being an ideal world with ideal motorists, we have to engineer for the idiots with visual defects.

I'm talking about drivers at intersections.

Follow your own nose and be safe how ever you can. I have thousands of miles on a motorcycle and zero accidents, lucky? Maybe.

I coulda sworn snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net (Charles Pisano) typ'd:

I bet that's true of other vehicles. I *know* it was true of my VW Rabbit. The base model (which I bought, being a cheap so-and-so) had a two speed heater blower -- OFF and NOISY (HI). The more expensive DELUXE model had four speeds -- OFF HI MED LOW. When I had the dash apart to install my own radio (cheap, remember?) I noticed that to engage the MED and LOW settings all I needed to do was break off a piece that prevented the switch from moving to those settings. My cost for the two additional speeds? FREEEE

-Don

CHRIST had nothin' to do with your logic (and I use the term loosely). LOL

Poor ol Gordie. I told you earlier that you were not known for precise communication.

Not that simple. The DRL control module also has the Twilight Sentinel circuitry. Additionally, your factory DRL control turns ON only the headlights at a slightly reduced voltage. The remaining lights (instrumentation, front and side marker lights, and tail lights) do not illuminate in DRL mode.

Move south of that northern Canadian latitude you call home and the effectiveness of DRLs is gone.

"Thousands of miles on a motorcycle..."? If taken literally, is that some kind of accomplishment? LOL

Engineering for your presence on the road may require a government grant.

That's a lot of time on a motorcycle? Yes it is. I suppose you have millions of miles in a 18 wheeler? That too is an accomplishment, but you were paid for those miles.

What about the arm wrestling question?

To the best of my recallection for all the bikes I've owned, I have a little over 800k on two wheelers and almost 2 million in semi trucks total, with a

Bull. S*it. Little to do with sun angles. The sun comes up...and goes down EVERY DAY except in the far, far, FAR north and south.

THAT is part of the problem...all those lights you listed SHOULD be on for maximum DRL effectiveness.

Low sun angle is the foundation for the claims of DRLs making oncoming vehicles more visible. The sun does not rise, traverse, and fall in the same part of the sky throughout the year even in the lowest latitudes of Texas. Such ignorance.

You really think a little three watt bulb (tyipcal side marker lamp) is visible in broad daylight of middle and southern sun belt states? OF COURES Y-O-U do 'cuz you're an idiot.