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Dipped Headlights


Kavi Ugl
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totaly agree lights are a must, but not on full beam when you are behind someone shining full blast in all their mirrors.

whilst we are on the subject of drivers, mini roundabouts, why when they are going straight on do some drivers put their flashers on telling me they are turning right ie co-op roundabout when i am driving from town, they are not turn right as in going round the roundabout they are going straight on, this happens at most of the roundabouts up here. coming from swindon known as the capital of mini roundabouts i think i know what i am talking about, google swindon magic roundabout if you disbelive, if you drove like this down there you would not last long road rage or a crash ( you being at fault) would happen within hours.

rant over feel free to dissagree

 

No, you deffo DON'T know what you are talking about.

 

Other traffic joins the roundabout and not necessarily the car that was behind you in the road you have joined from. Take, for example, a roundabout with 4 exits. You are NOT going 'straight on' but taking, for example, the second exit and by law (Yep, the Highway Code - if you don't abide by it you're deemed to be driving without due care and attention usually) you are meant to indicate once you have past the first exit what your intention is. Perish the thought of anyone actually approaching a roundabout in the correct lane too! Another reason to indicate is to let pedestrians know your intentions.

 

Yep, I do know what I'm talking about having learnt to drive in London with far more mini roundabouts than Swindon and having to avoid the actions of many a backward driver (Ovlov's - work it out for yaself) not knowing how to indicate when riding my old motorcycle. As a car driver, I always make an effort to indicate well in advance (Believe you fail your test if you don't do a min. of three flashes). Oh, and before anyone jumps down my throat, I checked with said cousin (before getting heart disease, twas a driving instructor) re this reply.

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I'm sorry but I've never read such rubbish, having been a driving instructor myself on the mainland I can assure you that the Highway Road does not state that you need to indicate when staying on the same road ie coming in from the north and heading to town there is no need to indicate, I myself have had to stop when heading out of town going north when stupid people indicate at the Co-op mini roundabout who are not heading into DITT

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^ Err whats the "Highway Road" then? :wink:

 

You may want to refer to these:-

 

http://www.findleys.co.uk/highway_code/roundabouts.html

 

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070338

 

You are not going 'straight on' - a roundabout breaks up a road whereby you would be going 'straight on' if you were at a crossroads junction.

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Learning to drive in London is not really a benchmark.

 

You are right in the indicating bit, but the talk was about the co-op roundabout and folk who indicate right and proceed straight on

As a professional driver, not only passing a driving test in London but also a HGV test 3 years or so ago (with 2 minor faults), I agree with Tom.

 

Roundabouts are still a problem for many, here we have them with 5 lanes around them.

 

It is not always a need to indicate, some roundabouts are that small that it would be more confusing to indicate if you were, say , at a 3 junction roundabout.

 

I also think the documents say about the drivers responsibility to other road/highway users as well.

 

I cannot see where Tom was wrong.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/swindon.jpg

 

Some here have 7 lanes, imagine that in Lerwick.

 

Yes, headlights can be annoying on full beam, or when fog lights are used when there is no fog

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I used to let it 'get to me' when I see cars wi no dipped headlights on when "Visibility is reduced" by whatever reason- rain, fog, snow, mirk etc

 

The number of times I have said to myself: "I'm going to write Another letter to the paper to ask folk to please mind & use their Dipped Headlights when Visibility is reduced - NOT just the peerie Parking Lights!"

 

And then I stop myself- the type of people that drive about in Reduced Visibility without dipped headlights on probably dunna bother reading the Letters page in the Times...

 

If folk want to disregard the fact that a percentage of drivers have vision so poor they could be officially classified as Blind {Not just Visually Impaired, but Blind!} so wunna see anyone coming along the main road without lights when they are pulling out, it's their choice.

 

 

An article I found today said:

 

"2.7 million motorists admit to driving with poor vision.

 

Over 50 per cent of drivers questioned as part of a wider study admitted that their eyesight had badly deteriorated since they first took their driving test.

 

A further 42 per cent of drivers admitted to squinting to read road signs, while 28 per cent confessed that they often rely on passengers to read signs for them.

 

Worryingly, 24 per cent of drivers also admitted to driving without wearing their prescription glasses."

 

http://money.marksandspencer.com/news/2011/11/2.7-million-motorists-admit-to-driving-with-poor-vision/8561/

 

 

Sometimes, I flash at cars coming out the town without lights on, as they might just have forgotten. But when all the cars in a line heading one way have lights on, and all the cars heading the other way have lights on... bar one. Surely, folk must notice they are the odd one out?

I ken my car is confusing as the dash is all lit up all the time, and the position of the wheel blocks the headlight icon, but when cars are flashing at you...

 

 

I seem to mind reading that the wonderful EU is planning to bring in a 'law' that headlights have to be on ALL the time anyway, so that'll solve that problem :)

 

Now all we need are mandatory eye tests for motorists!

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^^ Do remember there is a noteable difference between DRL (Daytime Running Lights) and Dipped headlights.

 

Part of the reason for the adoption of DRL is to help reduce the deaths and serious injuries caused by drivers running with dipped headlights during the day.

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^^ Explain. I am intrigued

Any form of bloody lights will do me - don't really care about the terminology, just that some people assume they can be easily seen when they certainly can't.

 

Also agree with a point above re a lot of cars that have light dashboards and how easy it is to forget to switch on lights, particularly when in town - so automatic DRL is a great idea.

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Driving lights do not negate the need to used dipped lights

Durring times of less visability. They do help around town, especially

With the new lower speed limits being imposed in built up areas.

It is always the drivers resposibility to comply. The colour of the dash should

Make absolutley no difference. That, is poor defence of driving with

Undue care and attention.

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Mogling I was very much like dee yesterday. It was kinda da opposite yesterday wil lines of cars(3,4,5) driving all wi not even a sidelight on and one solitary een in among dem showing some midder wit and having their lights on.

 

I thought "why should I worry mesel aboot dis", because I'm never going to change these people and it's obvious the only language most Shetlanders understand is if the police were stopping them and enforcing it as a law.

 

But I will continue to flash the numpties who seem bent on trying to defy nature....

 

:?

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^^ Explain. I am intrigued

Any form of bloody lights will do me - don't really care about the terminology, just that some people assume they can be easily seen when they certainly can't.

If you look at the accident history of countries that made dipped headlights compuslary during daylight there is some evidence of more deaths and serious injuries among motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians - things that do not have those lights and maybe start to get a bit lost from drivers attention in a stream of lit up cars.

 

The specifically designed DRLs are not as bright as a dipped headlight and intended to avoid that problem, but do mean, as posted above, that there will be times when the driver still needs to remember switch to dipped headlights.

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