New Headlights Could Be Dangerous

[briish]

hahahha i think im the only person in fla. that uses signal lights,haveing said that i suppose you could add fog lights, etc as a personel choice,there are prob a lot of add on,s you could consider cheers chet

 

[Hog]

People do not realize how much of any vehicle is actually "designed by regulation". Bumper height and material, headlight height and spacing, even the roundness of the fenders and body panels (anti-snag for pedestrian impacts). By going the motorcycle route, Elio avoids many of the regulations that make all cars have to look the same, and has a little more freedom in creativity. Personally, I think daytime running lights are only safer when not everybody has them. The original studies were about how quickly people noticed a car with headlights on (during the day), against a backdrop of cars without headlights on. It was the differences that made it noticeable. When all cars have the headlights on, the one you will notice is the one with them off. The safety factor only works in a mixed matrix. Once it is uniform, it just blends into the rest.

 

[redhedman50]

So what are they going to do now? Motorcycles are only required to have one head light.. So p5 .. p6..P7.. ?

That's one thing they fixed on the Rushmore models. Also, they have been selling replacement LEDs for them for a while.

 

[redhedman50]

People do not realize how much of any vehicle is actually "designed by regulation". Bumper height and material, headlight height and spacing, even the roundness of the fenders and body panels (anti-snag for pedestrian impacts). By going the motorcycle route, Elio avoids many of the regulations that make all cars have to look the same, and has a little more freedom in creativity. Personally, I think daytime running lights are only safer when not everybody has them. The original studies were about how quickly people noticed a car with headlights on (during the day), against a backdrop of cars without headlights on. It was the differences that made it noticeable. When all cars have the headlights on, the one you will notice is the one with them off. The safety factor only works in a mixed matrix. Once it is uniform, it just blends into the rest.

"Personally, I think daytime running lights are only safer when not everybody has them." I think that is a lot like car alarms. When they first came out, a few had them and when they went off folks checked it out, if not out of curiosity alone. Now that nearly all cars have panic buttons and the like, most folks don't even flinch when one goes off.

True though, most cars are regulated to the hilt. And to regulate fuel economy is crazy. I'm sure the market would reward (sales) the 50 mpg car over the 20 mpg car without the government.

 

[Ty]

They start early. Next question.

LOL. Well played, sir.

 

[Ty]

"Personally, I think daytime running lights are only safer when not everybody has them." I think that is a lot like car alarms. When they first came out, a few had them and when they went off folks checked it out, if not out of curiosity alone. Now that nearly all cars have panic buttons and the like, most folks don't even flinch when one goes off.

True though, most cars are regulated to the hilt. And to regulate fuel economy is crazy. I'm sure the market would reward (sales) the 50 mpg car over the 20 mpg car without the government.

Having lights on is at least an indication that the car isn't parked. Have you ever looked up the road at a stop sign and wondered if "that" car is approaching or parked? If it's lights are off, it takes a second to figure it out and if you err on the "it is probably parked" side, a T-bone could be in your future and not in a good A-1 Steak Sauce kind of way. If the car you see has lights on, you at least think that it isn't parked. My opinion, as it were.... and yes, everybody has one.

 

[lafrisbee]

ANOTHER EXCUSE TO NOT WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING...
"He didn't have running lights, how was I expected to see him."

 

[Ty]

ANOTHER EXCUSE TO NOT WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING...
"He didn't have running lights, how was I expected to see him."

I watch where "I'm" going and I also watch where everyone else is going... Been driving for a LOT of years and NEVER been in an accident. I do notice, from personal experience, that cars with headlights on are VERY easy to pick out from background clutter... probably the very reason that motorcycles are required to have headlights on and probably the reason insurance companies give you a discount for having daytime running lights. Insurance companies aren't known for throwing away money.

 

[Joshua Caldwell]

Now that nearly all cars have panic buttons and the like, most folks don't even flinch when one goes off.

It's a handy way to locate your car in a parking lot.

 

[Lil4X]

The single greatest cause of motorcycle collisions with other cars is that the driver of the car "failed to see" the motorcycle. Tests have proved that when we drive our minds seem to respond to the presence of other cars - other objects on the road are filtered out as we see only what we are looking for. Most drivers don't think "motorcycle" when apprehending the road ahead. Then a bike appears "out of nowhere" (trust me, it was there all the time, you just failed to recognize it).

To that end, I want a pair of fog lights on my Elio - not just for fog, but for simple visibility on the road. I also want a set of LEDs or reflectors on the fairings to prevent curious drivers from coming alongside and clipping that fairing while getting an eyeful of the car. In parking lots, discreet reflectors would also help keep other drivers from swinging wide into your parking space and tagging your front wheel/fairing. My selection of colors is made for the same reason, with yellow, orange, and red on the shortlist. Black, silver, even white can be nearly invisible on the road under certain conditions. In short, I'd rather be SEEN than fashionable.