EU wants cars to have headlights on even during the day.
- Thread starter Blackleaf
- Start date
oldnugly said:
"they" did make it a law, but in canada the approach was one of legislate the car-makers to require daytime running lights and allow attrition to result in the majority of cars on the road having them. This is a far better approach than fining drivers.
missile said:
Drive the way crazy Johnny Foreigner does? If foreigners are stupid enough (and bad enough drivers) to need to drive with their lights on in the DAYTIME, then that's fine.
We British will continue to drive the way we have aways done - the way that gives Britain the safest roads in the Western, industrialised world.
This is a very interesting debate. Is the fact that the Brits do not want to drive with their head lights on higher cost issue or an issue that they are being told to do it, by someone else? I think if we go back into history we can find a lot of instances where the Brits will not accept change, unless they think of it. If someone else has an idea, then it is automatically wrong.
I see this as a trait by the people in USA, as they will not be told to drive with their headlights on. Are the lawmakers in USA being influenced by common sense or are they being influenced by lobbyists? It would almost make one think that the Brits and USA are sleeping together, one is getting influenced by Injection, by the other.
I guess the good thing is that went they (both Britain and USA) continue to drive without their lights on, the rest of the world are winners. We do not have to put up with as many of the them as they kill off a lot more that necessary.
Hurray for our side.
I see this as a trait by the people in USA, as they will not be told to drive with their headlights on. Are the lawmakers in USA being influenced by common sense or are they being influenced by lobbyists? It would almost make one think that the Brits and USA are sleeping together, one is getting influenced by Injection, by the other.
I guess the good thing is that went they (both Britain and USA) continue to drive without their lights on, the rest of the world are winners. We do not have to put up with as many of the them as they kill off a lot more that necessary.
Hurray for our side.
An analysis of the overall traffic and accident situation in each of 16 European countries carried out by the European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP), shows that the UK has the safest roads in Europe.
Road fatalities per 100,000 population
Portugal 21
Greece 20.2
Spain 14.6
France 14.4
Belgium 13.7
Luxembourg 13.5
Austria 13.4
Italy 11
Ireland 11
Denmark 9.7
Germany 9.5
Netherlands 6.9
Sweden 6.6
United Kingdom 5.9
This difference is even better when we look at motorways only.
Motorways — Deaths per billion vehicle-km.
Portugal 14.1
Italy 12.8
Austria 8.9
Belgium 7.2
France 5.4
Finland 5.0
Germany 4.5
Denmark 4.3
Ireland 4.0
Switzerland 3.3
Netherlands 3.3
Sweden 3.2
United Kingdom 2.0
Compare this with motorway usage. Due to lack of government investment in sufficient motorway routes, the UK's motorways are significantly busier than other european motorways. Despite this our motorways are still by far the safest.
Motorway usage
(Average daily vehicle flow)
United Kingdom 64,900
Netherlands 52,400
Germany 45,800
Belgium 44,600
Switzerland 38,200
France 29,400
Denmark 26,700
Italy 26,000
Ireland 26,000
Austria 25,600
Portugal 25,100
Sweden 17,700
Our motorway safety is clearly excellent compared with other countries, and our relative A-road safety is equally good.
A-class roads — deaths per billion vehicle-km
(Those roads that are immediately below motorway standard — Not all countries supply this data.)
Austria 22.9
France 20.6
Belgium 19.9
Germany 19.5
Netherlands 17.5
Denmark 15.5
Ireland 14.0
Finland 12.2
United Kingdom 6.2
Once again this excellent road safety record exists despite our A roads being busier than other European countries due to the UK's lack of investment in new roads and bypasses.
A-class roads usage
(Average daily vehicle flow)
United Kingdom 17,200
France 10,100
Germany 9,500
Netherlands 8,100
Belgium 7,400
Finland 3,200
When the UK clearly has by far the safest roads in Europe, we have to ask why we also have the most anti-car government in Europe, if not the world.
The British government spends millions of pounds of public money on propaganda which gives the impression that our roads are the WORST in Europe (even though they are the best).
To implement it's so called "road safety" policy, it imposes speed cameras, traffic calming, speed humps, unreasonably low speed limits, bus lanes, road narrowing, and complete road closures. It covers our roads and pavements with a shambolic mess of white lines, red and green splodges, textured surfaces and obstructions.
Despite our motorways being the safest in Europe by a country mile, the government pig-headedly refuses to raise the utterly discredited 70 mph motorway speed limit.
We are not saying that road safety in the UK cannot be improved, but the way to achieve that is clearly to praise drivers for being the safest in Europe, and to encourage excellence through education. Battering drivers with an endless succession of 'sticks' may be something favoured by the likes of John Prescott, but people do not take kindly to such aggression and abuse of power.
http://www.abd.org.uk/safest_roads.htm
------------------------------------------------------
It's not that the British should drive more like foreigners. Foreigners should drive more like the British. Having travelled on roads in France and Italy, I can safely say that, with foreigners being dangerous drivers, it was a terrifying experience.
Road fatalities per 100,000 population
Portugal 21
Greece 20.2
Spain 14.6
France 14.4
Belgium 13.7
Luxembourg 13.5
Austria 13.4
Italy 11
Ireland 11
Denmark 9.7
Germany 9.5
Netherlands 6.9
Sweden 6.6
United Kingdom 5.9
This difference is even better when we look at motorways only.
Motorways — Deaths per billion vehicle-km.
Portugal 14.1
Italy 12.8
Austria 8.9
Belgium 7.2
France 5.4
Finland 5.0
Germany 4.5
Denmark 4.3
Ireland 4.0
Switzerland 3.3
Netherlands 3.3
Sweden 3.2
United Kingdom 2.0
Compare this with motorway usage. Due to lack of government investment in sufficient motorway routes, the UK's motorways are significantly busier than other european motorways. Despite this our motorways are still by far the safest.
Motorway usage
(Average daily vehicle flow)
United Kingdom 64,900
Netherlands 52,400
Germany 45,800
Belgium 44,600
Switzerland 38,200
France 29,400
Denmark 26,700
Italy 26,000
Ireland 26,000
Austria 25,600
Portugal 25,100
Sweden 17,700
Our motorway safety is clearly excellent compared with other countries, and our relative A-road safety is equally good.
A-class roads — deaths per billion vehicle-km
(Those roads that are immediately below motorway standard — Not all countries supply this data.)
Austria 22.9
France 20.6
Belgium 19.9
Germany 19.5
Netherlands 17.5
Denmark 15.5
Ireland 14.0
Finland 12.2
United Kingdom 6.2
Once again this excellent road safety record exists despite our A roads being busier than other European countries due to the UK's lack of investment in new roads and bypasses.
A-class roads usage
(Average daily vehicle flow)
United Kingdom 17,200
France 10,100
Germany 9,500
Netherlands 8,100
Belgium 7,400
Finland 3,200
When the UK clearly has by far the safest roads in Europe, we have to ask why we also have the most anti-car government in Europe, if not the world.
The British government spends millions of pounds of public money on propaganda which gives the impression that our roads are the WORST in Europe (even though they are the best).
To implement it's so called "road safety" policy, it imposes speed cameras, traffic calming, speed humps, unreasonably low speed limits, bus lanes, road narrowing, and complete road closures. It covers our roads and pavements with a shambolic mess of white lines, red and green splodges, textured surfaces and obstructions.
Despite our motorways being the safest in Europe by a country mile, the government pig-headedly refuses to raise the utterly discredited 70 mph motorway speed limit.
We are not saying that road safety in the UK cannot be improved, but the way to achieve that is clearly to praise drivers for being the safest in Europe, and to encourage excellence through education. Battering drivers with an endless succession of 'sticks' may be something favoured by the likes of John Prescott, but people do not take kindly to such aggression and abuse of power.
http://www.abd.org.uk/safest_roads.htm
------------------------------------------------------
It's not that the British should drive more like foreigners. Foreigners should drive more like the British. Having travelled on roads in France and Italy, I can safely say that, with foreigners being dangerous drivers, it was a terrifying experience.
Caracal:
"they" did make it a law, but in canada the approach was one of legislate the car-makers to require daytime running lights and allow attrition to result in the majority of cars on the road having them. This is a far better approach than fining drivers.[/quote]
That's one of the many things I didn't know Caracal. Thanks for the info. Indeed better than fining us fine drivers :roll:
There's still a few without the running lights. A lot of them are big ol Caddys or Buicks who don't really care if they hit something or not, cause most of the time, they win. 8O
:wink:
PS How does one get those neat broken lines around a quote?? Here I stand naked in my ignorance. humble. humble.
"they" did make it a law, but in canada the approach was one of legislate the car-makers to require daytime running lights and allow attrition to result in the majority of cars on the road having them. This is a far better approach than fining drivers.[/quote]
That's one of the many things I didn't know Caracal. Thanks for the info. Indeed better than fining us fine drivers :roll:
There's still a few without the running lights. A lot of them are big ol Caddys or Buicks who don't really care if they hit something or not, cause most of the time, they win. 8O
:wink:
PS How does one get those neat broken lines around a quote?? Here I stand naked in my ignorance. humble. humble.
oldnugly said:PS How does one get those neat broken lines around a quote?? Here I stand naked in my ignorance. humble. humble.
Hit the "quote" dialogue box at the top of the post....you will see how it is formatted in there. Need more help? Just ask.
Is the right side of the road driving inherited from sea craft lanes????
Something is buried in my empty head about the sea being the dictator of some rules of the road for cars.
Something is buried in my empty head about the sea being the dictator of some rules of the road for cars.
Cartoons
I'm Lucy ! I should really be PigPen from an old one I used to read when I was a kid.... but PigPen was a boy character.
I'm Lucy ! I should really be PigPen from an old one I used to read when I was a kid.... but PigPen was a boy character.
missile said:
The following countries drive on the left -
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bermuda
Bhutan
Botswana
Brunei
Cayman Islands
Cyprus
Dominica
Fiji
Grenada
Guyana
Honduras
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Jamaica
Japan
Kenya
Lesotho
Macao
Malawi
Malaysia
Malta
Mauritius
Montserrat
Mozambique
Namibia
Nepal
New Zealand
Papua
Seychelles
Singapore
South Africa
Sri Lanka
St. Christopher
St. Lucia
St. Vincent
Suriname
Swaziland
Tanzania
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
United Kingdom
Zambia
Zimbabwe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHY IN BRITAIN DO WE DRIVE ON THE LEFT?
About a quarter of the world drives on the left.
This strange quirk perplexes the rest of the world; however, there is a perfectly good reason.
Up to the late 1700's, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it's the sensible option for feudal, violent societies of mostly right-handed people.
Jousting knights with their lances under their right arm naturally passed on each other's right, and if you passed a stranger on the road you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between yourself and him.
Revolutionary France, however, overturned this practice as part of its sweeping social rethink. A change was carried out all over continental Europe by Napoleon.The reason it changed under Napoleon was because he was left handed his armies had to march on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and any opponent.
From then on, any part of the world which was at some time part of the British Empire was thus left hand and any part colonised by the French was right hand.
In America, the French colonised the southern states (Louisiana for instance) and the Canadian east coast (Quebec). The Dutch colonised New York (or New Amsterdam). The Spanish and Portugese colonised the southern Americas. So The British were a minority in shaping the 'traffic'.
The drive-on-the-right policy was adopted by the USA, which was anxious to cast off all remaining links with its British colonial past
Once America drove on the right, left-side driving was ultimately doomed. If you wanted a good reliable vehicle, you bought American, for a period they only manufactured right-hand-drive cars.
From then on many countries changed out of necessity.
Today, the EC would like Britain to fall into line with the rest of Europe, but this is no longer possible. It would cost billions of pounds to change everything round.
The last European country to convert to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967. While everyone was getting used to the new system, they paid more attention and took more care, resulting in a reduction of the number of road accident casualties.
2pass.co.uk
WHY IN BRITAIN DO WE DRIVE ON THE LEFT?
About a quarter of the world drives on the left.
This strange quirk perplexes the rest of the world; however, there is a perfectly good reason.
Up to the late 1700's, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it's the sensible option for feudal, violent societies of mostly right-handed people.
Jousting knights with their lances under their right arm naturally passed on each other's right, and if you passed a stranger on the road you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between yourself and him.
Revolutionary France, however, overturned this practice as part of its sweeping social rethink. A change was carried out all over continental Europe by Napoleon.The reason it changed under Napoleon was because he was left handed his armies had to march on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and any opponent.
From then on, any part of the world which was at some time part of the British Empire was thus left hand and any part colonised by the French was right hand.
In America, the French colonised the southern states (Louisiana for instance) and the Canadian east coast (Quebec). The Dutch colonised New York (or New Amsterdam). The Spanish and Portugese colonised the southern Americas. So The British were a minority in shaping the 'traffic'.
The drive-on-the-right policy was adopted by the USA, which was anxious to cast off all remaining links with its British colonial past
Once America drove on the right, left-side driving was ultimately doomed. If you wanted a good reliable vehicle, you bought American, for a period they only manufactured right-hand-drive cars.
From then on many countries changed out of necessity.
Today, the EC would like Britain to fall into line with the rest of Europe, but this is no longer possible. It would cost billions of pounds to change everything round.
The last European country to convert to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967. While everyone was getting used to the new system, they paid more attention and took more care, resulting in a reduction of the number of road accident casualties.
2pass.co.uk
Thanks Blackleaf!
That was worth a good read! And here I thought it wuz boats!!!
Saluting you with my left!
That was worth a good read! And here I thought it wuz boats!!!
Saluting you with my left!
The use of daytime running lights has proven to reduce casualties. I don't think it's a dumb law.
Re:EU wants cars to have headlights on even during the
Noone in their bloody right mind here in Oz uses their lights during the day. There's so much bloody glare as it is, we dont need another 300W coming straight at us.
Driving with lights on also increases the risk of having your car shot at. Just so you know.
jimmoyer said:
Noone in their bloody right mind here in Oz uses their lights during the day. There's so much bloody glare as it is, we dont need another 300W coming straight at us.
Driving with lights on also increases the risk of having your car shot at. Just so you know.