Daytime Running Lights: Purpose & Myths

A daytime running lamp (DRL) is a small glowing light equipped in the front of a vehicle. It automatically lights up when you start your vehicle, irrespective of whether it is day or night. However, you must have noticed that these lights are not bright enough to help you drive at night.

The purpose of this DRL light is not to brighten your way in the dark; rather, it increases on-road safety. Let’s know about this light and its purpose in detail.

DRLs are dim LED lights placed on the front bumper of vehicles, both cars and motorbikes. It is generally a set of small LED bulbs that consume very less energy. There is no dedicated switch to start or turn off these lights. When drivers start their vehicles, these lights get automatically lit up.

Initially, the European countries started using these daytime running lights for safety reasons during the day. The Finland Government, in 1972, made a law mandating the use of these lights for vehicles in its rural areas during winter. The main reason was to tackle the visibility issues during heavy snow and fog in the season.

Following it, Sweden Government mandated DRL lamps for all its citizens in 1977. Soon, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Canada, and many other countries joined the row.

However, in India, the government has not made any laws regarding DRL lights. Still, for style and safety reasons, vehicle manufacturers in India integrate these lights on all their new models. You can see these dimly lit lamps in most cars and bikes on the road.

Here are all the purposes these DRL lights in vehicles fulfil:

• Improve Vehicle Visibility: The essential purpose of daytime running lights is to increase the visibility of a vehicle in snowy, foggy, or rainy weather. As a result, drivers or any other people coming from the opposite side can easily understand that a vehicle is approaching.
• Enhance Safety: These improve on-road safety by reducing the chances of accidents that can occur due to bad visibility in the daytime. Watching these lights, drivers, riders, pedestrians, or others approaching from the opposite direction become aware that a vehicle is coming at them. This way, pedestrians can take a safe distance from the road and drivers going in the opposite direction can give the required passage for those approaching vehicles.
• Get an Aesthetic Appeal: In India and other countries, daytime visibility is proper in almost all-weather conditions. Still, new cars and bikes come with DRLs. It serves the basic purpose of enhancing safety and visibility to a large extent. However, people’s extrinsic motivation to give a stylish edge to their vehicles by adding these lights is also undeniable.

Know more about: 

Traffic Rules to follow in India

Indian Motor Vehicle Act

Some individuals may have incorrect and unfavourable perceptions around DRL lights, as mentioned below:

• Hampers Vision of Approaching Drivers: DRL is a dimly lit chain of small LED bulbs. It does not give strong illumination that can glare the nearing vehicle drivers. 

• Reduces Battery Life Significantly: These small LED bulbs need very less power (watt) to illuminate. So, it does not drain much energy from batteries.

• Brightens the Road: Since DRL lights are not bright, these cannot illuminate the road. You must turn on your vehicle’s headlights in the dark to get the required brightness during the night. 

To conclude, DRL lights have become one of the essential features in the automobiles sold in India. It serves the purpose of both on-road security and aesthetic design on vehicles. This is why you can see DRLs with unique designs on the front bumpers of the new vehicles.