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Automobiles
Sunday April 14, 1996
Insurance Discounts for Daytime Lights
New York State now requires that
auto-insurance companies reduce their premiums by 2.5
to 3percent for residents who own cars with factory installed
Daytime Running Lights, which have been shown to reduce
head on and side-impact collisions.
Daytime Running Lights – headlights activated by the ignition,
at a lower intensity than the night beam, and stay on-are
standard on many 1995 and 96 models. Chuck HURLEY, senior
vice president of the Insurance Institute For Highway
Safety, said 21.3 percent of the 1996 models registered
in the United States have the running lights, up from
5.2 percent of the ’95 models.
Connecticut has not taken similar action, nor has New
Jersey, although the New Jersey Insurance Department said
that so far two insurance companies had voluntarily given
their policy holders a 5% reduction in the collision premium
for cars with Daytime Running Lights.
All three states require that headlights be on while windshield
wipers are running, but Canada went a step further, making
Daytime Running Lights mandatory with the 1990 model year.
Avis Rent a Car conducted a test in eight Northern cities
in the United States in 1993; keeping records on 1,500
cars equipped with the lights, plus 1,500 control cars.
The results showed that accidents involving the unequipped
cars cost 69 percent more to repair said Demetria
Mudar, an Avis spokeswoman. Accidents involving damage
greater than $15,000 involved only the unequipped CARS,
she said. Two-thirds of the Avis fleet is equipped with
Daytime Running Lights.
Betsy Wade |
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Product Report:
DRLs Ahead for all?
GM asks the federal government to mandate
daytime lights.
Daytime driving will be a lot brighter
in ht future if General Motors has its way. Late in
December the automaker petitioned the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require daytime
running Lights (DRLs) on all new passenger vehicles
sold in the US.
DRLs
light up whenever the engine goes on, making the vehicle
more conspicuous to pedestrians and other drivers. Most
designs use standard low-beam headlights as DRLs, operating
them at 80% power to conserve bulb life.
GM
first petitioned NHTSA to permit DRLs in 1990. Since
NHTSA approved them three years later, they’re offered
as either standard or optional equipment on many models.
Several aftermarket suppliers also offer retrofit kits
for most other makes and models.
Proponents
say that DRLs make it easier to spot oncoming vehicles
and judge their sped and distance, thereby reducing
collisions. Statistics bear tout those claims. GM cites
an independent study showing a 5percent reduction in
daytime, multi-vehicle, non rear end collisions among
GM drivers with DRLs since 1995.
In
addition to these types of crashes, we know that DRLs
reduce urban daytime vehicle–to-pedestrian crashes by
about 9 percent. Said Robert C. Lange, GM’s executive
Director of structure and safety integration. A recent
study conducted by NHTSA itself showed that DRLs reduce
fatal collisions with pedestrians by 28%.
Currently
Canada
and several European countries mandate DRLs.
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