FIA welcomes new legislation deploying dedicated daytime running light (DRL)

Publication date: 26 September 2008

“The large-scale deployment of dedicated daytime running light systems will move road safety a big step forward” said Werner Kraus, Chairman of the FIA Eurocouncil.

The European Commission’s decision to make dedicated DRL mandatory on all new types of passenger cars and small delivery vans as from 2011 is an important milestone on the path to reducing Europe’s death toll on the roads. “Dedicated DRL will save thousands of lives while being much more effective and efficient than existing lighting devices. The Commission’s decision satisfies a long-standing claim of the motoring clubs” added Kraus.

The large-scale deployment of dedicated DRL should also have a favourable effect on accidents involving vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, as shown in the Human Factors report by TNO (1).

From an environmental perspective, the use of DRL (probably LED) does not pose any tangible disadvantage with regard to energy consumption. TNO estimates that the additional fuel consumption of modern DRL to be around 0.5 to 1.5 %. As many motorists are already in the habit of switching on their dipped headlights during daytime, DRL will even improve energy efficiency. This is also valid for certain driving conditions, for instance in the rain or at dusk, when the use of DRL will replace dip headlights. DRL should be combined with light sensors switching automatically to dip headlights when traffic and weather circumstances require it.

In order to guarantee the conspicuity of older vehicles not yet equipped with dedicated DRL, motorists should be encouraged to switch on their dipped headlights during the day.

Note to the editors

The European Commission decision follows the conclusions of the CARS 21 High Level Group to fit dedicated DRL on all cars produced for the European market as well as the positive vote delivered by the UN/ECE (2) aligning Directive 76/756/EEC with UN/ECE Regulation No 48.

The newly adopted Directive is a model of good regulation. An overall cost-benefit analysis, published by the European Commission in 2003 (1), shows an overall saving in excess of 11 billion €. The analysis outlined that the potential saving linked to accident reduction (38 billion €) is impaired by increased pollution (6 billion €), higher cost of the lighting system (7 billion €), higher fuel consumption (5 billion €) and higher bulb consumption (8 billion €).

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the world’s leading motoring organisation, represents via its affiliated members, national motoring and touring organisations over 100 million motorists worldwide and 34 million motorists in the European Union. Europe’s motoring and touring organisations have as their highest priority to make mobility more sustainable, i.e. more reliable, cleaner and safer while keeping it affordable for all.

With regard to road safety, motoring and touring organisations carry out vehicle and safety equipment consumer tests, offer driver training, run seat belt campaigns and assess the safety of mobility infrastructure. Europe’s motoring and touring organisations are partners in a number of safety assessment programmes like Euro NCAP, NPACS, EuroRAP, EuroTest and EuroTAP.

(1) Dutch TNO Human Factors report, commissioned by the European Commission.

(2) World Forum for the Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE)

For more information please contact: Olivier Lenz - Tel. +32 2 282 08 25