ESPN's Tuesday Morning Quarterback Gregg Easterbrook advocates mandatory US DRLs

In a September 19th article by ESPN writer Gregg Easterbrook, his frustration about our US DOT not mandating Daytime Running Lights to save millions of lives is quoted below:

"Cowboys to Install Electronic Stability Control in Terrell Owens: While Segways continue to ricochet down sidewalks out of control, there was great news last week regarding auto safety. The Department of Transportation announced a proposal that would make electronic stability control, which significantly reduces the odds of spin-out and roll-over, will be required on all cars, SUVs and pickup trucks beginning with the 2009 model year. Considering the high-profile public razzle over the federal airbag requirement, the news about electronic stability control received remarkably little notice -- though airbags save 1,000 to 2,000 lives per year and ESC is expected to save as many as 10,000 lives annually. Why wasn't the most significant auto safety advance in 20 years front-page news? Possibly because it is a federal safety regulation, thus conflicting with the preferred media storyline of... George W. Bush rolling back federal health and safety regulations.

Though the Bush White House deserves applause for the new rule, which will add a couple hundred dollars to the price of a new vehicle, it continues to drive me crazy that the DOT will not mandate two safety measures that are essentially free -- daytime running lights and heated side mirrors. Canada mandates both, at a cost of perhaps $5 per new vehicle. Studies show that daytime running lights reduce accident frequency and severity, while heated side mirrors improve the driver's ability to see other cars. Heated side mirrors have traditionally been viewed as a luxury option. They are a safety device, and everything that rolls down the road should have them."

Here is the link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/060919

We agree Gregg (at least with respect to DRLs), and you are to be commended for your bold statements.

For the record, what should be mandated are the scientifically proven best DRLs available: AMBER Turn Signal Daytime Running Lights

Combine these with low power consuming, greenhouse gases reducing AMBER Turn Signal LED's, and you have a 21st century collision avoidance system that can save numerous lives. Additionally, we believe this could help lead the way for the upcoming European Union DRL laws scheduled to be enacted by June of 2009. Motorcycles as well as automobiles can significantly benefit from this 'nearly free' AMBER crash avoidance technology.

The 2005 Kia Amanti already has factory equipped AMBER front turn signal LED technology (located in the lower front bumper area), and our hope is that other car makers would be encouraged to follow their example.

Amber turn signals on stock bulbs (on the vehicle below, outer lamps) at DRL output consume about 4 amps total.

(Full power low beam headlight DRLs on this vehicle would consume 8 amps - Full headlights on during the day - min 12 amps or more)

But with LEDs substituted as the sole output turn signal devices (as shown in grille), total DRL system current consumption drops to less than 1 amp.

Each 40 LED amber oval LED turn signal lamp shown consumes only .27 amps at full turn signal output - the conventional 21 watt turn signal bulb consumes almost 2.0 amps (at 14v with engine running).

Visit our website to learn more about the proven superiority of AMBER DRLs: http://www.bestdrls.com/

Why use energy efficient DRLs to help reduce greenhouse gases NOW.

Here's a fact about global warming:

About 100 million people around the world live within just 3 feet (about 1 meter) of sea level - rises of just 4 inches (100 cm) of sea level could lead to flooding in many islands in the South Pacific.

Some people say current scientists believe we have 10 years or less to do something about global warming.

Here is a link to animation that shows how much of England will be under water if the seas rise 6 to 70 meters, via partial to total polar ice cap melting.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2006410004-2006420195,00.html

Let us know what you think?

Gore predicts republican pressure will affect US global warming policy

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore predicted on September 5th that Republican pressure will cause a shift in President Bush's efforts to do more to fight global warming.

Here's the link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060905/ts_nm/environment_gore_dc_1

AllQuality's energy efficient AMBER Daytime Running Lights product can lower greenhouse gases emissions for millions of vehicles that now use headlight DRLs. This universal product, which energizes a vehicle's turn signals (not headlights), also not only works on all motor vehicles, but also works with the latest vehicles that possess 'ground side switched' headlight systems, and works on vehicles with hide-away or recessed headlights.

Here is a cool whip [a 'whip' is a cool car or 'ride']; a 1993 Dodge Stealth with pop-up headlights and the energy saving AllQuality AMBER turn signal DRL conversion kit. For the custom car 'tuner' crowd, its like daytime 'neon' for your front turn signals. Click on the photo for an enlarged view.

California takes lead in global warming fight

California jumped into the lead of states in the U.S. efforts to fight global warming this week with a potential law that will give the state the toughest laws nationwide on cutting greenhouse gases emissions.

Here is the link:

http://reuters.myway.com/article/20060831/2006-08-31T030652Z_01_N29147385_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-ENVIRONMENT-CALIFORNIA-DC.html

AllQuality DRL devices help reduce comparative greenhouse gases with respect to daytime headlight usage and most white light DRL types. How?

Energy is never free, and headlight electrical consumption causes excess fuel to be burned. For every one gallon of liquid fuel burned, about 20 pounds of CO2 gases are released into the atmosphere. In 1998 the Federal Register noted that turn signal DRLs can save up to 0.5 mpg over white light DRLs.

A vehicle that operates with it's headlight energized during the day, travels 20,000 daytime miles every year, and gets 15 mpg will consume about 1333 gallons of fuel per year. A good example here might be a diesel mass transit bus. With turn signal DRLs substituted in place of headlight operation, the vehicle's mileage can increase to 15.5 mpg. Annual fuel consumption then decreases to 1290 gallons per year, yielding a savings of 43 gallons of fuel per year. At $3 per gallon, this is about $130 per year saved and about 860 pounds fewer CO2 gases released into the atmosphere.

This is not a big number for an individual vehicle. Yet in the US there are around 200,000,000 vehicles registered on the roads today, and approximately 10% drive with their headlights on during the day. If only 10,000,000 vehicles (5%) fell into this catagory, and each could reduce its annual CO2 output by 860 pounds, then 4.3 million US tons of annual CO2 gases alone would be kept from the atmosphere over the US. And the vehicles would be safer and more visible due to AMBER light being more visible to the human eye at a lower power than white light.

Below is a 2002 Honda Civic, with aftermarket projector headlight assemblies and aftermarket AMBER Turn Signal DRLs, acting on 21 watt amber signal bulbs, instead of 45 watt low beam headlight bulbs or 65 watt high beam headlight bulbs. This arrangement also offers lower overall fleet costs, which includes lower long term bulb replacement costs, as proven by a 1995 Transport Canada (Canada's equivalent to the US DOT's NHTSA) study. Environmentally, this also means less fleet-type glass headlight bulbs entering landfills over time, which are of course non-biodegradable.

Click on the photo for an enlarged view

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Protection Before a Crash is one Focus of Nationwide GM Tour

A press release today from GM explains that the company is about to embark on a nationwide tour showing off technologies that reduce or prevent accidents.

Daytime running lamps are one such technology. The story's quote:

Other safety features that will be highlighted include...

Daytime Running Lamps, a proven lifesaving technology that has helped save more than 430 lives in the last decade by making vehicles more visible to pedestrians and cyclists.

Here is the link to the press release:

http://www.prdomain.com/companies/G/GeneralMotors/newsreleases/200683035245.htm

GM has been adding white light DRLs to cars since 1993, and have employed their version of AMBER turn signal DRLs to vehicles since 1997. Below is a picture of a 1988 Chevy Pickup with Universal Amber Turn Signal DRLs added aftermarket. Note that this vehicle is a 'quad bulb' car (it has 4 turn signal bulbs in front, instead of the standard 2 front turn signal bulbs). Click on the photo for an enlarged view.














P.S. These are not parking lights; the photo below is the parking lights.

To Parking Light DRL or to not parking light drl...?

Is this a question?

I can across a Honda SUV blog today, and there seems to be some confusion about amber DRLs.

It looks like a number of people think there might be such a thing as 'parking light' DRLs. Just to set the record straight, NHTSA (and Transport Canada) has ruled that parking lights (actually the 7 watt bulb inside the standard 21 watt/7 watt dual filament directional signal bulb) are too dim to be used effectively as DRLs during daytime hours.
It would be a lot easier to build a parking light DRL system, since it would not have to handle the turn signals/hazard lights 'flashing' being required to override the DRL 'on' functioning. Also, a parking light DRL device would just be illegal in the US and Canada. Code says turn signals must be 2.5 to 3 times brighter than parking lights, to allow for significant visible contrast during nighttime turn signal operation.

Here is the Honda SUV blog link:
http://www.hondasuv.com/stg/viewtopic.php?t=18387

Here is a cool car with TURN SIGNAL [sometimes thought of as 'parking light'] DRLs - a 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser [click on the photo for a larger view].

By the way, this page shows some contrast between parking lights and turn signals energized on several different cars, including a Honda Accord:

http://www.daytime-running-lights.com/protected?pageid=39&catstart=0&prodstart=0

Rise in Motorcycle and Pedestrian Deaths in 2005

Here's the latest on the highest number of highway - related traffic deaths in the US since 1990!

Rise in Motorcycle and Pedestrian Deaths Led to Increase
in Overall Highway Fatality Rate in 2005

8-22-06 Press Release

An increase in motorcycle and pedestrian deaths contributed to an overall rise in highway fatalities in 2005, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced today. The total number of fatalities rose 1.4 percent from 42,836 in 2004 to 43,443 in 2005 while the rate of fatalities was 1.47 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), up from 1.45 in 2004.

Despite the spike in motorcycle and pedestrian fatalities, Acting Secretary of Transportation Maria Cino noted other fatality trends were improving. She explained that the number of young drivers dying in car crashes declined in 2005 for the third straight year while the number of children who were killed in crashes also declined. The largest drop was for children ages 8-15.

“We have no tolerance for any numbers higher than zero,” said Acting Secretary Cino. “Motorcyclists need to wear their helmets, drivers need to buckle up and all motorists need to stay sober.”

The Acting Secretary said the increase in vehicle fatalities comes from the dramatic rise in the number of motorcycle fatalities and increases in the number of pedestrian fatalities over the previous year. She noted, for example, that motorcycle fatalities rose 13 percent from 4,028 in 2004 to 4,553 in 2005 and that almost half of the people who died were not wearing a helmet. The number of pedestrian fatalities increased to 4,881 in 2005 from 4,675 in 2004, the Acting Secretary added. NHTSA is investigating this year’s increase in pedestrian fatalities to determine the cause.

Cino said NHTSA is working to reduce the number of motorcycle fatalities by encouraging motorcyclists to get proper training, always wear helmets, and absolutely never drink and ride. She added that the Department’s Federal Highway Administration is working with state and local governments to improve pedestrian safety and that the agency is providing more than $600 million over the next three years to help states develop pedestrian safety programs.

Specifically, NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System shows that, between 2004 and 2005, the number of young drivers (16-20) killed declined by 4.6 percent from 3,538 to 3,374. Fatal crashes involving young drivers declined by 6.3 percent from 7,431 to 6,964. Meanwhile, the number of children 0-15 dying in crashes dropped from 2,622 in 2004 to 2,348 in 2005.

Cino added that the number of people injured in motor vehicle crashes declined 3.2 percent from 2.8 million in 2004 to 2.7 million in 2005. Passenger vehicle occupant fatalities also dropped by 451, from 31,866 in 2004 to 31,415 in 2005, the lowest level since 1994.

In addition, the number of fatalities from large truck crashes declined slightly from 5,235 to 5,212, while the number of occupants killed in rollover crashes increased 2.1 percent from 10,590 to 10, 816. And the number of SUV rollover fatalities dropped 1.8 percent from 2,929 to 2,877.

“We will not be satisfied until the fatality and injury numbers reach zero,” said NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason.

Source: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

Evidence on our website shows that Turn Signal DRLs could help significantly in many of these areas.

Advice about DRLs

This blog is a open call for anyone who would like to know more about DRLs - what they are, how they work, what type are best, and will they or which ones will work on my car. Some people don't care for DRLs, but let's keep it light. Because it's not about seeing better, it's about being seen better.

Our company sells the finest quality and most effective DRLs ever, and much info about DRLs can be found at our website:
www.daytime-running-lights.com or at BestDRLs.com

Oh, this is a photo of a 1970 Ford Boss 351 Mustang® (a Boss 429 clone) with turn signal daytime running lights. Click on the picture for a better view.