The Potential of Daytime Running Lights as a Vehicle Collision Countermeasure

The use of vehicle lighting during the daytime can increase the visibility of a vehicle and can improve a driver's ability to estimate its location and direction of travel. Collision surveys conducted by both industry and government have demonstrated that the use of driving lights during the daytime can reduce the number and severity of multi-vehicle collisions.

Moreover, cursory analyses suggest that the use of properly designed daytime running lights can be a cost/effective collision countermeasure, The proper design of running lights, considering the upper and lower limits of light intensity, fuel consumption and maintenance costs, is discussed.