It has been a legal requirement since the 1970s in Scandinavia and has been recommended for motorists in Germany since 2005: driving with lights during the day. Numerous studies show that vehicles with daytime running lights (DRL) are recognised earlier and better by other road users.

The point of DRLs is not to help the driver see better but to make the vehicle more conspicuous. Research shows that 50% of all accidents and 80% of all collisions at intersections during the day happen because road users see one another too late or not at all. According to an EU study, more than two million accidents a year could be avoided across Europe if there was an EU-wide requirement for motorists to use lights. That would mean 155,000 fewer people injured and 5,500 fewer road deaths.

Advantages of daytime running lights at a glance

A study by Germany's Federal Highways Agency in 2005 also confirmed the advantages of DRLs and recommended the introduction of a daytime lighting requirement to achieve "a sustainable improvement in safety on the roads". DRLs help reduce the numbers of accidents and make a major contribution to road safety:

• Vehicles with DRLs are recognised far earlier and better that vehicles without lights – especially in difficult lighting conditions, e.g. on dark avenues and woodland roads, when the sun is low in the sky or in streets lined with high-rise buildings.
• DRLs shorten reaction times and, according to the EU study, prevent 58% of accidents that result in serious injury.
• Road users can better gauge the distances of oncoming vehicles.
• The difference between vehicles that are parked, moving or turning is easier to make out.