It is interesting to find so many
writeups in this node mentioning "
stupidity", and yet missing the whole point of
daytime running lights. If you don't know the reason for daytime running lights, then you
should have them installed in your car right away! Only
ShadowNode seems qualified to make a
judgment as to whether lights are needed or not. Apparently, one
cannot stress enough that daytime running lights
- is for other cars
- can be turned OFF
Countries in Europe that have laws for daytime running lights show a much
lower figure for head-on collisions during daytime than countries that
don't.
When it comes to the United States, one only has to watch a short time of daytime television
talk shows and "peoples courts" such as Judge Matis or Jerry Springer to realize that there is vast amounts of people not
intellectually capable of driving safely by their own means. This also corresponds to actual observations when driving around
some, don't you agree ?
Key factors to safe driving are, according to a internationally acknowledged
Swedish/Norwegian study, in order of importance
- Attitude - Psychological tests show a high correlation between
a high-risk lifestyle and accidents. High-risk lifestyle includes risky social
behavior of any kind including breaking rules and laws other than those
associated to driving. This category is over represented by men under 30
years of age. Most are men in 18-25, seeking not only excitement and action,
but also respect from friends. Men under 30 are very overly represented in
accident statistics, yet they rate themselves among the highest when asked
about their own abilities as drivers. Accidents in this group are more
often blamed on outer circumstances. Also, the people in this group is
less likely to learn by mistakes and a history of accidents does not make
the driver more careful. This fit well into the psychological profile of
this group. Most members in this group also said that they drive emotionally
and very often get upset with how others drive.
- Driving speed - Too high speed is not only the cause of many
accidents, it is also the cause of most lethal accidents. The chance of
serious or lethal injury increases exponentially with speed.
- Outer conditions - The condition of the car, the road, the weather
and the driver. Bad tires, slippery roads, snow haze and intake of alcohol
seriously impair the ability of the driver to drive safely.
- Driver skill - Some drivers are not equipped to handle a car
under certain conditions and some does not handle stress very well. About
2/3 of all drivers think if themselves as being "better than
average" drivers and 1/4 consider themselves to be "average".
This leaves only 1/12 being "worse than average"...