How to use flashlights? Manufacturers are trying to help drivers

Vehicle lighting is one of the most important elements affecting driving safety. The fact is that the vehicle can be seen from afar, including during the day. And after dark, so that the driver has a large field of view.

Since 2007, the traffic light rule has been in force in Poland all year round. This decision was introduced for safety reasons: a car with headlights on is visible from a much greater distance during the day than a car driving without headlights. However, at the beginning of 2011, a directive of the European Commission came into force, which obliged all new cars with a permitted gross weight of less than 3,5 tons to be equipped with daytime running lights.

“This type of light, due to its design, is cheaper to operate and more environmentally friendly due to lower energy consumption and the resulting lower fuel consumption than in the case of classic dipped beam lamps,” explains Radoslaw Jaskulski, Auto Skoda School instructor.

The daytime running lights turn on automatically when the engine is started. However, the driver of a car equipped with this type of lighting must remember that when driving from dawn to dusk during rain or less transparent air, such as fog, daytime running lights are not enough. In such a situation, the regulation provides for the obligation to turn on the dipped beam. Properly adjusted dipped beam should not blind or create discomfort for drivers driving oncoming and passing in front of us.

Ensuring efficient lighting can be seen in the actions of automakers. The installed additional systems are aimed at increasing the efficiency of lighting and optimizing its use. Currently, every leading manufacturer is trying to introduce new effective solutions. The halogens used a while ago are being replaced by xenon bulbs and more and more cars are using the latest type of lighting based on LEDs.

Systems are also being introduced to help the driver control the light. For example, Skoda offers the Auto Light Assist system. This system automatically switches from dipped beam to high beam depending on the lighting and traffic conditions. How it works? A camera built into the windshield panel monitors the situation in front of the car. When another vehicle appears in the opposite direction, the system automatically switches from high beam to low beam. The same will happen when a vehicle moving in the same direction is detected. The lighting will also change when the Skoda driver enters an area with high artificial light intensity. Thus, the driver is freed from the need to change headlights and can concentrate on driving and observing the road.

The cornering light function is also a useful solution. These lights allow you to better see the surroundings, the surface and any obstacles, and also protect pedestrians walking along the side of the road. An example of this is the adaptive headlight system AFS offered in the Skoda Superb with bi-xenon lighting. At a speed of 15-50 km/h, the light beam lengthens to provide better illumination of the edge of the road. The turning light function also works. At higher speeds (over 90 km/h), the electronic control system adjusts the light in such a way that the left lane is also illuminated. In addition, the light beam is slightly raised to illuminate a longer section of the road. The third mode of the AFS system works in the same way as the dipped beam function - it is activated when driving at a speed of 50 to 90 km / h. What's more, the AFS system also uses a special setting for driving in the rain to reduce light reflection from water droplets.

However, despite ever more efficient lighting systems, nothing relieves the driver of the obligation to monitor the condition of the lamps. “When using lamps, we must pay attention not only to their correct switching on, but also to their correct setting,” emphasizes Radosław Jaskulski.

True, xenon and LED headlights have an automatic adjustment system, but when periodically inspecting the car at an authorized service center, it does not hurt to remind the mechanics to check them.

Attention! Driving during the day without low beams or daytime running lights on results in a fine of PLN 100 and 2 penalty points. Misuse of fog lamps or road lamps can lead to the same penalty.