Press information
Daytime running lights - the easiest way to retrofit your car
Light@Day
Driving with lights even at daytime increases road safety. Consequently, the Zentralverband des Deutschen Kraftfahrzeuggewerbes (German Association of Motor Trades) has made daytime running lights the focal point of its Light Test, which will celebrate its 50th anniversay this year. OSRAM is the official lamp partner of the Light Test. In October, master companies in the automobile guild and test centres of the Automobile Clubs and supervisory ¬organisations will be testing the lights of all vehicles free of charge.
While some new models are already equipped with automatic daytime running light, the drivers of older models can only act on the recommendation in Germany by switching on their dipped beams. For them, the use of special daytime running lights with a particularly long life, such as the Light@Day from OSRAM, are advisable.
At around 72 per cent, 2001 saw the highest number of daytime accidents to date. Half of all accidents and around 80 per cent of all collisions at crossroads in Europe happen because road users cannot be properly seen or are noticed too late. In Germany alone, 25 per cent of all fatal accidents and 35 per cent of all collisions at crossroads can be avoided by switching on the dipped beam.
These safety-related benefits are known to German drivers and have resulted in a wide acceptance of daytime running light: in a Dekra survey, three quarters of those questioned considered daytime running light a basically reasonable solution. Consequently, many drivers now also switch on their dipped lights during the day. This, however, often means that their car lamps need to be replaced more frequently since conventional lamps are designed for shorter operating periods in the dark and in bad visibility conditions.
Unchanged replacement requirements due to extended life
Light@Day is a new generation of car lamps developed by OSRAM that feature up to three times the life of ordinary car lamps, which makes them ideal for use day and night. Due to their significantly improved useful life, Light@Day does not need to be replaced any more often than standard lamps.
When driving with dipped beams during the day, the headlights and all other exterior vehicle lights (rear lights, number plate illumination, etc.) are also on. For this reason, the Light@Day range also includes extended-life lamps for all common headlights and auxiliary lights. This makes the car safer all round since the standard variants can easily be replaced by Light@Day lamps.
Safety benefits from daytime running light
- Reduced risk of accidents, since particularly oncoming and turning vehicles are easier to see.
- The vehicle is more visible to other road users - especially in difficult visibility conditions such as low sun, glare, or the interplay of light and shadow.
- Greater contrast, making the vehicles stand out more clearly in monotonous surroundings.
- The distance of oncoming vehicles is easier to judge.
- Moving vehicles are made out more quickly.
- Lit vehicles can readily be distinguished from parked cars.
Light@Day
Daytime running lights - the easiest way to retrofit your car
With Light@day OSRAM has developed car lamps which are perfect for the use as daytime running light because of its life-span which is three times the life of ordinary car lamps.
Press contact:
OSRAM
Lars Stühlen
Tel: +49-89-6213-2597
Fax: +49-89-6213-3457
Email: l.stuehlen@osram.com