Daytime running lights reduce the risk of car crashes by 20 per cent – study

A study by the Monash University Accident Research Centre in Melbourne has found cars fitted with daytime running lights are less likely to be involved in a crash – despite concerns the technology has made drivers complacent.

One of Australia’s top universities has recommended daytime running lights – which are activated even when a car’s main lights are turned off – should be mandated on all new vehicles (as is the case in Europe), after finding the technology can reduce the risk of a crash by up to 20 per cent.

While some motorists believe the increased rollout of new cars with daytime running lights (DRLs) has triggered an increase in drivers forgetting to switch on their headlights at night, research by the Monash University Accident Research Centre in Melbourne has shown DRLs in fact prevent crashes.

DRLs are especially effective at making a car visible from a distance at night – even if the driver has forgotten to activate the headlights – and during the day on tree-lined roads with dappled light.

The increasing number of new motor vehicles with backlit instruments – which automatically adjust to ambient light, regardless of whether headlights are activated or not – is the main contributor to the rise in cars driven at night with their headlights switched off.

But it turns out DRLs – which emit a bright glow whether the headlights are on of off – could be life-savers.

The study – published in the Journal of Safety Research – was compiled using police data from more than 119,606 car crashes between 2010 and 2017 in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

According to Monash University researchers Angelo D’Elia and Stuart Newstead, vehicles equipped with DRLs were 7.6 per cent less likely to be involved in a car crash during the day.

At dusk and dawn, DRLs were found to reduce the risk of a crash by 20.3 per cent – contributing to an overall reduction of 8.8 per cent during ‘non night-time hours’.

MORE: Opinion – Why daytime running lights are NOT causing an increase in cars without headlights at night

While DRLs have been compulsory on all new cars sold in Europe since 2011 – and in Sweden since 1977 – Australia is yet to make the simple safety aid a requirement, though they have appeared on cars by default due to the popularity of the technology overseas.

In Australia, DRLs have become increasingly common since 2017 – the final year the study’s data was collected – with even the cheapest vehicles currently on sale such as the Kia Picanto, MG 3 and Mazda 2 equipped with the technology.

Despite DRLs being fitted to a majority of new cars, Mr D’Elia and Mr Newstead believe the study’s findings show there is a need for the technology to be mandated by federal regulators.

“Governments should consider a DRL mandate on all new vehicle models, including all variants to accelerate the process of fitment through the fleet. This would likely lead to reductions in the overall crash risk of the fleet,” Monash University researchers Angelo D’Elia and Stuart Newstead said in the report.

The publication of the Monash University research comes after Australia recorded its highest road toll in five years.

In 2022, 1187 people died on Australian roads – despite more motorists being fined than ever before for low-level speeding offences.

Almost two-thirds of Australia’s road toll last year was due to fatal crashes on regional roads, which feature less lighting and an overall poorer quality surface than metropolitan areas.

Experts have also called for young, novice drivers to be given financial assistance to buy newer, safer used cars – a move which could reduce the road toll of one of the most vulnerable groups of motorists.

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