The movement of vehicles with the headlights on in daytime became the norm after the approval of amendments to the traffic rules of the Russian Federation of 2010. However, the lack of standard daytime running lights (DRL) forces drivers to use other legal lights as illumination. These can be dipped beam headlights or fog lights (PTF).

What shortcomings have been identified among the permitted types of headlights over the past 6 years of the law? How to get rid of them without violating the provisions of the current traffic rules?

Why is it undesirable to use low beam?

The name "Dipped Beam" testifies to its direct purpose - illumination of the roadway in the dark directly in front of the car, without dazzling oncoming traffic. The decision to use it as a navigation light was a forced measure that did not require structural redevelopment and additional investment. As a result: they wanted the best (to increase the level of safety on the roads), but it turned out as always (the load on the car increased).

Unlike standard DRLs, which begin to glow when the engine is started, the dipped beam headlights (FBS) must not be forgotten to be turned on and off. Forgot to turn on - fine, forgot to turn off - dead battery. In both cases, the consequences are not rosy. The luminous flux emitted by the dipped beam headlamps is mainly directed downward to avoid missing imperfections in the asphalt. Comparatively great distance between oncoming cars, the effect of such a glow is practically absent. It turns out that, moving at a speed of about 100 km / h, it is difficult for drivers to react in a timely manner to vehicles that are moving or overtaking in the oncoming lane and create a potential emergency threat. This is perhaps the main disadvantage of using dipped beam instead of DRL, requiring increased concentration of attention from drivers.

In some car brands, not only the FBS, but also other lighting devices, for example, backlighting, are powered from one switch dashboard... There is no benefit from this in the daytime, but additional energy and fuel consumption is provided. Trips around the city with frequent downtime in traffic jams and at traffic lights also have a negative effect. In such cases, the generator does not have time to replenish the battery with energy.

Regular use of dipped headlights during the daytime negatively affects the reliability of all elements. electrical circuit: The life of the lamps and the battery will be shortened. As a result, at night, when one simply cannot do without FBS, one of the lamps may simply fail.

What's wrong with custom LED DRLs?

Despite the wide range of advantages, LED running lights(led-drl) are not without their drawbacks. For obvious reasons, Chinese manufacturers carefully hide the "reverse side of the coin", trying to impose an advertised product on an inexperienced buyer for little money. Practice sometimes proves a complete lack of efficiency from cheap do-it-yourself DRLs, which manifests itself as follows:

• luminous intensity is much less, minimal established by the rules values ​​in 400 cd;
• angle of propagation luminous flux does not meet the standards;
• poor build quality leads to crashes and quick failure of the DRL.

Of course, you can buy high-quality LED DRLs, pay for their connection and installation according to all the rules, and then enjoy the ride. However, the cost of a branded kit with installation services will result in about 7 thousand rubles.

Full beam instead of DRL

There is another way to implement running lights, devoid of the above disadvantages. Its essence lies in the use of headlights high beam included in the heat and used instead of DRL. This method of inclusion has long been proposed by the Americans. However, this option has not become widespread in the European car market.

The essence of the method is sequential inclusion two high-beam lamps, which leads to a twofold decrease in the voltage on them. Since the spiral of a light bulb is a resistive load, the current decreases in proportion to the voltage. As a result, power consumption and light output are reduced by 4 times. Oddly enough, but the effect of such DRLs is higher than that of the included dipped beam. The light from them is softer and it is directed at the drivers of oncoming traffic.

Implementation option

The design features of most machines do not allow you to quickly redo the circuit. parallel connection high beam headlamps in series connection, while leaving both options in working order. The reason for this is the need to reconnect the relay, on-board computer errors and other difficulties.

However, there are craftsmen who make practical schemes brightness control powerful lamps do it yourself. They are based on the operation of MOSFET transistors in the PWM modulation mode, which allows you to effectively control the light flux without affecting the other actuators. One of these schemes is presented below. The simplest and most acceptable way for many car enthusiasts to convert the long-range into full heat is to install a ready-made DRL controller. This miniature device, the size of a matchbox, is highly reliable and easy to connect. DRL controllers are serially produced for different brands cars with various functionality.

In the simplest case, the DRL-controller reduces the power of the lamps by about 3 times from 100 to a fixed 30-35% and has 5 pins for connection:

• (+ 12V) - connected through a 10A fuse to the battery;
• body - connects to the car body;
• (+ turn on) - goes to the terminal after ignition;
• output - connects to the high beam headlamp wire;
• dimensions - connects to the parking lights wire.

DRLs from the high beam based on the controller can have several connection methods. The best option is considered to be their automatic start at the moment of ignition with a delay of several seconds. To avoid malfunctions in the operation of other lighting fixtures, sometimes you have to modify the circuit by adding a relay to it. You can place the DRL controller in any convenient place fixing it with a tie. To ensure reliable contact, the wires are soldered together, and end fittings or lugs are used in the terminal connections.

An important parameter of the DRL controller is the maximum load capacity. Before using for the first time, make sure that the power of the lamps does not exceed this parameter.

After making several test turns, you can hit the road and enjoy all the advantages of high beam in full heat, namely:

• well-chosen brightness and direction of the luminous flux;
• automatic switching on and off;
• no costs for LED DRLs;

Read the same

As all drivers of Ukraine know, according to latest changes in the SDA (entered into force on April 15, 2013), in the period from October 1 to May 1, in the daytime, daytime running lights on all vehicles must be turned on, if they are in the design of the machine, or the dipped beam ( p. 9.8 SDA). For violation of this rule, the traffic police threaten punishment under Article 122, part 2 (violation of the rules for the use of external light devices) in the form of a fine from 425 to 510 UAH.

In this article, we would like to tell you why you need to turn on the light in the daytime, what is DRL and whether the traffic police should really write out such a large fine for violating traffic rules clause 9.8

So, DRL (DRL) - external lighting devices designed to improve the visibility of the vehicle in front during daylight hours. They should not be confused with parking or side lights, which have a lower brightness and are intended to indicate the dimensions of the car in the dark and in poor visibility. The purpose of DRL is to be noted in the eyes of the driver of an oncoming vehicle (or pedestrian), while not blinding him. Formally, this means that DRL should shine in the eyes of oncoming vehicles and pedestrians (even higher).

There are several options for the implementation of DRL in different countries the world. For example, in the UK, low-beam headlights are used as DRLs, but their voltage must be reduced. In the United States, it is customary to use high beam headlights, again at reduced voltage. Separate running lights are mandatory in Scandinavian countries. Moreover, all cars produced in these countries come with such lights installed. In Russia, the use of fog lights as DRL.

Why did the world's leading countries decide to use the reduced capacity? The main facts are ecological problem... When the headlight is on, the power consumption of the generator increases, respectively, by approximately 5% (according to the calculations of experts), the consumption of gasoline increases and hence the emission into the atmosphere increases.

Let's take a look at a few options.
1. The use of fog lights (PTF). The main direction of the fog lights glow is at the bottom of the road, so that you can see something in the fog. Therefore, as DRLs, they are not very effective. Typical power of a light bulb in PTF (H11) is 55W, i.e. driving during the day will cost you an extra 110 watts of generator energy, in addition, do not forget that the PTFs work with the dimensions turned on. The total power will be about 150-160W. This will result in gasoline costs (if you count the figure per year, it will become absolutely scary). In addition, the resource of the PTF lamp will decrease at a price H 11 about 90 UAH apiece.
2. The use of dipped headlights, which we must turn on, according to traffic rules during the day when driving in the city. If you look closely at this option, then in terms of efficiency it does not differ much from the PTF. For efficiency, the running light should shine into the eyes of oncoming traffic, and the dipped beam is specially adjusted to glow on the road (so as not to dazzle drivers at night). In terms of power, it also does not differ much from the PTF. The power of the dipped-beam lamps is 55W, the total power with the included dimensions is the same 150W of additional round-the-clock load on the generator. Such a load often results in an undercharge of the battery (especially in winter time), the load on the wiring and the contact group of the ignition lock. According to information from the Russian Federation, on cars, especially those assembled in Russia, they very often began to change the ignition contact group, along with the dipped beam headlights.
3. We will not consider the main beam, although this is one of the most effective methods using it as DRL. To do this, it is done in full and is the most effective, but unfortunately, it has not been accepted by our editors of the SDA in any way.

4. DRL - daytime running lights. These are separately sold headlights with LED lights white light, which are installed in front of the vehicle in accordance with DSTU UN / ECE R 48-02: 2002. The usual power of one DRL headlight is 5-10 W and does not cause a special load and increase in fuel consumption.

In modern cars, DRL is already installed by the manufacturer. DSTU UN / ECER 48-02: 2002 authorizes optional installation of lights daylight if they meet the requirements described in the DSTU. Position - Width: The point on the apparent surface in the direction of the reference axis which is farthest from the vehicle's median longitudinal plane shall not be more than 400 mm from the extreme outer edge of the vehicle. The distance between the inner edges of the two visible surfaces must be at least 600 mm. This distance may be reduced to 400 mm if the overall width of the vehicle is less than 1300 mm. In height - at a distance of 250 to 1500 mm above the ground; In length - at the front of the vehicle. This requirement is deemed to be met if the emitted light does not interfere with the driver directly or indirectly as a result of reflection from the rear-view mirrors and / or other reflective surfaces of the vehicle. Geometric visibility: horizontal angle beta = 20 ° outward and inward. Vertical angle alpha = 10 ° up and down from the horizontal. Functional electrical circuit... If installed, the daytime running lights should turn on automatically when the engine start / stop control is brought to the “on” position. It must be possible to activate and deactivate the operation automatic switching on daytime running lights without the aid of a tool. Daytime running lights should turn off automatically when the headlights are turned on, except when the headlights are turned on for a short period of time to signal road users. At the same time, I would like to note that the luminous intensity of each daylight lamp on the output axis should not be lower than 400 cd and above 1200 cd.

I would especially like to note the fact that traffic rules clearly do not prohibit the installation of DRLs in the design of the vehicle. CDDD - issued their letter in which they insist that DRLs should only be installed by the car manufacturer. But there is another letter that Ukraine has a DSTU, which permits the optional installation of DRL. The only requirement is compliance with this standard, i.e. Christmas tree diodes glued to the bumper, of course, do not meet the standard requirement. Therefore, if you are not sure that the DRLs you have purchased and installed comply with DSTU, we advise you not to install them, but to use the dipped beam outside the city.

I would also like to talk about the punishment for "not turned on" on the highway outside the city in the daytime dipped beam. With DRLs it is clear - if they are installed, they are always on. But what to do with the fact that someone forgot to turn on the dipped beam. And so the traffic police, regards this as a violation of the rules of use lighting fixtures, which is punished according to Art. 122 part 2 KUPAP. Is it correct?

Requirements to turn on dipped headlights during daytime are described in clause 9.8 of these traffic rules. Section 9 of the SDA is devoted to WARNING signals. And this is understandable, since the dipped beam in the daytime is clearly not turned on in order to illuminate, but only to warn the driver of an oncoming vehicle. External lighting devices, as well as the rules for their use, are described in section 19 of the SDA. Therefore, based on this, the use of the wording "violation of the rules for the use of external lighting devices" to describe the violation of traffic rules clause 9.8 is clearly not suitable. But KUpAP Art. 122 part 2 also provides for punishment for violation of the rules for using warning signals when starting a movement or changing its direction. In this case, everyone understands that it comes on the use of turn signals, but not DRL or low beam outside the city in the daytime. Thus, Art. 122 part 2 is not suitable for the classification of such a violation. Therefore, in our opinion, the only correct interpretation of this violation is Art. 125 КУпАП - other traffic violations not provided for by other articles. And punishment is a warning.

But all the same, in spite of this, the editors appeal to all drivers! Daytime running lights or dipped headlights turned on outside the city are your personal passive safety. Due to the fact that your vehicle is visible from a distance by another driver, he will be able to prepare in advance for a dangerous maneuver, turn, overtake, etc. or wait not to commit it. Driving culture is about safety road traffic and saved human lives! Do not violate traffic rules.

Human rights activist Petr Morugin.

Most experts already agree with the fact that daytime running lights can increase the safety of movement. Statistics European countries is indisputable, which is why they have done since 2011 mandatory installation running lights on vehicles intended for sale in the European Union.
But why exactly daytime running lights are mandatory, because you can just drive with low beam, and besides, the rules allow it? There are three answers:
1. During the day, drivers may forget to turn on the dipped beam, as the road can be seen normally.
2. Turning on the head light during the day is unprofitable in all respects. Therefore, vehicles for the European Union are equipped with daytime running lights, which, in comparison with halogen lamps consume 10-20 times less electricity and last much longer.
3. Dipped beam is a compromise measure, because it is hard to see during the day. As for the daytime running lights, although they do not shine so much, they have a greater brightness, which means they are better seen.
What happens if, in an attempt to save money "for show", install daytime running lights of a Chinese unnamed manufacturer? Although they shine weakly, if you do not violate the traffic rules, then there is no special need to warn you about your appearance at the intersection. But it will not be possible to achieve the desired savings in this way, and if we talk about security, then in general any compromises will be inappropriate. But first things first.
Probably, it is inappropriate to talk about saving, when barely noticeable cheap lights cannot meet their intended purpose, in such cases you will be forced to talk with inspectors.
And now about security issues. Why buy high-quality bright daytime running lights that are visible only at a high angle of the sun and from a distance, because the driver's safety mainly depends only on whether he sees other vehicles or not? The motorist who is used to not breaking the traffic rules under any circumstances is interested in seeing all potential offenders. How important is it that other road users can see this driver when he maneuvers safely and correctly? After all, if anyone gets into an accident, then for this there are different types insurance. In general, this is a logical theory, but from real life immensely distant for several reasons:
1. The illusion of full compliance with all the rules is created. Even in the event that the driver has not previously violated the traffic rules, this does not mean that he did not do it unintentionally.
2. It is better to remain intact than right, because even in the event of a positive outcome of an accident on the part of the insurance proceeding, the motorist still loses time and nerves.
3. Controversial situations. In practice, there are many controversial situations when both drivers are right from certain points of view. After all, not all traffic accidents will fit into strict prosecutorial wording. In addition, in the process of driving, there are many "adjacent zones" and "transitional moments" when there is a change in the regime of crossing intersections, a change in the priority right to travel, and so on.
It should also be borne in mind that daytime running lights are not only intended to make the vehicle more visible, they also help motorists to correctly estimate the distance. A person's vision is arranged in such a way that it is easier for him to "focus" on a brighter point than on a blurred silhouette.
The conclusion from this suggests itself: to ensure safe traffic, the driver is not enough to be observant and disciplined in relation to other road users. The chances of such attention, that is, of being noticed by others, should be increased. It should also be borne in mind that the more vehicles equipped with bright running lights on the street, the less noticeable among them are cars with “nominal” weak lights, since drivers are guided by the light in about the same way during the day as at night. Although now we are still very far from the night mode, where, if there is light, there is a car, but if there is no light, then there is no car either.
So what kind of daytime running lights should you install? Most manufacturers advise installing mortise structures, but their installation is considered quite complex process, besides, it requires some skills. Today, you can also find mounted monoblocks on sale, they can be built into the bumper grille, but their size is a problem, which makes it almost impossible to install them correctly. As for those running lights that suit you in size, they usually do not fit according to the norms due to the weak luminosity. But in today's market, many of the lights on offer do not have the necessary certification at all, which means that you can slip the usual Christmas tree decoration under the guise of daytime running lights. Some manufacturers of household LEDs, seeing a new market, decided to install their products in plastic cases, posing as running lights.
Against this background, daytime running lights produced by well-known companies, for example, Philips, which developed the first such product back in 1992, and it was installed on a Ford Thunberbird car, compare very favorably.
But daytime running lights must not only be correct, but also must be connected correctly. According to the rules, motorists should know that daytime running lights must turn on when the power unit is started, and turn off automatically when the headlights are turned on, the only exceptions were cases of "winking", that is, when the headlights are turned on for short intervals.
The conclusion from all of the above is simple - you need to install daytime running lights, and from the very beginning it is necessary to install high-quality daytime lights so that you do not have to change them over time. And do not forget that the price of even the highest quality day lights pays off thanks to their economy, and their safety and comfort are invaluable in general.

While driving, regardless of the time of day. With the adoption of these amendments, many motorists whose cars are not equipped with DRL began to install this type of optics. But there is another option - to use DRL in the high beam in full heat. In this article, we will detail the implementation of this method.

DRL headlights feature

Instead of daytime running lights, the driver can use DRL headlights, this development was invented by European specialists. In this case, the reflector uses a 12 watt halogen light source, very similar to long distance lighting. When installing such optics, the luminous flux will not be directed at road surface as in low light, but in the eyes of other motorists. But at the same time, it will not blind drivers, but will provide better visibility of the car on the road. If you are interested in this method, such a function can be implemented using high-beam lighting, while the headlights will shine not by half, but only by a third of the power.

Principle of operation

How does the high beam work in full heat? When the driver turns on the high beam, the optics will be quite dim, but this is enough to mark their vehicle on the road. At the same time, the light will not blind other road users. Of course, you need to install a separate button for this. When this button is disabled, the optics will switch to high beam mode. It should be noted that this will not in any way affect the implementation of all high-beam lighting functions (video by Vitaly Sussky).

Advantages and disadvantages

If you decide to use full beam instead of DRL, then with the correct implementation of the task, you can experience the following advantages:

1. First, you don't have to buy separate LED optics and spend time installing them. Accordingly, if you do not understand anything about electrics, you also save yourself from having to spend money on installing headlights.
2. Secondly, with the correct implementation of the circuit, you can achieve that the load on battery will be lower. Accordingly, the likelihood that an older battery will discharge faster is minimized. This advantage is especially true for motorists who use drained batteries in the cold season, when they are discharged even faster.
3. Thirdly, the service life of low-beam lighting sources becomes higher. So you save yourself the more frequent financial costs of buying lamps.
4. In addition, when implementing the DRL system, the luminous flux will shine slightly higher, respectively, the vehicle will be more noticeable in the traffic of cars.
5. When this function is enabled, the tail lights will not light up, so they cannot "mask" the brake lights. This not only contributes to increased safety when driving, but also allows you to increase the service life of the rear lamps.
6. Also, you will not face the problem of dimming the interior lighting. When they are turned on, and the sun is bright outside, it will be more difficult for the driver to see the radio screen.
7. Some motorists note that when the right approach even lower fuel consumption can be achieved. This figure is small, only about 0.15 liters per hour. However, this advantage can only be achieved if the engine is running correctly and the fuel consumption is not increased compared to the norm.

As for the shortcomings, in principle, there are none. The disadvantages include only the installation and implementation of the circuit, which can cause difficulties. But this problem can be solved by carefully reading the instructions or by contacting specialists.

Photo gallery "Circuits for ensuring the operation of the high beam at full heat"

Car DRL Function Implementation Guide

It is quite possible to install such a system with your own hands in a garage environment.

Consider the process of implementing the scheme using the example of a VAZ 2110 car with Bosch optics:

1. First of all, you need a double-insulated wire, it must be pulled from the passenger compartment to the right headlight. The wire itself should be connected to contact 87 of the relay; in some modifications of the car, it can be marked with the number 88.
2. Then you need to open the cover of the high beam module, it is located closer to the radiator device. The ground wire is removed, as a rule, it has a black or Brown color, after which the cable is cut in the middle with a clerical knife. The end of the wire that comes out of the headlight must be insulated with electrical tape. And the other end is cut in the center.
   Then it is necessary to solder the wire to the cable going to the distant lighting source, which is subsequently laid through air vent optics. It can be found at back side lantern, in the upper part, not far from the turn signal. It is advisable to lay the wire itself on the outside of the headlight, through the low beam hole, while tweezers can be used for laying. Make sure that the newly laid cable inside the optics does not come into contact with the light source base. It is this wire that will serve as a mass for the high beam bulb.
3. After completing these steps, the wire should be connected to the relay contact number 30.
4. Next, the relay contact number 85 is connected to the green cable in the high beam lamp connector.
5. Then the relay contacts numbered 86 and 87 should be connected to the ground. the best option will lay a separate cable up to the spar stud. At this point, the wires converge from the optics itself, turning lights, and also fog lights... To prevent oxidation, all connections should be insulated with a special heat-shrinkable tube, and for greater reliability, electrical tape can also be used.
6. The next step is to connect the cable to mounting block with safety devices in the passenger compartment, in particular, you need a fog optics connector. That is, you will use a control button, a relay, and a protective element against foglights. If necessary, you can install a separate switch in a more convenient location, for example, on the center console.
7. Now you just have to connect the power. Power is drawn from the 12 volt post-ignition contact, this wire is usually blue-red. Such a connection will enable the daytime lighting to be activated when the ignition is turned on, respectively, it will also be turned off when the key is removed. The final step will be to install a five-amp fuse on this section of the circuit in any convenient place. This will protect the circuit from possible power surges (the author of the video is the SuperWIRUSS channel).

Conclusion

When implementing the system with your own hands, you can also use ready-made relays. In such devices, various modes of operation have already been implemented. For example, if you take the controllers of the DRL 30 N models, then they allow you to control both high and low beam lighting, fog optics, and other elements. These can be either low-power DRL lights, but it must be borne in mind that their operation is possible with permissible parameters.

In any case, the above-described high-beam refinement scheme makes it possible to use optics both as daytime running lights and as high-beam lighting. In this case, it all depends on the time of day. If you are not sure that you can implement such a scheme, then it is better to contact the specialists, since errors can lead to more serious optical malfunctions.

Issue price

Alternatively, you can always purchase DRL lights separately or purchase a DRL controller. The cost of normal DRLs today is about 2-3 thousand rubles, but the price range in this case is wider. It all depends on the manufacturer, as well as the model of the purchased optics and the quality of its lighting. As for the controllers, depending on the model and functionality, its cost can be about 400-600 rubles. But here everything also depends on the manufacturer, as well as the store where you buy the device. Chinese counterparts will always cost less.

Video "Implementation of the high beam at full heat using the example of Ford Fusion"

The video below shows the process of implementing the scheme completely on the example of a Ford Fusion car (video author - Artem Kirzhner channel).