Re: City Lights and aiming

[DeWitt Harrison <de@aztek-eng.com>]

At 12:10 PM 1/12/99 +0100, Aleksander Mierzwa wrote:
>At 09:57 99-01-08 -0700, DeWitt Harrison wrote:
>
>>Yup. Little 4W bayonets. Much friendlier in pedestrian rich, well lit,
>>urban night time settings. Not enough on large busy boulevards.
>>The Europeans seem to be far more aware of the appropriate use of
>>vehicle lighting than we.
>
>As I've already pointed out in the past, I don't know where the term "city
>lights" originates from, but certainly not from Europe. The little 4W bulbs
>you refer to are European _parking_ lights. They are intended to be left on
>when you park the car in dark area, you are neither supposed nor allowed to
>actually _drive_ with them on, particularly at night. No matter if you are
>in well lit city area or not, the law everywhere in Europe requires you to
>have your low beams on. In fact, some countries (particularly Scandinavian
>ones) have laws requiring the use of low beams (or DRL, if so equipped) in
>daylight as well.

You're almost certainly right. I simply observed this on occasion walking
around various medium to smallish towns in Switzerland and France and
only in crowded, well lit areas. Enough drivers were running on parking
lights that it seemed to be the local custom. Certainly vehicles on the main
thoroughfares and unlit streets were fully illuminated.

You can't count the Scandinavians, though. They're in their own special
little world of hyper-vigilance.

DeWitt Harrison
Boulder, CO
88 5kcstq