Würzburg, August 16, 2006

Automobile safety is becoming increasingly important. Many developments in the automotive industry are driven by the EU's noble goal of halving the number of road accident fatalities by 2010. In this context, there are increasing calls within the EU for daytime running lights, reports the Würzburg-based trade journal "kfz-betrieb" in its latest issue of August 10, 2006. Some EU member states have already reacted and introduced mandatory daytime running lights. Germany is very likely to join these EU states.

However, there is no desire to introduce a separate solution in this country. "We are striving for a uniform obligation for the European Union to equip new cars with daytime running lights as standard," said Federal Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee. There will be a cut-off date: "The new cars will drive with daytime running lights, the others will have to switch on dipped headlights." As the Journal learned from ministry circles, these targets have not changed to date. A total of twelve European countries already have mandatory headlights. As a result, many companies in the automotive industry are dealing with the retrofitting issue. Daytime running lights (TFL) would bring considerable advantages for road users.

According to "kfz-betrieb", the end consumer can also save money by retrofitting TFLs if daytime running lights become mandatory. An analysis by the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) showed that TFLs increase fuel consumption by a maximum of 0.052 liters per 100 kilometers. With normal dipped headlights, the additional consumption is about four times as high at 0.2 liters.

In the dark, TFL has a barely better light output than parking lights, but would dazzle oncoming traffic due to the special light scattering, according to the Journal. This is why the use of TFL would be prohibited at night - it switches off as soon as the driver switches on the dipped beam. The accessories industry is already supplying special installation kits for high-volume models in addition to universal kits, according to Würzburg.

"kfz-betrieb" is a trade magazine published by Vogel Auto Medien, Würzburg. The most widely read trade magazine in the automotive industry celebrates its 95th anniversary in 2005 and is the official organ of the German Motor Trade (ZDK), the professional lobby for over 40,000 car dealerships and garages.

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