Daytime running lights reduce accident risk by 8.8%, claims study

LED daytime running lights (DRL) have become a popular feature in modern cars. The majority of modern cars come equipped with this feature that not only enhances the vehicle's style and visual appearance but reduces the risk of accidents by 8.8 per cent, claims a study by Monash University. The study has found the DRL help vehicles avoid a visibility-based crash more than those without.

Monash University's Accident Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia, has published the Journal of Safety Research, which has used police data from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia to estimate how much DRLs reduce the risk of being involved in a non-nighttime multi-car impact where visibility is a factor. The study also found that there is a statistically significant 8.8 per cent reduction in risk associated with DRLs, with greater reductions seen at higher speeds and during dawn and dusk, as compared to bright daylight, when visibility is good.

The study analysed the data that included police-reported casualty crash data for incidents that took place between 2010 and 2017. The study checked which cars had daytime running lights and the cars that had not.

The study found that in daylight conditions, the reduction in crash risk was 7.6 per cent associated with the DRL fitment, while at dawn and dusk, the reduction in crash risk increased to 20.3 per cent.

The study concluded that the result provides clear evidence that DRLs should be considered a mandate on all new vehicles. However, the study noted that the magnitude of the potential reduction of crash risk is likely to be smaller on average than the effect of some of the modern primary vehicle safety technologies that are available.