Death on the roads: Should we advocate daytime running lights?

doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7560.199-d

BMJ 2006;333:199-200 (22 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7560.199-d

Letter

Death on the roads

Should we advocate daytime running lights?

The first 100% of the full text of this article appears below.

EDITOR—None of the articles on road traffic accidentsin the issue of 8 July mentions the use of daytime running lights(the use of dipped headlights all day regardless of lightingconditions), which are compulsory in several European countriesand have been shown to result in a significant reduction inaccidents.^1-4 A review in Bandolier mentions a reduction ofup to 15% from different studies.⁵

Surely this warrants further research, and if the results areconfirmed we should be advocating compulsory dipped headlightsall day. This would cost nothing and should save substantialnumbers of lives.

Richard G Henderson, consultant radiologist

Darlington Memorial Hospital, Darlington DL3 6HX richard.henderson@cddah.nhs.uk

Competing interests: None declared.

Ameratunga S, Jackson R, Norton R. Death and injury on roads. BMJ 2006;333: 53-54. (8 July.)[Free Full Text]
Walker L, Williams J, Jamrozik K. Unsafe driving behaviour and four wheel drive vehicles: observational study. BMJ 2006;333: 71-3. (8 July.)[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Gill M, Goldacre MJ, Yeates DGR. Changes in safety on England's roads: analysis of hospital statistics. BMJ 2006;333: 73-5. (8 July.)[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Nabi H, Guéguen A, Chiron M, Lafont S, Zins M, Lagarde E. Awareness of driving while sleepy and road traffic accidents: prospective study in GAZEL cohort. BMJ 2006;333: 75-7. (8 July.)[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Bandolier. A light in the darkness—daytime car lights. www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band59/b59-3.html (accessed 13 Jul 2006).

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