Nice simple guide to follow https://www.hella.co.nz/content/showfile.php?downloadid=1507

Yoban:

 

Nice simple guide to follow https://www.hella.co.nz/content/showfile.php?downloadid=1507

 

Thanks

raj4mnz:

 

[snip] ...Now the problem I have is that whenever it is little dark during the daytime due to dark clouds, my parking lights turn on which are not that bright and very small in size. I don't feel safe when I travel like this with my big van and I do travel a lot. So, I would really like to keep the DRL on when my parking lights are on but turn them off when my headlights are on. [/snip]

 

Thanks

 

This is an issue with Auto headlights (and it may be only on Japanese imports) as it is illegal to drive with just your parking lights on. I would have thought for a car to be legal to drive on NZ roads, the Auto headlights would not cycle through the parking lights, but would just have the headlights come straight on.

My previous two cars with auto headlights (a Nissan Skyline and a Mazda Axela, both imports) turned on the parking lights when not quite dark enough. My current car - a Kia Sportage (NZ New), doesn't use the parking lights, but instead turns the headlights on. 

trig42:

 

raj4mnz:

 

[snip] ...Now the problem I have is that whenever it is little dark during the daytime due to dark clouds, my parking lights turn on which are not that bright and very small in size. I don't feel safe when I travel like this with my big van and I do travel a lot. So, I would really like to keep the DRL on when my parking lights are on but turn them off when my headlights are on. [/snip]

 

Thanks

 

 

This is an issue with Auto headlights (and it may be only on Japanese imports) as it is illegal to drive with just your parking lights on. I would have thought for a car to be legal to drive on NZ roads, the Auto headlights would not cycle through the parking lights, but would just have the headlights come straight on.

 

My previous two cars with auto headlights (a Nissan Skyline and a Mazda Axela, both imports) turned on the parking lights when not quite dark enough. My current car - a Kia Sportage (NZ New), doesn't use the parking lights, but instead turns the headlights on. 

 

As long as it's OEM from the factory its allowed.  Despite all the automation, it is still the drivers responsibility to turn the headlights on during the hours of darkness as in the road code.  Just because the 'computer' didn't do it automatically is not an excuse if caught out.  That's one of the drawbacks to all this car automation, it's making drivers lazy...but that's a whole other discussion :-)    

Dugimodo:

 

Just as a side note, it's illegal to drive with just the park lights on. Also it's just silly. If you feel like you need lights on to be seen then turn the lights on properly. So if your plan was to drive around with both the park lights and daytime running lights on, don't.

 

 

 

It winds me up a bit when it's foggy or otherwise hard to see and people turn the park lights on.

 

 

 

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/about-driving/night-driving#:~:text=Never%20drive%20with%20just%20the,referred%20to%20as%20position%20lights.)

 

Could you cite legislation citing that it it illegal to drive with just the position lights on? - The link you put is to the road code which is just a guide.

I couldn't find it in the road user rule, which only state that both need to be used during the hours of darkness:

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2004/0427/latest/whole.html#DLM303647

Why I ask is because my car's auto setting will turn on the position lights in some lighting conditions (not darkness). It is hard to tell from the drivers seat which lights are on as dashboard symbol for postilion lights is common with low beam headlights.

I always manually turn the headlights on on the open road (even in daytime). Generally I will also overide to force the headlights on around dusk in the city too. But I don't want to be breaking any laws when for example the position lights click on when I pass under an overpass during the day.

Scott3:

 

Could you cite legislation citing that it it illegal to drive with just the position lights on? - The link you put is to the road code which is just a guide.

 

I couldn't find it in the road user rule, which only state that both need to be used during the hours of darkness:

 

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2004/0427/latest/whole.html#DLM303647

 

Why I ask is because my car's auto setting will turn on the position lights in some lighting conditions (not darkness). It is hard to tell from the drivers seat which lights are on as dashboard symbol for postilion lights is common with low beam headlights.

 

I always manually turn the headlights on on the open road (even in daytime). Generally I will also overide to force the headlights on around dusk in the city too. But I don't want to be breaking any laws when for example the position lights click on when I pass under an overpass during the day.

 

When I asked, it wasnt illegal to drive with them on but it was that if you think its dark enough to have them on then its dark enough to have the headlights on and having the park lights on is not enough. So you can drive with them on during the day if you really want to, but when its dark you should only consider putting the headlights on and not just the parks because "its not that dark"

Scott3: Could you cite legislation citing that it it illegal to drive with just the position lights on? - The link you put is to the road code which is just a guide. 

Whoa whoa whoa, the road code is not a simple optional guide - as it states in the introduction,"The road code section is a user-friendly guide to New Zealand’s traffic law..."

It is in the legislation you link:

8.3 (3) A driver, during the hours of darkness, must use the vehicle’s headlamp or headlamps.

That means when driving (edit: during the hours of darkness) you must have the headlamps on. If you are driving during the hours of darkness with only the park/position lights on, you are not using the headlamps and are in contravention to the clause. 

 

Could you cite legislation citing that it it illegal to drive with just the position lights on? - The link you put is to the road code which is just a guide.

 

I couldn't find it in the road user rule, which only state that both need to be used during the hours of darkness:

 

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2004/0427/latest/whole.html#DLM303647

 

Nope. The road code says never do it and that's good enough for me. They even highlighted it in yellow on the link I supplied.

If you think it's safe to ignore that and use them go right ahead, that's on you.

I think the important point here is when visibilty is poor the law says turn your lights on. I don't think anyone really cares if you have your position lights on during the day, even if it does say never to drive with just the position lights on.

But if it's foggy, or rainy and overcast, or otherwise hard to see, turn your lights on. I often see for example people driving in the fog with park (position) lights only. That is definitely a bad Idea, and illegal.

Dugimodo: Nope. The road code says never do it and that's good enough for me. They even highlighted it in yellow on the link I supplied.

I don't think anyone really cares if you have your position lights on during the day, even if it does say never to drive with just the position lights on.

I saw no highlighting on that link? In anycase, if you drive at night with just the parks on, its not that you're driving with them on that's the problem, its that you're driving without headlights on.

God I hope most of you lot aren't programmers lol. "Must use low or high beam at dark times = CAN NEVER USE POSITION LAMPS ALONE, EVER".

DRL should be wired up to turn on when the engine is running (key in on position) but to turn off when the park lights or headlights are running.

To achieve this power the DRL from an "On" feed at the fuse box via a Normally-Closed relay that goes open when the park lights are turned on.

Dugimodo:

 

Just as a side note, it's illegal to drive with just the park lights on. Also it's just silly. If you feel like you need lights on to be seen then turn the lights on properly. So if your plan was to drive around with both the park lights and daytime running lights on, don't.

 

 

 

It winds me up a bit when it's foggy or otherwise hard to see and people turn the park lights on.

 

 

 

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/about-driving/night-driving#:~:text=Never%20drive%20with%20just%20the,referred%20to%20as%20position%20lights.)

 

Fwiw  BMW angel eyes (round halo lights) can be coded for park and/or DRL.  Mine are coded park, the car also has driving lights.

I drive rural roads and run with both on during daylight hours