Agents Support Brighter Auto Lights.

The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents supports the current intensity standard for daytime running lights on automobiles.

Daytime running lights, which produce visual contrast between vehicles and their backgrounds, are a low-cost safety feature that can potentially reduce crashes during day-light hours and reduce claims.

Although automobiles currently sold in the United States are not required to be equipped with daytime running lights, more automobile manufacturers are including them as safety features. In 1997, daytime running lights became standard on all General Motors passenger cars and trucks, and other manufacturers, such as Volvo and Saab, also have made the lights standard.

Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received several hundred complaints from drivers who say the lights are too bright and are distracting to other motorists. In response, the administration proposed gradually dimming the lights over a four-year period, reducing the maximum allowable light intensity from 7,000 to 1,500 candela.

PIA believes that reducing the intensity of the lights would reduce the level of visual contrast needed to improve vehicle detection, thereby reducing their effectiveness in preventing daytime crashes.