Daytime dipped headlights urged over bank holiday

THE ROAD Safety Authority is urging motorists to use dipped headlights during the daytime over the bank holiday weekend.

Bank holiday weekends were a particularly high-risk time for car crashes, authority chief executive Noel Brett said. Over the past eight years 40 people have been killed and 108 seriously injured in car crashes during the October bank holiday period, according to figures from the authority.

Using dipped headlights during the daytime improves visibility, making it easier to identify vehicles in the distance, and is especially effective in preventing head-on and front-corner collisions.

Studies in other European countries have found daytime use of dipped headlights can reduce collisions from 6 per cent to 10 per cent. A study in Denmark found left-turn collisions were reduced by 34 per cent when dipped lights were used.