Headlights vs DRL in safety zone
This is really a two pronged post, I just bought a replacement for our 1995 towed and we took the new towed on a day trip about 120 miles North of Los Angeles. I am not fully functional on the location and function of all the goodies on our 2006 Grand Vitara, there are a lot of things we've never had on a vehicle before. It does have DRL and it saves me from remembering about turning the headlights on and off. Also I've never driven the car at night and didn't even know where the headlight switch was located. Not a good idea, I should have conducted a PDI at the dealership and known all this before we left the lot. Lesson one learned.
Now the second part, driving between Santa Barbara and the Santa Inez Valley on C254 there is a Daylight Safety Zone which means, turn on your headlights(and was so posted). Having DRL I figured I was in compliance, DW said she didn't think so. Turns out at a potty stop, there was a CHP officer coming out of Taco Bell and I stopped him and asked him who was right. Don't you just hate to appologise in public when the DW is right and you're wrong? The officer said that what I did, using the DRL met the intent of the law but, that I was technically in violation of the law.
He further stated that "MOST" CHP would not write that up or stop you for that violation due to it being a moving violation and that it would put a point against your record, he left it open if you were stopped for something else or if you were a smart aleck with him.
DRL are not required in CA, at this time, but, I think they should be on all new vehicles. I think the Daylight Safety Zone law should be rewritten to consider DRL as legal there.
Anyway, thats what I had to appologise for publicly in front of the CHP and the friend we were visiting in the S. I. Valley. Lesson two learned.
Now the second part, driving between Santa Barbara and the Santa Inez Valley on C254 there is a Daylight Safety Zone which means, turn on your headlights(and was so posted). Having DRL I figured I was in compliance, DW said she didn't think so. Turns out at a potty stop, there was a CHP officer coming out of Taco Bell and I stopped him and asked him who was right. Don't you just hate to appologise in public when the DW is right and you're wrong? The officer said that what I did, using the DRL met the intent of the law but, that I was technically in violation of the law.
He further stated that "MOST" CHP would not write that up or stop you for that violation due to it being a moving violation and that it would put a point against your record, he left it open if you were stopped for something else or if you were a smart aleck with him.
DRL are not required in CA, at this time, but, I think they should be on all new vehicles. I think the Daylight Safety Zone law should be rewritten to consider DRL as legal there.
Anyway, thats what I had to appologise for publicly in front of the CHP and the friend we were visiting in the S. I. Valley. Lesson two learned.
