LT1 Z51

This, in many jurisdictions its the law. On Canadian cars I don't even think you can manually turn them off.

astaggs

I think it looks like one of those cheap Christmas trees

Bill Dearborn

I like them on all of my cars. It makes the cars stand out so others notice their presence and can reduce accidents. They are mandatory in a lot of states and people who have one light out will usually get pulled over and reminded to fix the light.

Bill

davepl

When people are turning left in front of me, driving at dusk, screwing around on their phone, or driving in bad weather, I want daytime running lights.

They're law in many countries (and maybe some states) and have been for a long time.

People used to install switches to turn off brake lights too. Change is hard.

If it's legal go ahead and disable it, but don't do it not knowing that you're giving up a safety margin.

Greg00Coupe

IF this is really how you feel why not run with your headlights on all the time? Or get strobe lights installed?

davepl

On the highway I do run with headlights quite often, at least in older cars that lack DRL. Strobes are illegal and would be annoying to other cars.

I added HID driving lights to my Range Rover, which didn't have them. Actually I just upgraded the Halogen to HID and then wired them to come on with ignition. And I added a strobe to the third brake light in the rear.

As much as I think daytime running lights are a good idea, I also hate it when people add additional lighting poorly aimed (like at oncoming traffic's eyes).

You want to be seen, but not an eyesore.

Unless you're on motorcycle, then do whatever it takes!

You might think I'm crazy, but I haven't had an accident (my fault OR otherwise) since 1984. That's more than 30 years, so I must be doing something right!

Maxpowers

We've had mandatory DRLs in Canada for decades. Before modern headlights, the car high beams were set on at 50% if you didn't have the headlights on.

davepl

Yup, and some of the originals, in the 90s, couldn't be turned off! If you were at a drivein you couldn't run the engine to warm up because the headlights would come on with no way to turn them off, for example.

LT1 Z51

My 1997 Grand Am was like that, but if you clicked up the hand brake one notch it would turn off the DRLs.

NSC5

I remember having to do that parking brake trick with several GM vehicles. My 1995 GMC Sierra had that issue as I recall and I had to be ready to partly apply the parking brake in a hurry during the time I was doing some consulting work at a military installation. Coming onto the facility at dusk with any front lights on would greatly upset gate security people.

ersatz928

To permanently disable the DRLs :
At the BCM module in the passenger footwell,
Cut the Gray, Light-blue stripe wire at connector X4 pin 2
Cut the Light-Blue, brown-stripe wire at X4 pin 1.

TBF

I don't know about you but my insurance company gives me a discount for having daytime running lights. It shouts out to the dumb *** that is thinking of pulling out in front of me that I am closer than he thinks. I don't care about looking cool. I care about someone pulling out in front of me because my low profile didn't catch their attention.

NSC5

And at least it makes oncoming cars more visible in the rain. We had several days of rain in this past week and it is still surprised how many idiots are driving without lights in heavy rain. It has been a state law here for many years although ignored almost as much as the no texting and hand free calling while driving rules.

CP

I remember back when the C5 came out and just about EVERYONE wanted to disable the DRLs. How times change!

thrilled

My way of thinking that if you get in an accident with A car that don't have running lights your not A very good driver.I guess with all the cell phones texting that people do,they need all the help they can get seeing another car.

Michael A

Well, not really. NHTSA could not find any definitive data after reviewing study after study in the U.S. that supported the safety claim, so never required them of manufacturers. There did seem to be a very slight advantage in regions at higher latitudes than the U.S. That I could see, since even during daytime, it is not that light out for long periods of the year, and they also have longer periods of dusk.

Some people are just not paying attention, DRL's, bright colors, or not. I'll never forget pulling into a parking lot on a bright sunny day in my glowing Torch Red C5, and some idiot was coming the other way and wasn't paying attention to the point where I had to use my horn. I can still remember thinking, "If you can't see this bright red car in full sunlight coming, nothing will help you."

I turned them off on my C5 by pulling a relay. They may not have a relay with LEDs on the C7 though, since the current is lower. Best to track the wiring diagram back from the DRLs. Admittedly, I don't mind the white LEDs as much as the orange turn signal or headlight ones, but I can understand if someone wanted them off.

Michael