Are you allowed to drive with daytime running lights switched on in these weather conditions?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
NO
Explanation
In the photo you are driving along a street in town in heavy rain; water is flooding the windscreen and the roadway, and visibility is clearly reduced. In such conditions you are not allowed to drive with only daytime running lights - you must switch on dipped headlights. The answer is: no.
The Road Traffic Act allows you to use daytime running lights instead of dipped headlights only from dawn to dusk in conditions of normal visibility, and in conditions of reduced visibility caused by fog, precipitation or other causes it requires you to switch on dipped headlights or front fog lights. Daytime running lights are weak and, more importantly, in most cars they do not switch on the rear position lights - in rain your car is almost invisible from behind. So in a downpour you switch on dipped headlights, slow down and increase your following distance, and if the wipers cannot cope, you stop in a safe place.
Legal basis: Art. 51 para. 2 and Art. 30 para. 1 point 1 letter a of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)