EU Bans Rolls-Royce’s Illuminated Spirit Of Ecstasy

[MX793]

No - it's to minimize upward light output. The goal is zero. It has everything to do with being green. And on this, I fully approve.
The EU isn't waist-deep in corpses because Hodges the chauffeur's view of a cyclist's arse was obscured by the boss's bonnet mascot

The US requires backup cameras in every new vehicle because 200 people are killed every rear because they are backed over.  The EU is even nuttier (though US vehicle lighting regulations are actually more stringent than EU).  I would not be surprised if "distracting glowing hood ornament" was viewed as a safety hazard.

[Laconian]

Soon we'll require cameras in the front, SUVs have such obnoxiously large front ends that a lot of toddlers are getting run over now.

[CaminoRacer]

Soon we'll require cameras in the front, SUVs have such obnoxiously large front ends that a lot of toddlers are getting run over now.

Survival of the tallest.

[Morris Minor]

I'm 60 miles north of Atlanta & it clearly lights the skies to the south here. A lot of gas & coal & nukes go into powering all that.

[Soup DeVille]

The US requires backup cameras in every new vehicle because 200 people are killed every rear because they are backed over.  The EU is even nuttier (though US vehicle lighting regulations are actually more stringent than EU).  I would not be surprised if "distracting glowing hood ornament" was viewed as a safety hazard.

The unintended fallout of that is that carmakers only give the faintest nod towards rearward visibility now, because why worry about it.

[MX793]

The unintended fallout of that is that carmakers only give the faintest nod towards rearward visibility now, because why worry about it.

To be fair, they didn't seem to care much before.  Gen5 Camaro was pre-backup camera.   Even the gen6 cars didn't have it as standard when they came out.

[veeman]

Regarding light pollution I was all into that and kept my house lights off at night for the first few years I moved to my neighborhood which is a very woodsy area.  Then a few years ago, car theft was becoming frequent.  Car thieves would scope out houses by day looking for patterns and then at night steal people's cars out of their driveways by night.  In my town and neighboring towns, it was being reported seemingly daily. So now I don't give a rat's ass about light pollution.  I keep my house and driveway lit up all night. 

[Soup DeVille]

To be fair, they didn't seem to care much before.  Gen5 Camaro was pre-backup camera.   Even the gen6 cars didn't have it as standard when they came out.

This is fair; however it seems that some did care, on some cars; and nobody gives a rat's ass now.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Regarding light pollution I was all into that and kept my house lights off at night for the first few years I moved to my neighborhood which is a very woodsy area.  Then a few years ago, car theft was becoming frequent.  Car thieves would scope out houses by day looking for patterns and then at night steal people's cars out of their driveways by night.  In my town and neighboring towns, it was being reported seemingly daily. So now I don't give a rat's ass about light pollution.  I keep my house and driveway lit up all night. 

My front porch light is on 24/7. Otherwise, I'd be in a dark corner and creeps would be creepin
It's an LED, so it doesn't draw much power.

[FoMoJo]

Regarding light pollution I was all into that and kept my house lights off at night for the first few years I moved to my neighborhood which is a very woodsy area.  Then a few years ago, car theft was becoming frequent.  Car thieves would scope out houses by day looking for patterns and then at night steal people's cars out of their driveways by night.  In my town and neighboring towns, it was being reported seemingly daily. So now I don't give a rat's ass about light pollution.  I keep my house and driveway lit up all night. 

You don't use motion sensors?  A blinding array of lights suddenly coming on tends to scare away prowlers.  Can be a bit annoying if there are cats, etc. wandering around at night.  Tends to startle them as well though.

[Laconian]

Some house in a nearby neighbor has gone all in on BRIGHT WHITE LEDs all over the fucking place, with no motion sensors. It casts enormous long shadows when you pass by. Some of the lights in the landscape are so bright I can use them to do hand puppets on the houses across the street. Sorry about your melatonin folks LOL

[Morris Minor]

Regarding light pollution I was all into that and kept my house lights off at night for the first few years I moved to my neighborhood which is a very woodsy area.  Then a few years ago, car theft was becoming frequent.  Car thieves would scope out houses by day looking for patterns and then at night steal people's cars out of their driveways by night.  In my town and neighboring towns, it was being reported seemingly daily. So now I don't give a rat's ass about light pollution.  I keep my house and driveway lit up all night. 

I would not forego nighttime lighting where there's a case for it. But I'd be looking for units that only put the light where needed. I don't want the cost of lighting up the sky on my electricity bill.

[cawimmer430]

I fail to see how the illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy would be a distraction at night. Chances are you'd see the two headlights of the Rolls Royce coming towards you with a weakly illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy in the center, barely popping and barely noticeable.

Living in the EU and seeing the insane daily decisions they make leads me to believe it's just another dumb law which they're forcing on us just because they can...

[Laconian]

France required those weird yellow lenses over headlights for the longest time, until at least the mid 80's...

[FoMoJo]

I fail to see how the illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy would be a distraction at night. Chances are you'd see the two headlights of the Rolls Royce coming towards you with a weakly illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy in the center, barely popping and barely noticeable.

Living in the EU and seeing the insane daily decisions they make leads me to believe it's just another dumb law which they're forcing on us just because they can...

I would think that it apples more the driver of the Rolls than the driver of any oncoming vehicle.

[MX793]

I fail to see how the illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy would be a distraction at night. Chances are you'd see the two headlights of the Rolls Royce coming towards you with a weakly illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy in the center, barely popping and barely noticeable.

Living in the EU and seeing the insane daily decisions they make leads me to believe it's just another dumb law which they're forcing on us just because they can...

Distracting to the Rolls' own driver, not so much oncoming cars.

[FoMoJo]

Distracting to the Rolls' own driver, not so much oncoming cars.

All the oncoming car drivers would see are the blinding headlights of the Rolls while the Roll's driver would be mesmerized by Ecstasy's twinkling butt.

[veeman]

You don't use motion sensors?  A blinding array of lights suddenly coming on tends to scare away prowlers.  Can be a bit annoying if there are cats, etc. wandering around at night.  Tends to startle them as well though.

No motion sensors.  I figure if would be thieves are scoping out houses/driveways, they know which ones are well lit at night and will avoid those compared with dark ones.  I keep our Infiniti garaged.  The Crosstrek is often outside but that's not exactly sought after and they might not be able to drive a stick shift anyways.

[veeman]

I would not forego nighttime lighting where there's a case for it. But I'd be looking for units that only put the light where needed. I don't want the cost of lighting up the sky on my electricity bill.

My house/driveway is not like a Christmas tree but it is lit.  I'd rather it not because I like to see stars but safety takes precedence.  Electricity for LED lights is pretty cheap. 

[Raza]

The unintended fallout of that is that carmakers only give the faintest nod towards rearward visibility now, because why worry about it.

I think it's the other way around. Front crash regs raised the hoods, which raised the belt lines, which raised the rears. Then people couldn't see out the back, people starting backing into shit, so car manufacturers put cameras in. Then they became mandated.

[Raza]

I fail to see how the illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy would be a distraction at night. Chances are you'd see the two headlights of the Rolls Royce coming towards you with a weakly illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy in the center, barely popping and barely noticeable.

Living in the EU and seeing the insane daily decisions they make leads me to believe it's just another dumb law which they're forcing on us just because they can...

Not to other drivers, to the driver of the Rolls.

[cawimmer430]

Wouldn't Rolls-Royce be smart enough to engineer the figure's rear to perhaps emit a low to no light? They couldn't be that dumb... 

[FoMoJo]

Wouldn't Rolls-Royce be smart enough to engineer the figure's rear to perhaps emit a low to no light?

I guess not

[cawimmer430]

Well dang! There's the proof I guess that humanity is getting dumber!

[CaminoRacer]

Looks pretty ugly and tacky so I'm glad it's banned

[FoMoJo]

Well dang! There's the proof I guess that humanity is getting dumber!

If it was still a British company, that would never have happened.   They would have a statue of Margaret Thatcher on the hood by now.

[AutobahnSHO]

Soon we'll require cameras in the front, SUVs have such obnoxiously large front ends that a lot of toddlers are getting run over now.

I read a comparo of Rogue, CR-V, Rav4, and one other (escape?) and they talked about the "all around cameras" as a feature that's becoming more common now. I could definitely use it for wife to park minivan in the garage (she worries about hitting stuff) but for smaller vehicles......

[cawimmer430]

If it was still a British company, that would never have happened.   They would have a statue of Margaret Thatcher on the hood by now.

Once Kim Jong Merkel has ruined Germany and turned this once amazing country into a socialist-communist Shit Hole, I suspect state-owned Daimler will be forced to replace the Mercedes' star on the hood with a Merkel figurehead.

[shp4man]

Once Kim Jong Merkel has ruined Germany and turned this once amazing country into a socialist-communist Shit Hole, I suspect state-owned Daimler will be forced to replace the Mercedes' star on the hood with a Merkel figurehead.

[Eye of the Tiger]

EU is the world's largest HOA. You may not deviate from the established guidelines. Lights must be visible for safety, but lights must be invisible to bystanders, flora and fauna. Vehicle exteriors may be painted only gray or beige. Tires must be round and black, but must be of a non marking compound. Combustion engines may not be run before, or after dark.