This weekend, the winter period ends, and the summer time period begins. It is a practice that we continue to maintain by inertia, until the EU legislators finally abolish it, and until then we will have to move the hands on all “non-smart” clocks in houses and cars. The change is happening this Sunday, March 28at 2 o’clock in the night – the hands need to be moved one hour ahead so that time in 2 hours counts as 3. So, we will sleep an hour less, and for faithful followers of Formula 1, this means getting up even earlier, because the Japanese Grand Prix is on the program at 7 a.m. – in the new, summer time.
Daytime running lights until 31.3.
When it comes to car-related changes, two more seasonal shifts are happening these days: the obligation to use daytime running lights or dipped headlights during the day and the use of winter equipment ends.
According to the current Law on Road Traffic Safety (Art. 102), daytime running lights or dipped beam headlights must be turned on on motor vehicles during daytime driving in the period from November 1 to March 31. This means that the obligation to turn on the lights during the day this year ends two days after we move the hands of the clock. On motorcycles and mopeds, dipped headlights must be on during daytime driving all year round. The fine for violating the light regulations is 30 euros.
Winter tires until 15.4.
With the arrival of spring, another obligation for drivers changes, and that is the one related to winter equipment. Car owners who put winter tires on them will be legally allowed to return the summer tires in two weeks, i.e. after April 15, when the obligation to use winter equipment ends according to the law.
