Do we really need to drive with our lights on - Foggy

[72doug2,2S]

It can be foggy in SWFL winters. I tend to use my GPS to get my bearings. It's a life saver, that and lights.

[Geronimo '74]

My lights are on, day or night, rain or shine.
Always on.

[Baz]

My '02 Silverado's lights turn on and off automatically depending on the photo electric sensor. I don't have to do anything.

I can over ride the system very easily if i want but I usually just let the truck do it's thing.

[GH85Carrera]

I only turn my light on in the rain or at dusk and night. The other night we were driving at 40 minutes after sunset. There was no light except street lights and other cars. Some idiot in front of me was in a dirty silver vehicle with the lights off. He was in stealth mode. He should have been pulled over and have the car impounded and have an expensive ticket. It was totally brainless of him (or her.)

My wife's Macan is a modern car and has daylight running lights and automatic headlights.

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by Heel n Toe

I've seen that in town here. I think it probably happens when people come out of a restaurant in a brightly lit parking lot and street lights are plenty bright enough for them to see where they're going.

Does seem strange when you have to consider the fact that their dash lights wouldn't be on, though.

I think it also has to do with the proliferation of electroluminescent instrument panels in modern cars. With or without headlamps, the IP is always lit, now. The only difference is the little headlamp indicator light that comes on when you turn on your lights. But the ability to read the IP is otherwise the same.

Contrast that to older cars, where the dash lights do not come on unless you turn on the headlamps. Then, if you didn't turn them on, you wouldn't be able to see anything on the IP or dash!

[Geary]

I rented a brand new Rav4 for 1-way CA to OR recently, and the low beams were illuminating at high beam level. I had drivers flashing me all the way.

In order to deal with oncoming high beams (or misadjusted headlights), carry a brimmed cap in your car. It really helps my old eyes to tip the brim barely enough to block oncoming lights.

[kach22i]

I'm a "lights on" guy, have been since I had a motorcycle in 1980 in which the lights were always on.

Last year I was a passenger, one of my friends was driving his Mini. I consider my friend a good but somewhat aggressive driver, he's very attentive and has good situational awareness. He just has a lead foot and is hard on the brakes.

Anyway it was the road conditions where I typically would turn on my lights. I first hinted to turn on the lights, then recommended he turn on the lights, and finally asked him why he hadn't turned on his lights.

He said "I can see fine".

I informed him that the lights were not for him, they were for others, so they could see him passing them and would also be less likely to cut him off.

He was astounded, claimed he's never heard of this before.

I think some car drivers are unaware of basic safety measures they can take to avoid incidents.

They just don't think outside of themselves and are unable to see things from other people's perspective.

Then there is this other class of drivers that like to "stealth it", usually a neutral gray car in poor visibility conditions lurking in your blind spot. They get off on being on the edge and living in the danger zone. It makes them feel alive being close to death. I guess.

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by Heel n Toe

I've seen that in town here. I think it probably happens when people come out of a restaurant in a brightly lit parking lot and street lights are plenty bright enough for them to see where they're going.

Does seem strange when you have to consider the fact that their dash lights wouldn't be on, though.

Originally Posted by pavulon

My Subaru has the dash lights on all the time.

So does the wife's Hyundai and many other cars.
Ghost cars, cars driving with just DTL, is such a problem that our government is mandating all new cars with lit dashes must have automatic lights. I've done it myself in her car as my DD has auto lights.

My 914 I use the driving lights as daytime running lights, in bad conditions I always turn my lights on.

[cabmandone]

No you're not out of line. I have wondered why headlights don't come on when you start the engine? I'm not talking about daytime running lights as people drive late in the evening not realizing that the taillights don't come on with DTRL's. If people can't afford to replace a bulb a little more often they probably shouldn't be driving.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by kach22i

-snip-

I think some car drivers are unaware

-snip-

You got that right, bruddah!

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by kach22i

Anyway it was the road conditions where I typically would turn on my lights. I first hinted to turn on the lights, then recommended he turn on the lights, and finally asked him why he hadn't turned on his lights.

He said "I can see fine".

I informed him that the lights were not for him, they were for others, so they could see him passing them and would also be less likely to cut him off.

He was astounded, claimed he's never heard of this before.

That's pretty much status quo here in La La Land. People around here are so self-absorbed, they have no concept of thinking about things from others' perspectives. Turn signals, headlights. No concept that these things exist not just for you, but for others around you, as well.

[sammyg2]

Seems like every day going to work or on the way home (dark both ways) I see newer cars with the headlights on but no tail or parking lights on.

Driver's licences are waaaay too easy to get.

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Seems like every day going to work or on the way home (dark both ways) I see newer cars with the headlights on but no tail or parking lights on.

Driver's licences are waaaay too easy to get.

The reason is LED dashes that have a backlight, Let's face it, in the days of automatic everything people are getting stupider.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Seems like every day going to work or on the way home (dark both ways) I see newer cars with the headlights on but no tail or parking lights on.

Driver's licences are waaaay too easy to get.

Again, Daytime Running Lights. They're bright enough to drive when it's a little dark so when someone pulls out of the garage they think their lights are on not knowing it's the DTRL's and the taillights don't come on with DTRL's. I know better and have caught myself driving at dark hours with nothing but the DTRL's.

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I got pulled over in Germany once for running my fog lights in a torrential downpour. Female cop got soaked walking up to my window. I was sure she was gonna cite me. She asked if I had heard her command on the loudspeaker. Nope. She then said no fog lights allowed unless visibility is less than 30m. No ticket. I couldn't believe it. Live and learn.

That's strange. I remember on the DL test in Germany that you could only use fog lights in the FOG and HEAVY RAIN. Maybe my recollection is incorrect.

At any rate, I stick to that and enforce it with my teenage driver.

It drives me crazy to see people every day with fog lights on...no fog, no rain. I guess they think it looks cool.

[Mark Henry]

Canada was the first country to mandate daytime running lights in 1989, now they are also requiring all new cars have automatic lights by 2020 because of "ghost" or "phantom cars".

New safety rules aim at 'phantom vehicles' running at night without lights - Politics - CBC News

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

That's strange. I remember on the DL test in Germany that you could only use fog lights in the FOG and HEAVY RAIN. Maybe my recollection is incorrect.

At any rate, I stick to that and enforce it with my teenage driver.

It drives me crazy to see people every day with fog lights on...no fog, no rain. I guess they think it looks cool.

TBH, cars in Europe have rear foglights, which I assume come on when you turn the fronts on. So I can see how it would be distracting. We don't have rear foglights in the US. Though that cop in Germany was in front of me, so my front fogs were bothering her. In Germany they usually pull you over by pulling in front of you and then a sign on the rear of their car lights up and tells you to stop.

[VincentVega]

I almost rear ended someone the other day. Really foggy, driving right into the sun. I missed by a few inches, only saw them when they jammed on the brakes , DRL only.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

That's strange. I remember on the DL test in Germany that you could only use fog lights in the FOG and HEAVY RAIN. Maybe my recollection is incorrect.

At any rate, I stick to that and enforce it with my teenage driver.

It drives me crazy to see people every day with fog lights on...no fog, no rain. I guess they think it looks cool.

And all this time I thought fog lights on my truck were only to be used when an ahole in a hybrid cuts in front of me and drives 55 in the fast lane.
Silly friggin me

[svandamme]

modernb DLR lights on AUTO, don't turn on in the fog.
People have lights on the dash, and they think they have lights ...
People are stupid.
So are car manufacturers en regulators since they made DLRS mandatory but did not specify that the rear lights should work as well. So they don't.