Please use your lights

[sebberry]

Once again I am astonished by the number of people who feel headlights AND TAIL LIGHTS don't need to be on when it is rainy and foggy.

Perhaps Skidmark can write a Behind The Wheel column about this. I know our lighting and illumination laws are ass-backwards in North America but come on, it doesn't take much common sense to use your lights properly.

[124Y]

+1
Also, there are a lot of people who drive with their high beams on all the time.

[zulutango]

Then there are the real idiots who choose to drive with their PARK LIGHTS on. You are missing the concept people. Why do you think they are called "park lights"?

[CivicTypeRice]

WTF are park lights? DRL"S?

[zulutango]

You're kidding, right? Park lights are the first position on your headlight switch. They are supposed to be used when you park your vehicle after dark and you want it to be visible. DRLs are the lights that automatically turn on when you drive the car. They are headlights/front lights only. The people Skidmark is talking about, are driving with only the DRLs on.

[stevo911_]

what would it take for them to change the laws concerning DRL's so that one of two things happens:
a) The dash lights dont come on with your DRL's, they're activated ONLY when headlights/taillights are activated
or
B) Tail lights are on all the time alongside DRL's?

[Gh0stRider]

why not make auto lights mandatory? i had them on my previous vehicle, and my headlights would turn on automatically when it senses its getting dark out. Don't even have to turn the dial.

[d1]

Originally Posted by TRD604

why not make auto lights mandatory? i had them on my previous vehicle, and my headlights would turn on automatically when it senses its getting dark out. Don't even have to turn the dial.

What if you want to blind attack?

[wing_woo]

Originally Posted by TRD604

why not make auto lights mandatory? i had them on my previous vehicle, and my headlights would turn on automatically when it senses its getting dark out. Don't even have to turn the dial.

My car has auto lights, but I never use it just cause I hate how it doesn't turn off right after turning off the car. It waits like 30 seconds or a minute first before shutting off (can't remember if it was 30 seconds or a minute).
What I hate is all these new cars have gauges that light up when you turn on your car. If it were like the old cars where they don't turn on unless the lights were on, then people wouldn't forget to turn on their lights as often. I remember when it was like that, when I look to see my speed, I'll realize I forgot my headlights right away.

[stevo911_]

^exactly why I think they should change the regs. If the lights on the front of your vehicle are on, and your dash lights are on, theres no feedback to less aware drivers that they're not visible from the rear.
either that or turn it into something like a 9 point offense so it encourages drivers to pull their head out of their rear end

[skyxx]

I think everyone should keep a spare headllight bulb in their car just in case one dies out. I get irritated when people's lights go out. Especially at night.

[!SG]

this opens a whole bag of pet peeves!

- ppl that are unaware their lights arent even on in the pitch dark. you look over and they are trying to raise themselves up, or pull themselves forward or even squint their eyes because its not bright enough to see!

- ppl that have their high beams on! and why is it almost always a corolla driver or a civic! the little blue light doesnt mean ur lights are on, it means ur high beams are on and blinding EVERYONE in opposiing traffic!

- ppl that drive around with burn out light bulbs! Its always a headlight bulb, or especially the tail light bulb that is out! Most cars, at least the ones ive driven, are equipt with an indicator saying ur tail lights are out, and its pretty obvious if the headlight bulb is burnt!

[Brianrietta]

Originally Posted by !SG

Most cars, at least the ones ive driven, are equipt with an indicator saying ur tail lights are out, and its pretty obvious if the headlight bulb is burnt!

Fancy. My jeeps sure don't have anything like that.

[stevo911_]

Originally Posted by !SG

the little blue light doesnt mean ur lights are on, it means ur high beams are on and blinding EVERYONE in opposiing traffic!

Most cars, at least the ones ive driven, are equipt with an indicator saying ur tail lights are out, and its pretty obvious if the headlight bulb is burnt!

I think you're giving the general population too much credit, my sister drove 50KM in one of her old cars with the "little red aladdin's lamp" light on because she didnt know what it was. those idiot lights on the dash can be pretty confusing

[Gh0stRider]

Originally Posted by d1

What if you want to blind attack?

disable it, which i did..hah

Originally Posted by wing_woo

My car has auto lights, but I never use it just cause I hate how it doesn't turn off right after turning off the car. It waits like 30 seconds or a minute first before shutting off (can't remember if it was 30 seconds or a minute).

mine worked differently. mine didn't stay on when i turned off the car.

[wnderinguy]

I saw the wierdest thing today, a newer Dodge Caliber that when it activated its turn signal the headlight would go off and when the signal was canceled the headlight came back on.Okay,thats not the weird part ,he/she was switching lanes and it was only the passenger signal/headlight that was activating i.e. changing lanes to pass it was the wrong turn signal that was illuminating so it was actually dangerous if anyone would have tried to pass them assuming they were indicating they were turning off the highway.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by zulutango

You're kidding, right? Park lights are the first position on your headlight switch. They are supposed to be used when you park your vehicle after dark and you want it to be visible. DRLs are the lights that automatically turn on when you drive the car. They are headlights/front lights only. The people Skidmark is talking about, are driving with only the DRLs on.

Park lights, DRLs, brake lights, etc.. all the same

I do wish that DRLs could be turned off (while leaving the corner markers on) when fog lights are being used.

I solved the whole "you have the wrong lights on" problem a long time ago. I simply leave the switch at the low-beam headlight setting and never change it. The lights turn on and off with the car.

I also carry spare headlamp bulbs.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by wnderinguy

I saw the wierdest thing today, a newer Dodge Caliber that when it activated its turn signal the headlight would go off and when the signal was canceled the headlight came back on.Okay,thats not the weird part ,he/she was switching lanes and it was only the passenger signal/headlight that was activating i.e. changing lanes to pass it was the wrong turn signal that was illuminating so it was actually dangerous if anyone would have tried to pass them assuming they were indicating they were turning off the highway.

Huh? The turn signal turns off the headlamp on the same side of the car that the signal is on. You're saying it was shutting off the other side instead?

I believe the signal only shuts off the lights when in DRL mode, not when the low-beam headlamps are on.

[zulutango]

This only happens when the headlights are not actually being used. It used to be technically illegal to have the headlight/drl go out but Transport Canada gave them an exemption. This was done only last summer.

[wing_woo]

Don't think cars tell you that your headlights aren't working. They only have warning lights if your brake lights aren't working and lots of people I think don't even know what it means when they see their brake indicator light up. I've seen Civics (which have a total of 5 brake lamps in the back, 2 on each side and the high mounted one) have only one working brake light. It really irritates me. If one's dead, fine, you didn't know, but when 4 out of 5 are not working anymore, then you really shouldn't be driving if you don't know that you're missing more than half of your brake lights.

[jlenko]

Originally Posted by wing_woo

Don't think cars tell you that your headlights aren't working. They only have warning lights if your brake lights aren't working and lots of people I think don't even know what it means when they see their brake indicator light up. I've seen Civics (which have a total of 5 brake lamps in the back, 2 on each side and the high mounted one) have only one working brake light. It really irritates me. If one's dead, fine, you didn't know, but when 4 out of 5 are not working anymore, then you really shouldn't be driving if you don't know that you're missing more than half of your brake lights.

Depends on the car... my old 1985 Mercury Capri had a little panel with LED's that told you if one of the bulbs was out.. headlights, marker lights, brake lights, etc... it was pretty neat. I'm surprised there are idiot lights for everything else in a car nowadays, but still not the lights burnt out.

[wing_woo]

yeah, I know. But even if they had that light, half the people wouldn't even know. I had to tell my friend once that the reason the 'brake' light was lighted up was because his brake light was burnt out.

[sebberry]

My old car had the dash light warning of a burned out brake light but my new one doesn't. I usually catch it within a day anyway since I always back-in when I park.

[sebberry]

The government says it is ok for me to use fog lamps instead of headlights...

Originally Posted by Government

Fog lamps
4.11 (1) A motor vehicle may be equipped with 2 fog lamps, mounted on the front of the vehicle below the headlamps, that are capable of displaying only white or amber light.

(2) Each fog lamp must be

(a) mounted not more than 30 cm below the headlamps, and

(b) adjusted and aimed so that, at a distance of 8 m from the lamp, the centre of the beam is at least 10 cm below the height of the fog lamp.

(3) The fog lamp wiring and switch must permit simultaneous operation of the parking lamps, tail lamps, licence plate lamp and, if required, clearance lamps.

(4) The operator of a vehicle may use fog lamps instead of headlamps when atmospheric conditions make the use of headlamps disadvantageous.

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]

Now I know that fiddling with the wires on my own car is outlawed by said government, however if I re-wire the lighting system in a way that causes the lights to be compliant with the regulations, is that OK?

My car's fog lamps are wired so that they will only come on with the low-beam headlights which is really dumb, especially when driving in thick fog or snow and I don't want the back-scatter from the low-beam lights (or even DRLs.)

[zulutango]

If is is bad enough that you need fog lights, then you will NOT want high beams on. Trust me, I spent 13 years driving in (a) fog on the east coast of Nfld.