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john in la

Well-known Member
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What part of in La do you not understand
Saw the attached picture on the internet and with all the rain we have been having thought it might be nice to have a discussion on car head lights. While most people think of head lights as a way for you to see at night that is only partly true. Headlights like other lights on a car help others to see you way more than you seeing at night; especially in suburban areas with street lights.

1) Headlights should be used 24/7 no matter how bright the sun is shining. Your chances of being in a accident are greatly reduced with your headlights on in the day time.

2) Driving and or fog lights are not headlights. They should only be used in bad weather conditions such as for or rain. Yes they make you look cool; and yes they help you see at night. The reason being driving lights are much brighter than headlights. And when it comes to lights brighter is not always better because of the blinding effect on others.

3) Four way flashers are not headlights. If it is raining or the weather is bad enough that you feel you must turn on your flashers then maybe it is time for you to take the next safe exit off the road and wait the bad weather out.

4) Here is the most important one so take note. Even if you can not bring yourself to follow any of the above you should think about this.
When it is raining; or lets say if your windshield wipers are on; YOUR HEADLIGHTS SHOULD BE ON!!!!!!!
The picture shows what you look like to a truck driver in the rain when you do not have your headlights on.
And while it is true that if a truck driver pulls over and hits you in a situation like this it will be the truck drivers fault.
But you have to also consider that if you are hit by a big truck going 60 or 70 mph it can be my fault; your fault; nobody's fault; You are still just as dead.

Your thoughts are welcome.



a163071.jpg
 
4) It is the law in most states.
That does not seem to help as I see many with no headlights on in the rain.
And the chances of a cop stopping you in the rain for no headlights on are slim to none because the officer is not getting out of his dry car for such a small offence.
Hence the reason for the post.

As they say if you can change one persons mind or save one life the discussion was worth it.
 
Exactly!!! You can't imagine how many cars come by here in a heavy fog or real early morning without lights on. Scares the living daylights out of me to go across the road to check or feed cattle in those conditions. I knew a woman who was nearly killed because she pulled out in a fog and was hit by a car with no lights. She had a long road to recovery.
My F250 is rigged so that when the key is on,the headlights are on dim.
 
The other thing to be aware of is on some newer cars with automatic headlights, they will not always come on in rain or fog because it is too light out for the sensors to turn them on. If you have them, you get used to not having to turn the lights on for darkness as they are magically on when needed. But they don't come on for safety reasons, just darkness.
 
So many drivers out there today are mindless, inconsiderate, disrespectful and distracted opportunists ignorant to the reality of what it takes to be a safe operator of a motor vehicle. So many accidents that should never occur. I still cannot believe how much traffic has increased in this area, its incredible, fast becoming like it is in the NYC metropolitan area, locally here in the Albany area. They could care less about a simple thing like turning their lights on for safety, or knowing its a smart move to make yourself as visible as possible on the highway during rain or otherwise. Some have no clue as to the truck drivers side of it. Just the same there's as many truck drivers out there today that are just as unsafe. I see it every time I drive. I followed a tri-axle boom truck fully loaded with lumber and plywood a few weeks back on a 2 lane state road. The driver was weaving all over the road for miles. Kicking up stones and gravel from the shoulder, no regard for that and who is behind him. When I got to the intersection and while observing him in his own mirrors, you could see he was using a mobile device while driving. It's to the point you just want to sucker punch a guy like that and knock some sense into them because they are so stubbornly ignorant to respecting safety rules.

Young lady on the NYS thruway changes from the right lane to the passing lane without signaling yesterday, right in front of me. Opens her window and is then throwing things out the window. I'm right behind her and we are in a bit of a pack of cars which I try to avoid. She's then leaning over and below the windows, fooling with something, back and forth, weaving all over. I swear she was trying to change her clothes or something. Opportunity presented itself to get past her and I did. I then saw more of this erratic driving in my rear view mirror. It was not long she tried to pass me, to go nowhere as there's a line in front of us. I would not let her pass, just blocked her until she gave up. Arms up in the air, like WTH ? She was immediately upset at me for being exactly like her on the road and had no idea of her own actions. People today need to take a good long look in the mirror at how they drive on the roads.
 
Hasn't it been Louisiana law for many years to turn your lights on in the rain? I always turn mine on, I know I can't see the people who don't turn theirs on so I would not expect someone to see me without lights.
 
One Cadillac I had there was no control over the lights .They were all photocell. If it got dark in the rain they were on.
 
Called daytime running lights. Have been on the Canadian vehicles since the late 90's. Lights are on as soon as the vehicle starts. I know of a truck that was bought out of the U.S. we had to put a "daytime running lite module" on it in order to pass the vehicle safety. And that was a 2008 ford 1/2 ton. Different regs in different country's.

Ranch
 
Same for signals; they are as for communication that says: "I am here and I plan to do this" - and in EVERY direction, not just behind. Even coming out of a driveway, a signal can tell a lot to traffic.
Assuming they pay any attention.
I get wary of things like:"if you can change one persons mind or save one life the discussion was worth it." (or "if a law saves one life", etc)because everything has an opposite number. If the same discussion or action COSTS one life, is it still worth it?
An awful lot of folk think so.
(yes, that happens - even if the news doesn't trumpet the fact).
 
Lights that come on automatically will make a driver an IGNORANT FOOL. Just like all the other safety features like backup cameras and the side warning systems. Drivers will learn to rely on the car instead of becoming a good driver.
I have started to turn my AUTOMATIC lights on in the morning so that they do not turn off automatically while en route to work.

I really do not like people not having their lights on during bad weather but, maybe they just plain forgot. I try to be understanding about it, but forgetting something like this can get them killed.

In the end it comes down to this, I will drive my vehicle my way and you get to drive yours, your way.
SDE
 
My 2013 Ram, In the DIC (Drivers information center) there is a setting to cause the lights to go on with the wipers.
 
Your last sentence ...... "In the end it comes down to this, I will drive my vehicle my way and you get to drive yours, your way".

Somehow, I'm not sure that's the best advice for you or anyone else here on the forum. Is that the way things work while on the road? I don't think so.
 
On a clear sunny day I don't think lights help anything. If someone doesn't see you it's because they are more interested in their text message than watching traffic. The lights wouldn't matter either way. I do agree when it get a little dark especially if it raining everyone should have their lights on but how do you fairly regulate it. That would be an interpretation as to the visibility in different circumstances. One person may have a good clear windshield with good wipers where they have no problem seeing and another person might have an old scratched up windshield with less than perfect wipers. Here in Texas they only inspect wipers once a year and they will only fail if they are crumbling off the arm. They don't wet the windshield and see just how well they work.
 
Lights on 24/7 is probably the best defense against distracted drivers too. Since the jerks drive along looking at their gizmos and not the road -- lights would certainly help when they do decide to look where they're going.
 
Since we're talking headlights this looks to be a good place to vent on something that's got my shorts bunched up. My wife's car takes H-11 light bulbs, as in 21$ a pop (and that's for the cheapies)! Boy oh boy do they pop. We've only had the thing one year and we're on our second set already. To make it worse you have to practically take the whole front of the car apart to get to them. Now here's the kicker, the rated service life of these bulbs is only 150 hours. Let me say that again 150 HOURS! So what idiot ing-ga-neer thought this was a good idea? Based on the amount time we use the vehicle, just having them on at night, we'll be replacing them 2 or 3 times a year. That's 100$ a year just for head lamps!! Back in the day, if I recall correct, head lamps were rated for 2000 hours. Is it just me or does anybody else have a problem with this? I think this country started to go down hill about the time they switched from round sealed single beams to those ugly square ones and it just gets worse and worse. Don't get me wrong I'm not a luddite, but geeze technology should improve things not change merely for the sake of change.

So, no John, I will not be leaving my headlights on 24/7

JD
 
I am not European nor am I Canadian. I hate daytime running lights and have disabled them on any car I have owned that had them. Many studies in the US show NO advantage to having them.

Do what you want and I will also do what I want.

A 2008 study by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration analysed the effect of DRLs on frontal and side-on crashes between two vehicles and on vehicle collisions with pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. The analysis determined that DRLs offer no statistically significant reduction in the frequency or severity of the collisions studied, except for a reduction in light trucks' and vans' involvement in two-vehicle crashes by a statistically significant 5.7%.
 
There's two ways to look at this. One is, back BEFORE there was an electronic device in at least one hand of a driver (and often both hands!), having lights on made a huge improvement in safety. However, lights on or lights off....it won't make any difference to someone who has their eyes glued to their cell phone!!

I first learned about driving with headlights back in the early-90's while making my first trip to Finland. It was law there to have headlights on.....I think in the urban areas, but you could turn them off on rural roads. Maybe I have that backwards. Can't remember as I've slept a few times since then. However, I immediately noticed the difference and started the practice here, using headlights on low "most" of the time.

Now with this newest truck of ours (a 2004), the daytime running lights come on automatically, and there's no guarantee that they'll be on at all. I agree that having the lights come on automatically makes people less alert to the use of lights, but not just in using them, but also in NOTICING them on other vehicles!! It's fast becoming just part of the norm, and is overlooked by folks who make no conscientious effort to ensure they have lights on in the daytime. It's the actual act of remembering to turn lights on (in my opinion) that results in the use of daytime lights actually making a positive difference.

In the end, lawmakers and automakers have made these auto-on lights on all newer vehicles, which as I agreed to is dumbing us down. But there's a lot to be said for trying to prevent every death or injury out there. I mean, if we as a species ever get to a point where virtually nobody dies due to their own stupidity, ....just how many stupid idiots will be overrunning our world?!?!? :shock: ...And then they breed and multiply, teach their offspring the same horrible habits and perpetuate the problem! :shock: :shock:

....Think I'll go back to bed! *lol*
 
I like the way my wife's car lights work. They come on promptly if it gets a bit dim and come on automatically when the wipers are turned on for 30 seconds. They won't turn on if you just wash the windshield.
 
I do believe they make a small difference. I don't really compare them to ABS or similar safety devices. They're LIGHTS. I mean, get real. To actually go and disable a vehicle with DRL is just foolish. Now you've gone and made your self less visible on the road, and if anything were to happen, and it was found that you intentionally disabled a safety feature, luck would not be on your side. I don't really think that having lights on during the day that you can't see yourself, is going to make you complacent. ABS and traction control make you complacent. You get use to having it, and before you know it, you completely rely on them. ABS, you all too easily come to rely on. Traction control, I don't find that it kicks in too often on the road, but when it does, it usually helps. I've played with it in a parking lot, and really find it amazing what it can do. The way it grabs hold and tries to keep you straight, it's amazing technology, but it absolutely can make you complacent.
 
There is a napkin covering the sensor on the dash of the p/u to turn the lights on as soon as you start it. In Illinois, the law says, lights on if atmospheric conditions require it,poorly written law.
I have had people coming at me on clear days, doing nothing wrong, and you just can t see them coming till you are in the left lane trying to pass the 45 MPH slow car in front of you.
 
I"ve noticed that there is no shortage of truckers who run well into the evening with either no lights on, or just some warning lights. Just like car drivers. And it"s easy to figure out when a GM built pickup is coming at you....one of the running lights will be burned out if the truck is a few years old. Owners don"t bother to check them.
 
You both need to take into account that there is something else at play here...
The mostly forgotten "rules of the road."
There are long established rules that dictate how one should behave while behind the wheel. They spell out simple things like turning on lights when visibility is low - like during dusk/dawn/rain/fog weather. Other things like when to yield.
Driving is NOT a "do as you like" operation. Driving is a full time job while you are operating the vehicle whether it be a small car, a big truck, or a bus.

Those who "do as they like" are soon involved in collisions. Not accidents. Collisions.
 
Kinda odd don't you think that years ago when they made it mandatory for all new motorcycles to have the headlights on when running? For several years the motorcycle accident rate went down, then right back up again. Study I read claimed that after the first couple of years people were so use to seeing motorcycles with the head light on that they "stopped" seeing them again. So in the long run if what they said way back then is true, cars with headlights on 24/7 will soon not be seen again.

Yea MN has the rain/headlight law too. And yes, in bad weather I think they should be on.

Rick
 
I know what you mean John. Not only rain, but here in MI, a big problem in winter is silver and white cars in a snowstorm with no headlights on. When plowing snow and making a whirlwind of snow behind me, I see many cars coming at me with no headlights on, and I'll flash my lights numerous times at them and they don't get it. I don't care if they want to do that, as long as they don't get disoriented heading into the blowing wall of snow and hit someone following me safely.
 
When installing new bulbs ,great care must be taken not to physically touch the bulb with your fingers. Yes easier said than done. Oil on your fingers contaminate the bulb , shortening its life . Just saying. CM
 
I would add one more. A 30 day mandatory jail term for anyone putting in illegal headlight bulbs that are a danger to everyone on the highway!
 
I am blinded enough by the headlights at night, I DO NOT need to be blinded by them in the day time as well. Lots of times if you did not have them on it could be told where you are, with them on you cannot tell where you are.
 
My insurance company, USAA, has a rebate on your insurance if you have automatic daylight lights. Small, but still leads me to believe if they think enough about this to offer a decrease in policy cost, then there must be something to it.

"Daytime Running Lights
Daytime running lights are installed on the front of a vehicle and automatically turn on when your vehicle is started. These lights only turn on if your headlights are not in use.
A credit may be given for vehicles equipped with daytime running lights"
 
I used to drive with a CDL, and saw more than enough idiots out there to give it up.

Used to be a volunteer fireman, and was amazed and irritated that so many "qualified licensed drivers" could not hear a siren nor see a firetruck or ambulance with full lights going behind them and pull over for at least a quarter mile or more.

I wish I could have pulled over two separate state troopers who were driving in the rain with lights off, or the one who passed me in a double yellow line zone in 4" of slush in a winter storm, with no emergency, nor even headlights on.
 
All these comments about the dangers of improperly using or not using headlights even to the point of locking someone up for 30 days for having bright lights and no one thought how distracted the truck driver was while taking pictures of his mirror when driving. I wonder if he posted that pic while driving.
 
All these comments about the dangers of improperly using or not using headlights even to the point of locking someone up for 30 days for having bright lights and no one thought how distracted the truck driver was while taking pictures of his mirror when driving. I wonder if he posted that pic while driving.
 
John, good common sense suggestions.

Every time industry or government do anything to improve public safety like daytime running lights, automatic headlights, air bags, improved driver training or testing, stricter license requirements, better roads, etc., there are large groups of people complaining about the cost, electronics, change from the way things were before, manipulation by big brother, etc. There's no way to keep everyone happy.
 
One time While driving a big rig in a hard rain, I saw something strange in the rear view mirror. I studied it, only to find out I had been seeing the orange of a safety vest the driver of a pickup was wearing. I couldn't see the pickup till he was along side my trailer.
Tim in OR
 
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