Sometimes I have to drive after dark in my city, and it never fails that if I drive any appreciable distance that I always see at least one person (often more) driving with their lights off. I do not need to tell y’all why this is dangerous. We’re a community of enthusiasts. We know. Plenty of us are driving older cars that predate the tech.
It’s not like they don’t mandate lots of shit already. Seatbelts, head restraints, airbags, and backup cameras are some of the most sensible things ever required for cars to have. Why are automatic headlights not on this list? There also needs to exist a mandate whereby the lights turn on if the driver turns on the wipers. Because if you need your wipers, you need your lights too. It’s common freaking sense.
Your headlights aren’t just for seeing, but for being seen. Ambient light sensors are so cheap that they end up in midrange TVs all the time. I blame the backlit gauges and myriad other interior lights. Ergo, it’s time to mandate automatic headlights. There’s no reason not to.
I’ll get off my soapbox now.
Here in Sweden we have laws requiering headlight to be on when the car is moving, regardless of the time of day or year.
All cars for the last several decades have automatic headlights that turn on when the ignition turns on.
It is brilliant, it makes it so easy to dstinguish between parked cars abd cars that are moving, both as a driver and as a pedestrian.
Automatic full beams are also standard these days.
I agree! But hey, this is America. Did you know some cars are still being made with brake lights that function as turn signals instead of making turn signals a separate amber lamp on the rear of the vehicle like the rest of the world has been doing for decades? Cars and trucks like this are still everywhere here. It’s not required. It’s baffling!
There’s a couple dick moves like with the upper trim Jeep Cherokees and their super cool “switchback” LED tail lights. Red for brake, yellow for signal, BUT WHY DID YOU MAKE IT SO THE SIGNAL STILL OVERRIDES THE ENTIRE BRAKE LIGHT?
I hate it when people import these shitty cars and jump through some loopholes to keep their stupid ass red blibkers. Go move there please.
Automatic full beams are the work of the devil. I tried them and the number of times I blinded some poor driver, cyclist or pedestrian because they were too slow to react were numerous. Now have them on manual
Auto highbeams can be amazing, or absolute ass. In my RAM 2500 they’re awful. They often blind people (which is already bad enough for a RAM 2500, I don’t need to make it worse). However in my AMG they’re amazing. They turn on in a Hollywood light pattern and sweep across the road as I’m driving and they’re super quick and sensitive to react. The same headlights in Europe can even be configured to leave highbeams on and black out areas where it detects people and cars.
I have a 2021 Seat Leon Hatchback, unfortunately I don’t have those LED matrix headlights, I would love to try them, but the automatic headlight feature is awesome.
Except for all the twats in my neighborhood that drive around town with full beams on permanently.
Occasionally they turn then off when you flash them, but most are just oblivious. Automatics would at least solve that…
The stock needs a small solenoid that can kick the high beams off when the system sees another car, but cannot turn the manual override back on. You’d have to push the stock back again yourself. I love it. I don’t even think the people who drive with their high beams on all the time would know. If they can’t notice you flashing them, they sure as shit ain’t noticing their lights suddenly dimming
Stalk*
I thought you were messing with me at first but TIL.
yeah, i don’t have automatic hi-beams in my car, and i don’t see how i would need them. i often see the headlights of other cars through the trees (when driving on a Landstraße) and preemptively turn them off. i’m already supposed to be paying attention to the drivers around me, so why would i let a computer do it?
I hate daytime running lights, because people will think their lights are on, but it’s only the headlights. It isn’t uncommon to see people driving around in total darkness with only headlights on.
I disable DRL and only use manual lights, turning on for weather or dark. It’s not possible to think you have them on this way.
I have no idea of what you mean, what more lights are you refering to that should be on other than the headlights?
The only thing I can see that would cause this annoyance could be is the tail lights are off when it is dark…
Taillights are only illuminated when headlights are turned on. Daytime running lights only illuminated the front, so it appears that headlights are on, but taillights remain off.
I have never hd that issue, possibly since headlights are automaticly turned on when you start the car, but most tail lights these days will be turned off when it is bright outside.