just because it's not dark out and you can see fine doesn't mean other drivers can see YOU! This is a big pet peeve of mine when the weather is a little rainy or something. Also, I see more people that don't turn there lights on because they have those "daytime running lights." They cast a little light in front of them, or they see some light reflected on the car in front of them, and they think they have their lights on...."Hey, idiot, tailights would be nice to you know."

Last night was a crappy drive home after work. Dark, rain, freezing rain, 32 degrees out, and thin patches of ice on the roads. Bumper to bumper traffic, stop and go, along the 3 lane highway. I see one person with daytime running lights, and hasn't figured it out yet that he doesn't have tailights on yet. The icing on the cake was this woman driving a BMW X3 (little suv). No lights on whatsoever. I'm not going to bring ethnicity into this, but either her or one of her relatives could have had a dot on their forehead. 🙂 Actually she had lights on, but they were her interior lights. I thought to myself, "if this lady gets next to me or in front of me I'm going to flash my lights at her." (I saw someone else already tried this) Eventually she's along side of me. I roll my window down and persistently point to her headlights. She probably can't see me with her interior lights blazing. Next she wants over in my lane. Sweet...she'll be in front of me so I can flash my brights, turn my lights on and off, etc. Keep in mind, it's dark (after 6 pm), rainy, and she's in a black vehicle. I let her over and lay into her with the lights....she ain't getting it. I see her look into her rearview mirror once or twice. Then she puts her hand near the map lamps over the rearview a time or two during all of this as if to block the light coming from them. After a few attempts I'm starting to think "this woman accidently turned on all her interior lights, doesn't know how to turn them off, and to make things worse she doesn't know how to turn on the headlights." A mile or so down the road she decides to move over into the right lane. I pull alongside her and she's just focused on the road. I get ahead of her about 20' and she's pretty much invisible in all my mirrors at this point. I hope she made it home safely, and didn't harm anyone. Had I not known she was next to me, it would have been real easy to change lanes and slam into her.

There's no accounting for stupid, sir.

Some people are just plain stupid.

For almost ten years now, Volvo has made cars that have full headlights on at all times- you cannot turn them off. For decades, auto safety experts have known that operating your car during the day with you full lights on is an important safety factor. I believe Canada has required it for years now.

^CA traffic law requires you to have your lights on whenever you turn your wipers on.

So even in light rain, they have to be on.

^ that is also here in Illinois as well Macs..

and like you said.. Stupid is Stupid...

yesterday was ice/rain storms here and people still driving on the interstate without their lights on and visability was ****...

Yes, daytime running lights have been on Canuckian cars for many years. Personally, I've hated them since they came out, and would never want them on my car(s)...although the DRL's look pretty sweet on newer model imports (BMW, Audi, etc with the "angel eyes") Not many cars have them though, and I don't think they're really that safe, except for maybe the reasons listed above...stupid people who can see fine in bad weather and don't think to turn on their lights.

You also have the reverse effect... those who PANIC when it rains or snows and slow to a CRAWL.

I understand the need to slow down, I do... but not so slow that a tortoise flies by you in the passing lane, ya know?

^ Yep we had that last evening as well...

30 mph and sometime 15 on the interstate coming home..

some were even in the passing lane that slow..

Had same experience on I-26 in South Carolina last week. Early evening, misting and very foggy; tailights in front only visible from less than about 100 yards. Woman in Lexus mini-SUV with only day running lights, dome light on and no tail lights. I was only going about 40 and very nearly rear-ended her. I flashed my brights and swerved into left lane. Pulled up alongside and honked, turned my lights off and on; got nothing but vacant stare back. For sake of the kids in back seat, I sure hope she didn't get rear-ended that night, but it wouldn't surprise me at all.

My 13 year old Mercury has automatic headlights. Don't Lexus' and BMW's come with these? Or are they just switched off? This is nuts - someone is going to get killed, if they haven't already. There are probably many other less than competent drivers out there who they think they've got lights on...But don't.

-dave

Many cars have auto headlamps, but you typically have to set the switch to "auto." Otherwise, you can manually turn your parking lights and headlamps on/off. I never use my auto lamps, but I'm also pretty anal about when to turn on my lights on. Typically, I find that with auto lamps on, they still don't come on when I'd want them to in poor weather.

Indian and Pakistani women Can Not Drive worth a Damn . . .

racist... LOL

headlights on even in summer.

Crappy, rainy day again....more morons on the road with no lights on the way home today.

#4

You are incorrect.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/traffic/wipers.asp 

one time at band camp.... LOL

no, really...a true story i just made up !LOL!!

on a wet rainy night while comming home from work

a car came into my lane while going around a curve

i moved over into his lane & he did the same!

i turned off my lights & moved back over into my origional lane. he couldn't follow my lights so he ran off into the ditch.

i pulled over to see if he was alright & if so ...give him a piece of my fist!

a woman , in the passenger seat raised her drunk a@# head & said

mey missssster, can yous help get us out?

damn ! i just drove away & called the cops ...to go " help their drunk a#@es !!

sometimes no lights can save you a headon collision

it seems the drunk will follow the lights sometimes.!!!!

anyhoo....

i'm still here!!

EBB

Disappointing to say the least, as I expected to open a thread discussing nipples and their intoxicating attributes.

Re: #15 - my bad.

When they are on continuously. Close enough.

(2) A condition requiring the windshield wipers to be in continuous use due to rain, mist, snow, fog, or other precipitation or atmospheric moisture.

... in her defense ... she is used to walking around with a dark veil over her face ... she can see just fine ...

RE #4

We have that same law here in Maine.

It's pretty bad when some of the "Rocket Scientists" (no offence meant to any REAL rocket scientists) are driving around in the middle of last Sundays white out conditions with no lights on. Hell even here in the Portland area (coastal) we got about 2 feet on Sunday. The town of Eustis (close to the Sugarloaf ski area about 2 hours inland) got 46 inches on Sunday. A friend of mine in that area rear ended a vehicle that did not have any lights on. It's common sense...or so I thought.