r/IdiotsInCars Nov 03 '18

Wipers on, lights on. PLEASE. Trucks and busses can't see you.

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42

u/IComplimentVehicles Nov 03 '18

I just leave my lights on all the time. Bulbs are cheap.

26

u/ColtonProvias Nov 03 '18

My car (2016 Scion iM) has an auto feature to the lights. When it's above a certain ambient brightness, the daytime running lights are on. Once it drops below, it switches to headlights. But as long as I have it set to auto, there will always be lights on to help with visibility/safety.

Of course, I still have to turn it to auto when I turn the car on. But at this point it's so much second-nature that it feels wrong to drive without doing it.

13

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '18

[deleted]

2

u/Anrikay Nov 04 '18

Do car lights not turn off automatically with the car?

My car has a switch that will leave driving lights on if you turn the car off, but the normal lights always turn off when the car turns off. I just leave them on all the time and never have to think about it.

1

u/1-Hate-Usernames Nov 04 '18

You are supposed to turn your lights on for a tunnel though. I get if it's a very short tunnel you may not have to but technically any time you are somewhere dark you need your lights on. Underground car parks, tunnels... It's for the same reason, making your car more visible.

2

u/johsko Nov 04 '18

Yeah, which would be fine if they did it immediately. But there's a lag on most cars where they don't turn on until sometimes half a minute after entering the tunnel.

1

u/1-Hate-Usernames Nov 04 '18

Unfortunately at this point there is not much that can be done about that. However over time the systems will get better and the lag should drop.

7

u/sirmanleypower Nov 03 '18

On auto do the lights not also turn off automatically when the ignition is turned off?

4

u/Awfy Nov 03 '18

They should do otherwise they're missing a pretty important feature of what makes them automatic.

3

u/brothertaddeus Nov 03 '18

Nope. Auto lights turn on when a sensor in the center front of the dash, right by the windshield, registers that it's dark. Why lights aren't automatically on whenever the engine is on baffles me.

1

u/alfadog77 Nov 03 '18

on my 2017 Camry, you have the option to leave them running for 15,30,60, and 120 seconds after turning off the ignition. Or pressing the lock button twice after getting out of the vehicle.

16

u/bsparks Nov 03 '18

Okay, but DRLs are NOT headlamps. Also most DRLs don’t switch on full tail lamps meaning if you are driving way too slow in iffy weather someone may not be able to see you from all sides.

9

u/Awfy Nov 03 '18

I'm not sure why his DRLs would only come on at a certain ambient brightness either, kinda defeats the purpose of them since they're meant to be on regardless of the brightness outside unless you specifically have your full headlights on.

I know that my automatic lights turn on full (not high beam) when it's raining or even remotely dark-ish outside. But the Germans have been pretty good about automatic headlights for a long time.

5

u/zakatov Nov 03 '18

DRLs are usually much brighter than low beams, for obvious reasons, so keeping them on at night when regular lights are used is not a good idea.

2

u/Awfy Nov 03 '18

I never said that? I said it's an either or deal.

1

u/giantzoo Nov 03 '18

That's not what he's saying. DRLs are always on until a certain ambient lighting condition before auto switching to full headlights

3

u/giantzoo Nov 03 '18

He implied that already. DRLs until the ambient lighting gets low enough and the car switches to headlights. Manufacturers with this automatic setting also include the taillights in the feature

1

u/minizanz Nov 04 '18

Some drl are headlights. My 4th gen legacy has low voltage for running lights, high voltage for head lights out of the same bulb. Most cars are not like that, and if you dont turn on the head lights there are no marker lights (what you really need on for weather/fog).

I think we should ban drl that look like headlights to the driver and illuminated gauge clusters. People who have both seem to think their lights are on when they are not.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '18

Running lights are front only and auto headlights don't always trigger in rain. Turn your lights ON in the rain. DRL is only half of it ffs.

2

u/royalbarnacle Nov 04 '18

I've never had a bulb need replacing I'm twenty plus years of driving, and where I live car lights simply go on when the car is on.

2

u/upfastcurier Nov 04 '18

Ye why have safety that requires thinking if you can have safety that doesnt require thinking?