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.

  • Jay@lemmy.caEnglish
    5·
    1 year ago

    Canada has had it mandatory since 1989, It is a good thing to have multi-ton objects whizzing around you clearly marked.

    It’s like the third last thing you’d ever want to sneak up and catch you off guard.

      • 𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖞 𝕿𝖚𝖓𝖆@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        41·
        1 year ago

        I daily a '97 Prelude. If I can’t see my gauges, it’s a pretty good indicator that my lights should be on. Like I said in the post, it’s the backlit gauges and other interior lights. I don’t blame the drivers. I blame the half dozen screens the manufacturers seem to think we just cannot live without these days. And that’s one reason why I daily a 90s car.

        • KptnAutismus@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          once square, simple, and most importantly, small cars come back, i will think about “upgrading”. but until then my 02 Yaris will wait for its “historical” registration (in germany we get a “H” behind the text on our number plate when the car is 30(?) years old and is in a certain condition. this means i pay less taxes and get to go in “environmental zones” where older cars typically aren’t allowed)

      • Jay@lemmy.caEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        I still see people driving with only these daytime headlights at night with no parking or rear lights.

        One of them was probably my ex.