Night Driving Without Headlights :confused:

[reneg8or]

Let us keep this germane, shall we?

In my city, with well-lit streets, many vehicles are driven even past midnight, without headlights switched on. I find it interesting as I am not sure why this is happening. On my street, an average of 30 vehicles per hour. It is in an upmarket neighbourhood and most of these vehicles are fairly new and supposedly roadworthy.


Running daylights - LED's - will cure much of this over time, but meanwhile lives get endangered. I suppose that the cause of this lies somehwere between bright street lights (but they drive like this in unlit areas as well) and that some drivers are pre-occupied and not sufficiently assertive.



Anyone here see the same where you are living?

 

[Azbubu]

It's 2013, auto-switching headlights should be standard on every vehicle.

 

[kripstoe]

It's 2013, auto-switching headlights should be standard on every vehicle.

Standard and on auto by default when switching on the car.

 

[HavocXphere]

some drivers are pre-occupied and not sufficiently assertive.

I'm not sure I'm following here. Assertive?

It's 2013, auto-switching headlights should be standard on every vehicle.

We're still quite a bit away from that. The EU barely managed to push running lights through, which is already quite a win for all.

That being said, I'm with OP in that I think running without lights at midnight seems strange to say the least. To the point where I find it difficult to believe.

 

[Azbubu]

Why? We have silly things like auto windscreen wipers.

In case I'm not clear, I meant headlights that automatically switch on when it gets dark, not headlights that switch on when you start the car.

 

[HavocXphere]

In case I'm not clear, I meant headlights that automatically switch on when it gets dark, not headlights that switch on when you start the car.

I got that. The German & Scandinavian vehicles do that, but its purely voluntary & entirely unregulated. I agree it would be good, my point is simply that there is no such legislation nor will there be any time soon. As I said, the running lights took years to push through & those don't require any day/night sensors & all the technicalities those bring.

 

[reneg8or]

I'm not sure I'm following here. Assertive?


We're still quite a bit away from that. The EU barely managed to push running lights through, which is already quite a win for all.

That being said, I'm with OP in that I think running without lights at midnight seems strange to say the least. To the point where I find it difficult to believe.

Strange as it may be, SAPS have frequent road-blocks in front of my house and I have seen countless times how they wave vehicles through, in the dark, when no lights, not even parking lights are switched on. I drove from Hermanus to Cape Town yesterday and stopped counting at the tenth car. Oh, and it was raining cats and dogs. I am trying to figure out whether this is a local issue or national.

[Assertive as in alert, observant, hands-on. My command of English perhaps is in deficit.]

 

[HavocXphere]

I am trying to figure out whether this is a local issue or national.

Local. The only vehicles in GP running without lights are the rust buckets that shouldn't be on the road anyway & probably don't have working lights anyway.

 

[reneg8or]

Local. The only vehicles in GP running without lights are the rust buckets that shouldn't be on the road anyway & probably don't have working lights anyway.

Yes, of course, the rust buckets are participating in this stealth driving mode but exotic and luxury cars also add to this phenomenon; maybe our city is too laid back and Capies don't notice. Have snoek and Jerepigo on the mind, maybe. It is a wonderful place to live but then the dark side is the leisurely way of doing things. Perhaps it is a colonial cultural heritage

 

[Grant]

Strange as it may be, SAPS have frequent road-blocks in front of my house and I have seen countless times how they wave vehicles through, in the dark, when no lights, not even parking lights are switched on. I drove from Hermanus to Cape Town yesterday and stopped counting at the tenth car. Oh, and it was raining cats and dogs. I am trying to figure out whether this is a local issue or national.

[Assertive as in alert, observant, hands-on. My command of English perhaps is in deficit.]

I think the word you are after is: attentive

 

[ChocolateBadger]

Nope. PE people are headlight happy. Overcast day, headlights on. But there's an old rumor floating around here that if you flash someone who has there headlights off, they will follow and kill you as a gang initiation.

 

[rph72]

Maybe they think they will save electricity? I blame Eskom.

 

[Shake&Bake]

@OP - you sure that your eyesight just isn't going?
That's a lot of cars that you're spotting and a worrying trend indeed.

Nope. PE people are headlight happy. Overcast day, headlights on. But there's an old rumor floating around here that if you flash someone who has there headlights off, they will follow and kill you as a gang initiation.

Same thing here back in the day - so much so - that I still kinda believe it to be true :erm:

 

[Dolby]

As I said, the running lights took years to push through & those don't require any day/night sensors & all the technicalities those bring.

My daytime running only work in ... daytime. When it gets dark, it puts the headlights on and daytime off

 

[wetkit]

You are not the only person noticing this.
It is especially bad when it is misty or rainy.
But then I also notice that a lot of cars have their mist lights on, but not their normal lights!?! WTF?
I think it is just plain incompetent drivers.
I also think it is an issue of nobody give a fook about his fellow man and just looking after himself

 

[bromster]

I see lots of idiots with their side lights on coupled with their fog lights. When you look at the w@nkers driving them, it is clear that they think it's cool.

The same idiot drives with his rear foglights on because he doesn't know how the switch works.

Hashtagfacepalm

 

[froot]

My BMW's lights are on whenever the car is running. I have noticed that it increases visibility by lightyears - especially useful on long single-lane roads, then you can see when there are oncoming cars.

But I have seen in the 'burbs that people somehow forget to switch on their headlights. Silly really.

 

[Polymathic]

the people in my area blind me with their brights. It's common decency to switch off brights when you see an oncoming vehicle

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

My BMW's lights are on whenever the car is running. I have noticed that it increases visibility by lightyears - especially useful on long single-lane roads, then you can see when there are oncoming cars.

But I have seen in the 'burbs that people somehow forget to switch on their headlights. Silly really.

Its muscle memory for me to switch on my lights. It really makes a difference to other drivers. I think what influenced me was my dad always telling me to drive with my lights on for dirt roads as it was not for me to see better, it was for me to be seen by others. That and having ridden a motorbike for a couple of years.

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

the people in my area blind me with their brights. It's common decency to switch off brights when you see an oncoming vehicle

Hate that.

And these "cool" tossers who fit their cars with white LED globes not designed for their cars. Even on dim they can blind a person.