# WTF is with people who don't turn on their headlights at night? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 10, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901 "2019-03-10T17:47:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/41 "2019-03-12T17:09:36Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Why bother making any difference between DRLs and regular headlights if it’s only a ten percent reduction? I think that is far from universal. On many cars they are a completely different set of lamps, or a strip of LEDs. On my car, the DRLs are the high beams running at reduced brightness (more like 30%, not 90%) and the regular headlights are a different set of bulbs. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/42 "2019-03-12T17:25:42Z")
I just turn my headlights on every time I start the engine (and turn them off every time I park and turn it off). ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/43 "2019-03-12T18:40:37Z")
I have noticed that older cars only lit up the gauges when the headlights are on. Most modern cars have them illuminated all the time. Someone adjusting to a newer car may see the gauges lit up at night and assume the headlights are already on, especially if they are in a well lit area. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/44 "2019-03-12T20:26:04Z")
I have little reason to complain: my 20-year-old headlights are hovering between too dim to illuminate what’s 30 yards in front of me and bright enough to make me visible to surrounding traffic. Cleaning the covers accomplishes little. If I want to keep the car I’ll have to have one or both replaced. One thing I do hate is the combination of aftermarket halogen/LED lamps with the height conferred by modern SUVs and other vehicles. Even dimmed, I’m getting hit with way-too-bright light at eye level, which is discourteous and dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/45 "2019-03-12T21:00:13Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I had a friend who was clearing property, cutting down trees for an hour or so after work each night. He purchased and mounted huge, bright lights (he said they were airplane lights) to his Jeep’s rear bumper. He would leave the vehicle running and light his work area enough to operate his chainsaw. > > One night while driving home after a few hours of chainsawing, someone came up close behind him with their bright lights on. He was grumpy and not thinking clearly, so he flipped the toggle and turned on his bright rear facing lights on then off.:eek: > > I once had someone right on my bumper with their brights on. I was in a horrible/nasty/angry/noshitgiven mood, so I tapped my brakes. Amazingly, the car didn’t hit me, but it did turn on its flashing cop-lights. I guess I scared the shit out of him, and he yelled quite a bit, but I told him I’d seen a deer about to start across the road and reflexively went for my brakes. He yelled some more, but let me go. One thing I miss about a manual. You could push in the clutch, and then just move the stick to right before it goes into reverse (it will never actually go in, but your start scraping your synchronizers), and your reverse lights come on. People usually back off my bumper when they think I just threw the car into reverse on the interstate. > [@Spiderman](#): > > Part of it is DRLs. The spec was they were 90% as bright as headlights. Since most people can’t tell the difference between 90% DRL & 100% headlights on, they don’t realize that they only have the DRLs on & that they have no driving/taillights. I rented a car like that once. Seemed as thought he headlights were on, so I thought I was good. Wasn’t until I was at an intersection and the driver next to me got my attention to tell me I had no rear lights. My current car has an overhead “picture” of my car, along with what lights are active. Much easier to tell if the rear lights are not on. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/46 "2019-03-12T21:18:05Z")
I leave for work at %:45 AM, daily. I see it constantly. I can’t fathom it. And hate it. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/47 "2019-03-12T23:01:28Z")
Nowadays my headlights turn on with the car, and that’s a good thing, because between streetlights and my night vision the only difference between “headlights on” and “headlights off” is whether the super-reflective things like streetsigns light up. Everything else, my eyes adapt to and I don’t see the difference. And yes, once when I was a kid I got pulled over for driving a short way lights-off. It was a major well-lit road, and I honestly didn’t notice - I could see just fine. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/48 "2019-03-13T00:03:18Z")
> [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#): > > One thing I do hate is the combination of aftermarket halogen/LED lamps with the height conferred by modern SUVs and other vehicles. Even dimmed, I’m getting hit with way-too-bright light at eye level, which is discourteous and dangerous. Yep. The height at which they’re placed in some SUVs and pickups, combined with the blue-white LED glare, is massively annoying. I was being bothered by the glare from one such pickup behind me once, and had to flip the mirror to the low-reflection position, and in all seriousness it was mid-afternoon broad daylight! At night those horrors would have been deadly blinding! I find myself flipping that mirror a lot these days. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/49 "2019-03-13T00:31:02Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > … and had to flip the mirror to the low-reflection position, and in all seriousness it was mid-afternoon broad daylight! My new truck has one of those electro-optic auto-dimming rear-view mirrors (With extra hyphens!) and I have to say, even though it’s only been two weeks, I’m Loving It! I haven’t been blinded by anything so far. Cars, Trucks, the Sun on the horizon? No Problem! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/50 "2019-03-13T01:10:47Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > My new truck has one of those electro-optic auto-dimming rear-view mirrors (With extra hyphens!) and I have to say, even though it’s only been two weeks, I’m Loving It! I haven’t been blinded by anything so far. Cars, Trucks, the Sun on the horizon? No Problem! I don’t got none of that there newfangled stuff. And pardon me, but “my new _ **truck** _”? I bet it has blue-white LED headlights mounted directly at eye level for a driver sitting in a normal car in front of you, with a brightness designed to be visible from Neptune. Sounds like you’re part of the problem, pal! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/51 "2019-03-13T04:11:10Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > People usually back off my bumper when they think I just threw the car into reverse on the interstate. :eek: I’ve heard of defensive driving. Sometimes I feel like playing offense. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/52 "2019-03-13T05:32:46Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > People usually back off my bumper when they think I just threw the car into reverse on the interstate. Had a friend with an old Army-style jeep, he could pull up the emergency brake enough to get smoke and a godawful squeal from the back tires. Scared a lot of people who were tailgating. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/53 "2019-03-13T12:52:58Z")
> [@Kyrie\_Eleison](#): > > I think that those blaming the auto-on headlights have the right of it. Just last week after driving the car out of an attended airport parking lot onto a well-lit highway, it took me a bit to realize the car park guy had turned mine off. > > Those cars that have the auto-on headlights? Also more likely these days to have electronic instrument clusters. ??? How do you tun them off? Mine come on an soon as I turn the switch on unless the parking brake is set. And even then they come on when you release the brake. There’s no switch to turn them completely off. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/54 "2019-03-13T14:40:41Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > How do you tun them off? Mine come on an soon as I turn the switch on unless the parking brake is set. And even then they come on when you release the brake. There’s no switch to turn them completely off. Those are Daytime Running Lights, not auto-on headlights. DRLs are not user-controllable, although on some cars you can pull a fuse to turn them off. They do illuminate somewhat in front of you but most implementations don’t turn on the tail lights. They typically aren’t as powerful as headlights. These don’t qualify as headlights when driving at night. Auto-on Headlights are a user setting. Instead of turning your headlights on and off manually, a sensor determines if it is dark out and turns them on. That includes your tail lights and full power front lights. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/55 "2019-03-13T16:50:35Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Those are Daytime Running Lights, not auto-on headlights. DRLs are not user-controllable, although on some cars you can pull a fuse to turn them off. They do illuminate somewhat in front of you but most implementations don’t turn on the tail lights. They typically aren’t as powerful as headlights. These don’t qualify as headlights when driving at night. > > Auto-on Headlights are a user setting. Instead of turning your headlights on and off manually, a sensor determines if it is dark out and turns them on. That includes your tail lights and full power front lights. No, when it’s daylight just the DRLs come on, but the headlights come on automatically when it gets dark. On both of my vehicles that have auto-on lights the switch only has two positions, one that turns the headlights on regardless of daylight (even if the car is switched off), and one that only turns them on when it gets dark. My pickup, on the other hand, has no automatic lights. The switch on that has three positions - off, DRLs and headlights on. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/56 "2019-03-13T18:16:55Z")
What make and models are you driving? I’ve never seen what you describe in any of the cars I’ve owned or rented. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/57 "2019-03-14T00:23:27Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > … Besides, this doesn’t explain them all. I’m seeing plenty of pitch black stealth vehicles interspersed with the highway traffic these days. And since they’re hard to see, I assume there are a lot more of them that I _don’t_ see, if you see what I mean. > > Don’t they notice that their driver console lights aren’t on? That they can’t see the speedometer and stuff like that? > … to am seeing a lot more vehicles with the riding lights on, no tail lights. I’m assuming that it means that the console lights aren’t indicative. In my own car (which is not one of the large, tall, expensive vehicles subject to this problem), the console is continuously illuminated. It is well shaded, and in normal daylight you can’t read it at all when it is not illuminated. I know this because if I turn the headlights on for some other reason, the console light dims, and I can’t read the speedometer. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/58 "2019-03-14T02:53:07Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > to am seeing a lot more vehicles with the riding lights on, no tail lights. I’m assuming that it means that the console lights aren’t indicative. I just checked in my wife’s 2016 Kia, and, indeed, that is the case. The console is lit up even if the lights are in the OFF position (this car has four positions for lights: AUTO, normal, parking light, and OFF). In all positions, the console stays lit. In my 2014 Mazda 3, though, the console does not light up if the lights are off. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/59 "2019-03-14T22:11:22Z")
In my Kia Soul the console displays are _brighter_ while the headlights are off, presumably to make them more visible/readable in daylight conditions. They only time they’re off is when the ignition is off. I recall one day I was flabbergasted at how bright my console was, and looking through menus and manuals trying to figure out how to dim it back to normal, before I realized that what had happened was the guys at the shop had turned my headlights off while they changed my oil. I normally leave them ‘on’ all the time - on that setting they turn themselves off a short time after the ignition is turned off and turn themselves back on when the car starts. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901/60 "2019-03-15T03:21:39Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > In my Kia Soul the console displays are _brighter_ while the headlights are off, presumably to make them more visible/readable in daylight conditions. They only time they’re off is when the ignition is off. I recall one day I was flabbergasted at how bright my console was, and looking through menus and manuals trying to figure out how to dim it back to normal, before I realized that what had happened was the guys at the shop had turned my headlights off while they changed my oil. I normally leave them ‘on’ all the time - on that setting they turn themselves off a short time after the ignition is turned off and turn themselves back on when the car starts. I was actually just about to post this after driving my wife’s car around at night. The console lights on the Kia dim when you put the headlights on and it’s dark outside. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-with-people-who-dont-turn-on-their-headlights-at-night/830901.md?page=2)