Drivers who don't turn their headlights on unless it's nighttime

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I feel like every time I'm driving at dawn or dusk or when it's raining or foggy, I see people who don't have their headlights on. Now obviously, some percentage of these are people who just forgot. Another percentage are gang initiates who are waiting for someone to flash their brights so they can follow them and murder them. But what about the rest? Are they idiots? Do they have some weird macho thing against using headlights unless it's absolutely legally required? Is there some benefit to driving around without their headlights on that I'm missing out on?

― n/a (Nick A.), Monday, 8 May 2006 19:56 (nineteen years ago)

maybe they just aren't very BRIGHT!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:00 (nineteen years ago)

If the conditions are just on the borderline of headlight-requiring, it makes it that much easier to forget you turned them on to begin with, first ruining your car battery, and then your day, and curse the day you turned on headlights when it wasn't really necessary in a fit of excessive precaution.

― like murderinging (modestmickey), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:01 (nineteen years ago)

And too cool for school

― like murderinging (modestmickey), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:01 (nineteen years ago)

headlights slow you down, everybody knows that!

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:02 (nineteen years ago)

At dusk, I imagine it's mostly just forgetting, since city streets are so lit. At dawn, I have no idea. Maybe they're sleepy.

Anyway, this doesn't happen in Canada, which requires all cars to have Daytime Running Lamps.

― Man Man (kenan), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:04 (nineteen years ago)

headlights slow you down, everybody knows that!

yeah, the force of the lights pushing forward slows down your car.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:05 (nineteen years ago)

I hate this. I think many newer cars automatically turn the lights on.

I think people are just stubborn and ::shocker:: don't care about anyone but themselves.

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:08 (nineteen years ago)

the only thing that pisses me off related to headlights are people who only turn on their fog lights or yellow lights while driving at night.

― gear (gear), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:13 (nineteen years ago)

whereas i think people who drive around all day with their lights on are idiots.

― pleased to mitya (mitya), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:15 (nineteen years ago)

being both particle and wave, light beams exert forward pressure against whatever they illumine, which explains why cinema screens need to be replaced so often.

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:15 (nineteen years ago)

whereas i think people who drive around all day with their lights on are idiots.

Well, like Sam said, some don't have a choice. And it's important, I think, that one-ton speeding hunks of steel be as visible as possible.

― Man Man (kenan), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:17 (nineteen years ago)

I'm guilty of this sometimes since my truck has daylight lights, I'll take off in the van without turning its headlights on. When you have to do something for awhile, you fall out of habit of doing it in the first place.

Back in high school, in rural Arkansas, I used to play this game with a friend of mine where I'd speed off in front of him, find a sideroad, and turn off my lights. I'd wait for him to pass, and I'd pull out, still with my lights off. I'd get right up on him, usually on the bridge, and BAM! Throw my high-beams on. First time I did it, he nearly had a heartattack. In hindsight, I should be glad that he didn't brake real hard and have me rear-end him at sixty m.p.h.

(Totally irresponsible, I'm lucky to be alive, kids don't try that at home...)

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:38 (nineteen years ago)

I've often wondered the same thing. It seems like some people only turn headlights on when they need to see other cars, not when the other cars might need to see them. I guess Mickey's reason might be one explanation - though don't most cars turn the lights off automatically after a few minutes if you've left them on after cutting the ignition - or at least they'll beep or something to remind you?

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 8 May 2006 20:40 (nineteen years ago)

I've never owned a car less than 10 years old, so I'd have no idea. I sure wish mine did, though.

― like murderinging (modestmickey), Monday, 8 May 2006 22:03 (nineteen years ago)

i don't know about other states/countries, but in Illinois it's illegal to have your headlights off when your wipers are on.

― oops (Oops), Monday, 8 May 2006 23:06 (nineteen years ago)

"Whereas i think people who drive around all day with their lights on are idiots."

Headlights improve visibility during the day as well. I just figured that daytime runners were pretty much standard everywhere now.

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Tuesday, 9 May 2006 00:14 (nineteen years ago)

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