The Law Of Unintended Consequences

In what some call the "Nanny State", there are ever widening efforts to legislate safety, especially regarding our modes of transport. Driving at night, you may have noticed, as I have, motorists proceeding blithely along the highway displaying no taillights. This is undoubtedly because they have dim headlights, courtesy of their DRLs, aka Daytime Running Lights. Unlike the well-known TPS sensor warning light that refuses any reset attempts, the DRLs at night constitute a real danger.
Not exactly relevant to a car forum, but another safety effort was the lawyer tabs on bicycle front forks, lest the wheel fall off (or so they thought). This feature has led a whole generation of cyclists who don't understand how a QR (Quick Release) through the hub is supposed to work (not by unwinding and winding, but by pre- adjusting and clamping. It's another attempt at legislating safety with unintended consequences.

 

It wasn't until I was watching a You Tube video recently that I became aware that DRL's DON'T turn on any lights in the back..... not that either of my two vehicles have them.......

I've been finding myself lately turning on my headlights (and obviously, taillights) any time the weather is even the least bit inclement. Also, last winter season, I would flash my headlights at any vehicle that didn't have them on in the rain, thinking it was the law. Found out in short order that here in Oregon it was a recommendation to turn on your lights in the rain, but wasn't a law yet. Sorry, folks.

 

Don't know the why or how but my company's van ( my DD ) a 2002 Astro, once the engine starts every light front and rear is on. The other same old van in the fleet no, nor was my honey's old 99. Come to think but I don't know of any other what ever it is that all the lights turn on once running....?

I personally think it is a good idea. Myself for years always turn all lights on driving no matter weather or daylight.

 

Never fails on the way in to work on a crappy gray day with either rain, fog, or snow (which is pretty much everyday here) I run across several motorists with the "Hey I don't need my lights on. I can see just fine!!" attitude. Surprisingly they are sometimes cops.

I also find myself more and more blinded by headlights. I don't know if it is because more people are driving with their brights on or if the need for everyone to have 10 billion candlepower headlights is the cause.

 

Advance aging causes over-sensitivity to lighting

 

I recently rented a late-model (2017, I think) Nissan Rogue. I found myself driving in the rain with only the DRLs on, all day and into the night. My Y finally asked if the headlights were on, to which I replied "yes". However, I had mistaken the tiny icon on the turn signal stalk to mean I had the regular headlights on all day, only to find out it was just the DRLs. There were 4 settings on the icons, none of which seemed to indicate "ON". Extremely annoying--the nanny-car had anticipated my needs incorrectly, and since my daily driver is a 1962, I'm not that current on what all the little icons mean.
Pete

 

A few points here. First, DRLs are NOT federally required, at least not in the US. Canada is a different story. GM and Toyota have implemented DRLs on their own. I've disconnected the ones in my Chevy truck because I prefer to think that I'm responsible enough to put on the lights when necessary.

Second, the REAL reason why people forget to put their lights on is because every car today has an illuminated dash board that lights up day or night. I've seen plenty of new cars that don't have DRLs running around with no light on at night in relatively well-lit areas because the driver only sees the illuminated dash board. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I've driven a new rental car recently with one of these illuminated dash boards and WITHOUT DRLs and I stupidly drove off at night without turning on the headlights.

 

I think both of these are the issue. I'm getting old, and I'm definitely not seeing as well at night as I used to. And modern headlamps are getting better. Hopefully, manufacturers will stop using those awful plastic composite lamp housings that get really dull and cloudy over time.

 

Don't hold your breath. The composite housings allow better aerodynamics for improved EPA mileage ratings.

 

They can do almost the same things with a glass outer lens - just a bit more expensive.

 

Glass is both more expensive and heavier. Every penny is profit. Every pound is EPA mileage.

 

Manufacturers are only obliged to make replacement parts available for only 10 years. So, if there are no aftermarket plastics or glass available, the manufacturer will earn money through replacing a perfectly good car with a brand new one

 

First off, mild rubbing compound or even toothpaste will clear up plastic headlite discolor. Or pay someone $50 to buff them out the same way.

My car is not new, a 2014 Impala. But when I first bought it the headlite multi-choice knob was on "AUTO" where I left it when I bought the one year old car in 2015. When it's not dark enough to auto turn on the headlites the dimmer daytime headlights are always on when the key is on. I'm really not sure if the tail lites are on during daytime. I've checked but don't remember. Probably not. It's not important as long as the auto function comes on at dusk.

I have noticed more lately that there are many Illinois drivers riding around all times of the night with only the daytime lites on and no tail lights. It seems to be getting worse as more vehicles are being made to think for the drivers. But, I agree, most drivers see the dashlights and asume the tail lights are on because they can see their headlights shining off other cars, and my garage door.
It seems that each brand and model his the controls and various idiot lights in different places making swapping cars now and then confusing. My son's Dodge mini van is different than my Impala which makes night time driving it awkward for awhile.

Also, about lights, way before I retired from truck driving in 1994 Illinois and Florida law states you must turn on the vehicle lites when the wipers are on, or it's raining. Yet there are still people driving in heavy rain and fog with no head or tail lights on. Mostly white, silver, or grey cars, I'll swear!

With fake eye lenses, I no longer wear glasses. A big help at night. Yet another problem, vehicle headlights are getting brighter and brighter. This may not be a problem if adjusted properly. But, many are changing to super brite bulbs, super white or blue-white. My son in Florida changes all of his headlights to super bright and replaces all small bulbs with LED's. When I had my Dodge truck he replaced the perfectly good headlight bulbs with super blue-white bulbs. Yes, they were brighter. As if not bright enough, many vehicles have running lights also. I never used those on the Dodge truck yet my son turned them on everytime he drove it.

We may be older, but it's the younger generation using super brite bulbs or no lights if they don't come on automatically.
I've driven Model T's, Model A's and many cars with the standard 7" headlight. I haven't accidentally gone off the road yet.
Can't wait for those fancy self driving, lane changing, and back up warnings to be on more cars. At least then it will be safe to text and play video games while crusing 70+ MPH.

 

Some vehicles already need a complete headlight unit, bucket, bulb, etc. and auto parts stores can no longer keep every size, shape, and model head or tail light unit in stock.
In ten years go to your nearest junk yard and see how many parts you can find for a 2008 car. First off, those little model name decals will be missing and the yard man won't even know what to look for.

 

That's a myth. They just have to provide parts to cover the warranty period.