Has anybody else noticed this....? Drives me crazy!

"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike) 07/01/2015 at 17:36 • Filed to: None

2

26

Ok, backstory time....so....newer cars often have EL-backlit or digital gauges, this means, unlike older cars, the dash is constantly “backlit” and looks the same no matter what light setting the car is currently set to. On older cars, if your lights were off, the gauges were dim, so it was obvious when you didn’t have your lights on.

Which brings me to my point/mini rant - I have seen FAR too many newer cars with their idiotically oblivious owners driving around AT NIGHT or dusk with their lights turned off (except for their DRLs, which are a requirement here in Canada). I assume this is because their dash is constantly lit up and there is no subconscious visual reminder that their lights aren’t on because the dash isn’t dim...?

That being said, there are two things that still really irk me about this - there is an idiot light on most of these modern dashs that tells you the DRLs are on vs. the normal lights (ie:

...the one in the above picture labelled “Lights On”. The picture above is from Honda, but it can be seen here on a Dodge Dart dash as well in the center of the cluster near the temp. and fuel gauges:

Aside from the fact this little light on their dash in bright green isn’t lit up....wouldn’t the noticeably apparent dim-ness / ineffectiveness of your headlights (which are usually your low beams running at half voltage for DRLs or the bright white LEDs a lot of companies like to use nowadays) kindof clue you in to the fact that, you know....it’s sortof dark out and that maybe you should turn that little knob to ON so other people can actually see you....?

Argh.

HammerheadFistpunch > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/01/2015 at 17:40

0

I remember my friend getting pulled over for this in his A4 years ago.

jvirgs drives a Subaru > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/01/2015 at 17:43

1

Unless my Dart is different from others, the DRLs are just the front parking lights and there is no light on on the dash indicating this. I think this car actually has the headlights on.

jariten1781 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/01/2015 at 17:48

1

Saw plenty of people driving around with their lights off before the fancy new always lit dashboards were around. I don’t think the numbers are noticibly higher.

Remember, stupid doesn’t need a reason.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/01/2015 at 17:52

2

That’s why I keep my lights on the Infiniti on all the time. They automatically turn off when I turn off the car, and turn on when I start it. It has an auto mode, but the lights don’t come on until it’s really dark, so I don’t use auto. Avoids running into this issue.

AthomSfere > jvirgs drives a Subaru 07/01/2015 at 17:58

0

I think mines the same, there is a high beam light but not a DRL or head light icon (FR-s). I just use Auto but its pretty noticeable when the head lights are on because the lights in the dash are noticeably dimmer (especially the needles).

Of course, I set my hud light level to low, because bright ass dash in the middle of the night is annoying.

Mercedes Streeter > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/01/2015 at 18:06

2

My favorite part of this is that how do these people NOT notice that there isn’t a beam of light in front of their car? I’ve passed new cars on dark expressways going without lights.

Alfalfa Romeo > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/01/2015 at 18:07

0

Both my back light bulbs are out, and I find myself constantly checking to make sure my lights are on at night because of it.

CaptDale - is secretly British > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/01/2015 at 18:12

1

Why not just auto lights. I have them in my 06 GTO. Never worry about lights again.... Though unlike an idiot, when I get in my 01 SLK, I can still remember to turn the knob cause I know this car’s lights aren’t auto.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > jvirgs drives a Subaru 07/01/2015 at 18:31

0

It does have the headlights on, that was my earlier point in my post - older cars, you know the headlights are off because the entire dash isn’t lit up - on newer cars because of the lighting tech. they use, the dash is lit all the time, but that little light comes on when the lights are turned on, so there’s no excuse for them NOT to have their lights on because they should know that little bright green light isn’t on somewhere!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > AthomSfere 07/01/2015 at 18:32

1

It also ruins your night vision! The dimmer the easier it is for your eyes to adjust! :) I have mine on the lowest as well, but on my Accent, the dimmest sitting isn’t actually all that dim...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 07/01/2015 at 18:34

0

I don’t have automatic lights on my DD ‘09 Accent (of course, lol....) but my lights also go off when I open the door unless you open the door, then turn the lights back on. On my old ‘02 Subaru, they went off when you turned off the ignition, unless you hit the Parking light Switch.

I don’t leave my lights on all the time though, I just turn them on when it gets dark out.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > jariten1781 07/01/2015 at 18:34

1

Maybe...but around here all the cars I see doing it are almost always something around ‘04-’05 and up.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Alfalfa Romeo 07/01/2015 at 18:35

0

Your tailights you mean? Or the lights behind your gauge cluster? Changing bulbs is actually not all that hard on most cars - I’ve got some LED reverse light bulbs coming in for my car as we speak! :)

Alfalfa Romeo > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/01/2015 at 18:38

0

Cluster lights. The big pain is that I drive a 90’s Volvo, so I have to order the bulbs online. But I don’t want to pay shipping for some little bulbs, so I’m waiting until I have more money for other things I need to order with them.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Alfalfa Romeo 07/01/2015 at 18:47

0

That makes sense - not a common bulb type?

Alfalfa Romeo > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/01/2015 at 18:54

0

Nope. The online Euro specialist stores is about the only place you can get them.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Alfalfa Romeo 07/01/2015 at 19:05

0

Sucky! I can’t even change bulbs on my Accent if I wanted to, the “bulbs” are just LEDs soldered to the cluster circuitry. I doubt they will ever burn out as most LEDs last for eons, but if they do.....well, you’re screwed, lol.

jariten1781 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/01/2015 at 19:51

1

But that’s just the good ol’ population map fallacy at work (there’s some Latin term for it I forget since XKCD’s plain English version is more memorable).

The vast majority of the cars on the road are newer than 10 years so the majority of stupidity you see will be from people in those cars.

I don’t doubt you’re right to a small degree, it follows that with a less noticeable indicator (idiot light vs whole cluster) that there’d be more people forgetting; I just don’t think it’s a meaningful number...I flashed people for lights off in the 90s as or more often as I do today.

jvirgs drives a Subaru > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/01/2015 at 21:27

0

Gotcha. misunderstood.

jvirgs drives a Subaru > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 07/01/2015 at 21:30

0

I have auto headlights in the Dart and they are noticeably more sensitive than a lot of the other cars. Mine will turn on with enough shade and I know my dads corolla you almost have to beg them to turn on in heavy dusk.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > jvirgs drives a Subaru 07/01/2015 at 22:00

0

No worries mate! :)

thebigbossyboss > AthomSfere 07/23/2015 at 11:53

0

My dash is adjustable so if it’s dusk I turn it up more than if it’s late night.

lonestranger > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/26/2015 at 21:21

1

Fellow Canadian here.

This drives me FUCKING INSANE!

DRLs have been mandatory here since De. ‘89. Fine and good. Backlit gauges are more and more popular these days. They’re easy to read and look nice. Fine and good. DRLs combined with backlit gauges, and without automatic headlights? Ill-conceived and dangerous.

Your average moron has little to no indication that their (full) headlights aren’t on. Six nights a week, I drive ~10 minutes each way. Nearly every single night, there’s at least one idiot driving around in pitch dark with nothing but DRLs and reflex reflectors to identify themselves. One time it was even an RCMP Explorer.

My ‘04 Sierra has automatic headlights that turn on fully when it’s dark, and revert to DRLs when it’s daylight. I don’t think that ALL cars should have auto lights. However, if the car is equipped with backlit gauges, auto lights should be mandatory in Canada.

lonestranger > Mercedes Streeter 07/26/2015 at 21:27

1

I can’t answer that for other countries, but in Canada, there is a beam of light in front of their car. DRLs are mandatory here, and I think that many people still misunderstand them and confuse them with automatic headlights. Combine that with electroluminescent gauges, and the average Canadian in the average newer car is driving around at night with only the dim DRLs and no park lights.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > lonestranger 07/26/2015 at 21:58

1

Glad to hear somebody has similar thoughts! If not auto lights, maybe a more obvious indicator light telling the driver their main lights aren’t on? Indicator lights are obvious enough, I would think, but a larger one, or maybe a text one saying “lights OFF”....I don’t know, something! Saw 3 cars just last night driving around at dusk / early night with no lights on...

BloodlessWeevil > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 07/29/2015 at 07:57

1

I see the opposite problem around here. It seems that no one is able to drive after dusk without high beams on, even when they are not going fast enough to need them. It’s like they have no idea they are blinding oncoming traffic unless you show them what it’s like.