Art & Inspiration Who Drives With Their Headlights On During The Daytime?

A few days ago I saw a girl barely miss a deer that stood squarely in the middle of the road ,she should have easily have easily noticed earlier but she was clearly on her cell phone. Then I started for the first time closely watching oncoming drivers and was shocked at how many are obviously on their cell phones. So after reading this thread it really got me thinking and I will start driving with my headlights on when I never have before. I don’t know if it’s enough to protect yourself from one of these morons but we need all the help we can get!

 

I do and have for probably 20 years. Started when we moved to the country with a commute that involved a 2 lane road with a lot of hills and blind curves. Still get the occasional impatient fool that pulls out with not enough room , but it has cut down on it a lot over the years. Leaving them accidentally on isn't really a concern...once you start using them all the time, turning them off becomes second nature

 

I do most all the time. I live on US 97 in Washington and can't even count the number of times I have almost pulled out of the driveway in front of an earth tone car that wasn't running his lights in the daytime even though I clearly saw the vehicle 100 + yards behind it that had the lights on. If your car blends into the surroundings you need your lights on even more.
I saw a sport bike that was traveling with some other bikes yesterday that had green led running lights that got your attention from a long way off. Not close to traditional but he had my attention a half mile away.

 

I have for years, but on occasion I would leave them on and have a dead or low battery. I now have fog lights mounted behind the grille that go off when I turn the key off. They are quite visible in the daytime and those folks that aren't paying attention have a better chance of seeing me.

 

Next time you are sitting at a stoplight look around at the other drivers and notice how many are looking down at their laps. They are texting, which is illegal in this state while behind the wheel, but that does not stop them. They are the ones still sitting there when the light changes because they weren't paying attention.

 

That's when I like to honk the horn.....

 

I run my lights always on my 55. Doesn't cost anything and who knows how many accidents it kept me out of? Headlights are hard to miss.

 

Why advertise?

 

Always. After 22 and a half years and 2 and three quarter non-chargeable accident free miles driving truck for a regional carrier in the Midwest and South, I am amazed at the number of people who never give a thought to the facts that their car colors blend right in with the pavement, are harder to see in rain, road spray, snow or fog. Add to that the other distractions they have available, cell phones, laptops, and so on, and the situation becomes even more dangerous. I am able to see oncoming traffic more easily if the headlights are on, day or night, so it stands to reason that if I have done everything that I can do to make myself visible to others, they should be able to see my vehicle.

 

Mandatory since the 70's here, before I was even born.

There was an almost incident close to 20 years ago, a fellow I know was out driving on a two lane road, 90kph speed limit over open fields, evening time in autumn with daylight fading. He is about to overtake a slower car, when the passenger mentions movement further ahead, possibly an animal... He waits, and a moment later a bike comes from the opposite direction, no lights.
The thing is, that was me on the bike, a battery cable had come loose about 6 miles from home, causing the bike to overcharge and burn every light bulb at once. I was just trying to get home while there was enough daylight, and picked the shortest route rather than the gravel roads with no traffic at all. Could have had an ugly ending to the day...

 

I put a DRL module in my ‘57 Ford, up here in Canada they have been mandatory on new vehicles for quite a while so I feel safer knowing I am easier to see


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Always. Off topic dailies as well as the soon-to-be on topic daily. I guess it has to do with my motorcycle past. Make sure you are seen. Helps keeping the metallic contacts to a minimum.

Sent from my hand held online shouting device.

 

Back in the early 80's I was stationed at Fort Ord ca, (we called it Planet Ord -but those are other stories) Anyway I had friends in Chico ca and would often drive there to visit.

One of the highways I took was a two lane that was designated a "Headlight Test Highway" if I'm remembering right the wording on the signs along the road. Driving this road got me thinking and I pretty much run my low beams all the time now.
-Dave

 

True, but you never know. Why chance it?

 

Run them all the time! Would not want anything to happen to that beautiful family.

 

Just bought a new daily driver. The radio is now a screen with whatever you think you need to look at, ie, direction, sirius radio FM< AM , bluetooth, the instrument cluster a navigated by buttons on the steering wheel etc. And you think everyone is paying attention to the road? Headlights are just a little more help waking the oncoming idiot up.

 

Ran a little test today after reading this earlier today, North end of OK hwy 102 ( a narrow, hilly, patched/bumpy mess). Ran w/o headlamps, sure enough, oncoming pickup truck was wandering over the center line. Flashed him several times with high beams, he moved over to his side and stayed...but when I looked in the mirror, he was back over the centerline until he turned off about a half mile back.

Sleepy? Distracted? fiddling with radio? I dunno, not a scientific test, but good enough for me to continue using them all the time.

 

Hmmmmmmm I haven't been but my car is a dull gray and may be hard to see. My brother sent me a super bright LED light for drag cars a few years ago. I think I'll mount that sucker in the crank hole of my 34, hooked up to my ign switch.
He also sent a ultra bright red LED I could use as a 3rd brake lite. Both are super tiny...maybe 3/16ths inch in diameter.

 

I never have. But now with 2 pages of reading it makes me think about doing so in my '58.

Of course..... If one were to drive a circle track car as the daily ride it might ward off even more possible mis-haps. Heck, you have a full cage and it's already per-scratched up.

 

Glad to hear everyone is taking this thread seriously.
Do it. And yes I promise to use them on my Hotrod’s too

 

I don't run with headlights on with this one. If you can't see this coming then I don't really think headlights will help.

The others? Yes, most of the time.

 

Canary yellow... Love that color!!!!.....

 

I don't typically run them in the daytime, but I always do when I turn my wipers on. Here in Wyoming, there are some highways marked with signs saying "Turn headlights on for safety", and I have been told by a couple of friends that they were stopped and informed it was mandatory to do so on those particular roads. Motorcycles are required to always have them on, it is a good idea, and that goes for all vehicles.

 

Yes, start car - then light switch turned to on after fastening seat belt, so far have never forgotten to turn head lights off after turning car off.

 

Only at night. I don't care what others do.

 

Yes. They can be turned off on many cars. I always turn mine off in my HHR.

 

I was with the 7th M.P. Co. at Ft. Ord in the 70's and left in 1980 also stationed at Hunter Liggett. What unit were you with?

 

Always have the parking lights on while driving a hot rod in daylight hours, started in the 70's ....had the Kool factor and still does

 

It's your life.....

 

And just like the motorcycle riders I see all the time down south riding with no helmet you have the freedom of choice which gives you the freedom to be stupid.

I call them organ donors.

As another poster mentioned we have had daytime running lights in Canada on all our vehicles for a long time now and I can tell you that they work really well.

Every time I go south into the US I have to remember to watch for vehicles running with no lights in the daytime.

For sure, 100% of the time I can see a vehicle with lights on way before I can see one without lights on regardless of the guys who think otherwise.

Daytime running lights are most definitely a good thing ,a valuable safety feature and should be on all vehicles.