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

More like fluorescent yellow! Maybe ‘safety yellow’. Whatever it may be called, it IS highly visible

Ray

 

Looks like I'm in the minority here. Maybe just because there are so many of them and the fact that I'm on the road every day for hours at a time, I don't notice them any more or less running lights or not. In inclement weather or low light conditions, yeah, maybe, but on bright sunshiny days, nope. Old and set in my ways, so still no, I don't run lights in daytime and won't.

 

“I’ve never changed my mind before.....does it hurt?”............Evil Roy Slade

 

Well lets see, sometimes when I have the top down and my gal is with me....and it gets cold...the headlights come on....
A sudden cloud bust will do it too

 

If you have ever witnessed a head on collision, like I have, you would see the logic of running with the headlights on. Both people miraculously survived, and the taxi driver, the guy in the wrong, stated that he didn't see the car coming towards him.
Bob

 

Really?!? I guess it depends on whether or not I'm resting my arm out the window.

 

me neither. I've used the 32 for my primary car for 1.5 years and lately there are some days where I'd rather not be noticed so much every time I need to run errands, so why would I run lights on?

Lights won't help if some idiot is texting and crosses the line. That's something you can bank on.

More importantly, it is not my job to "teach" oncoming drivers to pay attention ... Do you wipe their butts, too?

I'm not going to spend what time I have left, by hiding under the bed. No seatbelts, no airbags, no spare or tools..I can't make my world perfect, so I don't lose sleep over it

.

 

Up to now I haven't. Lots of good points brought up, thinking about it.

 

Last 2 dailies had full time headlights, I like them. The GMC pickup is getting some serious candle power

 

I have absolutely NO issue with ANYONE driving, at anytime of the day or night, with their headlights on!!!!! However, to those JACKASSES, who seem to think they have to virtually blind everyone with their aftermarket white/blue light headlights, I'd really like to take a baseball bat to your headlights. It's one thing to "replace" your headlights with aftermarket ones, it's another to NOT know how to do it, and see that they are AIMED afterwards. Same thing applies to the 4 X 4 jerks who raise their trucks 4 feet, and don't re-aim their headlights, and blind everyone else in the process. And, it says nothing about the city/county/state police departments that don't enforce the rule of law!!!!! Really COPS, get on it!!!!!. And don't get me started on "BLACKED OUT" windows. Talk about a security issue for LEO's!
I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Ever notice they are driving Fatherland built vehicles, master race want to bes.

 

You can add a "non-invasive" headlights on warning buzzer that's really simple to do.
Use a two wire piezoelectric buzzer and wire it between the taillight circuit and the ignition circuit.

The piezo buzzer works like a diode, only passing current in one direction. These will then be polarized, so you have to connect the positive wire to battery side.

Connect the piezo buzzer between the ignition switch output and the lighting switch taillight output. Switch on the lights. If it doesn't buzz, swap the wires on the piezo buzzer.

With ignition and lights on at the same time the buzzer has 12 volts on both sides, will pass no current, and will not sound.

With ignition switch on but no lights, the piezo buzzer has 12 volts on one side but will not pass current in that direction, so also does not sound.

With lights on and ignition switch off, the piezo buzzer gets power from the lighting circuit and finds ground return through the temperature or fuel gauges.[usually the oil pressure sender]

The piezo buzzer has such high internal resistance (only a 10mA device) that the lower resistance circuits conduct current like ground connection for the buzzer.

Current is limited to 10mA by the buzzer, so nothing happens in the ignition or fuel pump or fuel gauge (or heater fan, wipers or radio if any of those were left on). The little piezo buzzer could buzz loudly for 3 months and it still wouldn't flatten the battery.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With cars like my 57 Chevy [or most GM light switches] there is a spare male spade terminal beside the "black" tail light circuit [see photo] . This is the positive side for the piezo buzzer.

The other side of the buzzer on my 57 can simply plug into a spare terminal on the switched side of the fusebox. [there is continuity to the ignition circuit on early Chevy's]

 

I have driven with lights on for ions and now that is standard feature in Canada. Cars have a third brake light at eye level to reduce rear collisions. It makes sense to increase ones visibility. If someones eyes are bouncing between cell phone or all the interactive display controls that are common in new cars or trucks then it may help catch that distracted eye sooner than later. My driver educators pounded it into our heads to treat every driver as a drunk or fool so protect yourself accordingly. That's also when I started to wear a seat belt and seat belts have saved my bacon three times. Who knows how many saw my headlights over the years that caught a drivers attention to avoid me. People drive often in automatic mode and are not as conscious of others as they should be so make them see you. Turning the headlights on is zero cost to improve ones safety. Forget about damning the others & protect yourself with whatever safety is available.

 

Remember when you could turn the radio on and select the channel without thinking, or finding the owners manual? TWO YEARS and I can't change the channel in my wife's 4 year old Ford.

 

Starting in July in Tennessee , it is now illegal to have a cell phone in your hand when driving. Makes perfect sense to me. I also remember vagely the studies GM did about DLR lights. It costs money to put them on every vehicle and if they weren't a safety improvement they wouldn't have been on all GM vehicles for the last 30 odd years. YES driving with your lights on is added safety . Later Bill

 

Yes, it's one of the first things I do after I start the car, right after I buckle my seat belt.
It only took draining my battery once to remember to turn them off when I turn the car off. The earlier suggestion of wiring the lights through the ignition switch is a good one, I'm going to have to remember *that* when I get around to rewiring.

 

About an Hour before dusk for me...Why, well this is my way of thinking...the Ole Hotrod is so unusual it is probably like a full lights on newbie car for standing out to other drivers so with the lights on it may trigger something unwanted by attracting Too Much attention...crazy I know but I think like that...AND I always am watching for what others are doing. Knock on wood...its worked so far...



​

 

My memory may be wrong but I believe that Sweden found the accidents dropped significantly with daytime running lights and some years later Canada adopted them. Definitely make a difference in the winter when it is dismal & grey. GM resisted seat belts past when other manufacturers started to use them even when everyone knew that seat belts reduced injuries. In 1968 seat belts became mandatory in cars at least in Canada. 68 was also the year that the manufacturers were required to put on the side marker lights for more visibility. GM would save millions if they do not have to add the daylight running lights & would not do it until they are forced to. Manufacturers care about safety when they are ordered to do something. I honestly think that is why the brake lines on my 2005 Silverado rusted out because GM saved a few $ per truck to use lesser material x a 10 year generation of millions of trucks. I would have paid the extra $10 for a better material. The government was close to ordering a recall on GM trucks but GM lawyers & lobbyists convinced the government that if brake lines corroded out after 8 years that the brake line issue was a maintenance item as opposed to a manufacturing defect. My brakes let go close to home and were replaced with a higher quality aftermarket set all around. Who knows how many people have died as a result of brakes suddenly becoming half their capability. They talk safety when they sell the vehicle but but not sure there heart is in safety past the sales talking points. Remember in 1974 that bumpers could take a bang well the manufacturers lobbied that all away under the guise of fuel efficiency with the fuel savings of less weight. The front of a vehicle can't take any bump without $1500 damage and harder hits the frames & metal accordians.

 

GM are the biggest hypocrites with this.
My C7 Corvette has "android auto" which turns the infotainment screen into a phone screen (so I can take my eyes off the road and dial my phone without breaking the law)

I haven't / won't be bothered pairing my phone to this

 

"It's A Wonderful Life..."

 

I don't unless it is raining or foggy.

 

Wouldn't be easier to wire the headlights to a switched accessory on male prong in the fuse panel?????.....

Enjoy!
Great movie too!!!!!....

 

Driving with head lights on is not to see but to make yourself a bit more visible by other drivers even on sunny days.
As a small private pilot , even things that are red at a distance appear to be brown in color and blend in with the surroundings. I want to be seen any time I drive my rods or daily drivers.
Vic

 

the exact reason I added Fog Lights to mine ..

 

I run the lights on my morning commute which starts at 7:30. but not in the afternoon when it is more bright. you can really see a difference in the mornings, plus half the drivers have wet/foggy windows if it was cold overnight because they lack the sense to squeegy them clean before they leave the house

 

Things that you make go hmmmm, Lois! Where's the Tylenol?

 

Of course I use daytime Rynning lights!
In Norway I can get fined for not using it!

Translated from the Norwegian "dmv":

Car must have two headlights in front that provide white or yellow driving light. The following may be used as driving lights: dipped beams, dipped beams with reduced voltage, specially approved lamps or curve / fog lamps. When using daytime running lights, the backlights are not required. The driver of the car must ensure that the correct light is activated according to the lighting conditions. When driving into a tunnel, for example, the taillights must be lit.

Rune Waltoft from Norway

 

I hav an intersection 1/2 mile from house where wrecks are common . Folks are so impatient, they will pull right out in front of you. I would do anything that would help prevent an accident , even thought about blinking lights similar to those I see on motorcycles. Some states allow the on motorcycles and some dont so would have to check into that.

 

An older shot of the car at dusk. I run my parking lights and they have 1157 NA bulbs in the headlamp reflectors so they give off a bright orange glow and seem to stick out pretty well.

Cliff Ramsdell

 

I don't run them unless its early morning or dusk. My O/T 68 Camaro (first year of side markers) only had 36,000 original miles on the car when i bought it and every side marker and front marker housing was melted (they were plastic originals from GM) from them running all time from the previous owner. It actually cause the bulb sockets to fall out of the front side markers. So I avoid using them unless needed. The 33, 55 and 56 running lights are not very bright so dont run them either during the day.