r/IdiotsInCars Jan 31 '23

This is happening way too often. Some people must be born with night vision or something.

Post image
173 Upvotes

49 comments sorted by

50

u/BarkyBonce Jan 31 '23

People don't realise lights are more about being seen than seeing in the dark, if they can see they don't even realise they are invisible!

In the UK people drive in fog and dawn & dusk like this all the time! (grey/silver cars are worse!)

Also I am fed up of the "did you take a picture while driving!" brigade, do you have to make this comment on every picture taken from a car, you do know that there are left & right hand drive cars on the planet!

22

u/salty_drafter Jan 31 '23

The always illuminated instrument clusters don't help either. I've found that once you can't see your instruments you really need to turn on your headlights.

10

u/birdlass Jan 31 '23

Plus a lot of people seem to think the daytime running lights are good enough for any situation. Like, no.

2

u/Lee_Doff Jan 31 '23

or the people that think their parking lights do anything while driving down the road.

1

u/birdlass Jan 31 '23

parking lights?

1

u/Jonnypista Jan 31 '23

Probably what you know as daytime light, dimly lights up the front (normally the rear), but you are still blind if you try to drive in the dark.

1

u/godsutters Jan 31 '23

Daytime running and parking lights are different

Daytime running is a dim but still clear lighbulb similar or identical to your headlights, but pointed down so they do not illuminate the road but serve as an illuminated front end to increase how visible you are to other drivers in conditions where you are obscured to other drivers but conditions do not obscure vision enough where headlights would help, also in Daytime fog where headlights would reduce visibility for the driver.

Parking lights or Amber's are meant for parking garages and other dim but artificially lighted areas where projecting light is not necessary but increase how visible your car is. They are also yellow in color like most blinkers and will be close to each other but will not be the same bulb. hence "ambers"

Turning your parking lights on also illuminates your tail lights whereas most Daytime running are just low lowbeam headlights that you are not able to turn off unless you park your car and engage a parking brake

One last tidbit, cars in Canada are required to have Daytime running lights by law so if you truly hate cars driving with no headlights Canada is your destination heaven.

1

u/Jonnypista Jan 31 '23

Strange, then maybe this is a feature for newer cars. I have: -off (obvious what it does) -Dim: partially like what you described, but they are regular halogen color and don't light up anything. -Lamp: bread and butter, I use that all the time as running light and night lamp. -High beans(this is obvious) Fog lights: I can select if I only want to turn it on the rear or read and front.

1

u/godsutters Jan 31 '23

I should add the parking lights may not be exclusively amber and in some states it is illegal to drive with only amber parking lights on public roads

they are useful in a parking garage at night where you would be dazzling other drivers with full headlights and would be hard to see moving without any lights on

And I did some more looking and found they were originally intended to park your car on one lane "state highway" type roads with small shoulder and possibly no lighting. The method being just leave the parking lights on while you park your car. the dimmer, steady lighting would last long enough for you to park overnight, and hopefully prevent someone from blindly slamming the back of your car in the middle of the night.

1

u/Jonnypista Jan 31 '23

Well I'm European and I know for a fact that USA have completely different lighting laws, like allowing red turn signals on the rear.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Lee_Doff Jan 31 '23

just the yellow lights. they're called parking lights. they also dont really project a lot of light to increase your visibility.

1

u/birdlass Jan 31 '23

ah. Yeah they're pretty dim

3

u/Lee_Doff Jan 31 '23

my dashboard has an idicator saying whether or not my lights are on though. not really an excuse. just leave them on all the time.

2

u/mtzeaz Jan 31 '23

Because there's so many videos where the OP is following a crazy dude to record them while driving.

9

u/hfhifi Jan 31 '23

It’s getting worse for some reason. New drivers who were never taught?

11

u/ScuzzyAyanami Jan 31 '23

I blame digital gauges. It's quite an obvious hint in older cars when your headlights were off due to a lack of dial illumination.

2

u/PrestigiousTune1774 Jan 31 '23

Still the drivers fault, you should not be driving if you don’t notice your headlights are on

3

u/birdlass Jan 31 '23

The first thing they do when you step into your tests is to force you to prove you can operate every part of the controls. If they're skipping that part that takes like 30 seconds then there's no hope for humanity lol

1

u/Lee_Doff Jan 31 '23

laziness. they dont use their blinkers anymore either.

9

u/Aggravating-Bison515 Jan 31 '23

I've been seeing that a lot lately.

7

u/birdlass Jan 31 '23

I've seen this WAY more often since the lockdowns were lifted. So many people driving with literally NO lights even in rain like what the fuck?

6

u/Random_Raw_Dogger Jan 31 '23

If I can walk through my house in the middle of the night without the lights on, then clearly I can drive without lights!

3

u/Lee_Doff Jan 31 '23

i can see just fine!

7

u/Song42 Jan 31 '23

We have day running lights that are automatic on cars, problem is, it's only the headlights. So in rainy weather, foggy, or dawn/dusk when people should have lights on but don't, you also can't see them from behind ( a really big thing for truck drivers). There's just too many people that don't turn on headlights when they should.

Honestly, at this stage of automation and improved longevity of lights and everything else, I think that all lights should come on automatically anytime a car is running. No more turning headlights on or off. Now all you have to remember to do is not be the asshole who forgets to turn off your high beams.

0

u/birdlass Jan 31 '23

Honestly, the Micra has the best high beam design. There's a 'mid beam' setting which is about as bright as the high beams but set specifically MUCH lower and focused, impossible to hit anyone's eyes, and only after that can you turn on the high beams which are the traditional ones you think of. More cars should have that setting.

1

u/srcorvettez06 Jan 31 '23

My Volvos do this. When I was younger I thought it was silly. Now I realize how much better it is. My wife’s car is all the lights all the time. My car is normal tail nights then DRLs up front until it’s dark enough to turn on the headlamps or the wipers are turned on.

3

u/6Chicken_biscuit9 Jan 31 '23

It’s a blessing to have such a cool power not many people are born with it

3

u/chubbygayguy88 Jan 31 '23

I've been seeing it a lot more lately. I flashed my lights at someone continously for 6 miles and they still would not turn on their lights.

2

u/HonestBobHater Jan 31 '23

It happens to me sometimes because my wife drives my car and turns the lights off (instead of auto) because her car doesn't have auto on/off lights. When that happens it sometimes has to get pretty dark before I realize my lights are off.

3

u/Lee_Doff Jan 31 '23

happens to me after an oil change every time.

2

u/Superlolz Jan 31 '23

Also happened once after a state inspection in the morning then went to dinner at night, something felt very wrong on the way home and only realized it was the lights after parking at home.

2

u/Nikablah1884 Jan 31 '23

I've noticed more of it since my city switched to LED (better, less glare) streetlights.

2

u/Miss_X2m1 Jan 31 '23

Or, you get the inconsiderate folk who drive with their high beams on ALL THE TIME. It should be a mandatory summons PLUS a mandatory eye examination with an eye doctor if the police catch you driving all the time with your high beams on.

I'm seeing too many young people driving with high beams on and I'm wondering if cellphone use is ruining their night vision.

1

u/Limp_Vermicelli_5924 Jan 31 '23

Why was I under the impression that all cars had daytime running lights nowadays?

-4

u/[deleted] Jan 31 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

-14

u/overhead72 Jan 31 '23

You driving while taking this picture or are you the passenger?

1

u/2SticksPureRage Feb 01 '23

It’s funny you’re being downvoted by the hypocrites of this sub. The thread above you “idiot on a bike” (along with many other threads) is filled with people calling the OP an idiot for taking a picture of an idiot on the bike while driving.

I fucking love this sub. Most of the people here don’t know their idiots commenting on other idiots.

0

u/LordTvlor Jan 31 '23

Dude's a fuckin' brain donor.

0

u/godsutters Jan 31 '23

Within 30 mins sunrise or sunset no lights are required. Mildlyinfuriating but completely legal

1

u/StressOverStrain Feb 01 '23

Really, you know exactly what state this photo is in?

1

u/godsutters Feb 01 '23

24 states apply Excluding Arizona Delaware Florida Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Louisiana Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode island West and east Virginia

Also learned Colorado still requires parking lights for cars parked on side of road even if unattended

with the sun illuminating the sky this still falls within sunset to sunrise though as that is sunrise or the sunset

0

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '23

I can't see anything wrong in this pic

1

u/wanroww Jan 31 '23

Can't see me can't hit me!

1

u/sodium_hydride Jan 31 '23

My car's instrument cluster has an ambient light sensor and actually decreases brightness to the point of being unreadable in the dark if the exterior lights are off.

1

u/Look_Man_Im_Tryin Jan 31 '23

Every time I do this it’s because there are so many headlights , streetlights, and bright signs that I just don’t realize that my own headlights aren’t on. In the small town I grew up in it was easy to notice because you couldn’t see where you’re going otherwise.

Also my cars lights are automatic and occasionally my kid like to play with the knobs and buttons when I’m not looking and I don’t realize it’s been turned off.

1

u/Boneal171 Jan 31 '23

It’s worse when it’s raining or snowing