Is there such a thing as a simple car anymore

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
As a truck driver (semi-retired), my opinion is that every car should have daytime running lights and auto lights that come on at night and when the wipers come on. A lot of people forget to turn their lights on and I think this will prevent a lot of accidents.


My Camry has automatic headlights that don't come on when I turn on the wipers.

Annoying oversight.

 

[Pesca]

Too bad you don't live in Canada, you could have a Nissan Micra instead: Better car for the same money from what I read (at least better looking for sure).

Mitsubishi had to lower the Mirage's price to match Micra's one (they were 3000$ higher for less car).

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
As a truck driver (semi-retired), my opinion is that every car should have daytime running lights and auto lights that come on at night and when the wipers come on. A lot of people forget to turn their lights on and I think this will prevent a lot of accidents.


As a motorcyclist, my opinion is that DRLs should be FORBIDDEN, and any car so equipped should have them disabled.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
As a motorcyclist, my opinion is that DRLs should be FORBIDDEN, and any car so equipped should have them disabled.


Why do you feel this way as a motorcyclist? And I guess the follow-on question, if you were not a motorcyclist, would you feel the same way?

(I completely support the notion of DRLs, but I'm not a motorcyclist, so I don't see it from their/your perspective.)

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: Silverado12
As a truck driver (semi-retired), my opinion is that every car should have daytime running lights and auto lights that come on at night and when the wipers come on. A lot of people forget to turn their lights on and I think this will prevent a lot of accidents.


As a motorcyclist, my opinion is that DRLs should be FORBIDDEN, and any car so equipped should have them disabled.
Why?

 

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: Silverado12
As a truck driver (semi-retired), my opinion is that every car should have daytime running lights and auto lights that come on at night and when the wipers come on. A lot of people forget to turn their lights on and I think this will prevent a lot of accidents.


My Camry has automatic headlights that don't come on when I turn on the wipers.

Annoying oversight.


Yes, and depending on the lighting conditions, the truck will put up so much spray on wet roads that I have almost not seen cars when changing lanes. Thank goodness I always signal and check the mirrors 2-3 times at least and didn't hit the guy. Because no matter who is right or who is wrong, an accident with an 18 wheeler isn't going to be pretty. Mt Challenger has manual lights, but I had the daytime running lights turned on at the dealer. The cars sold in the US were off, the ones sold in Canada were on as they have the law. Since the car is black, that will add a lot to my visibility.

 

[IndyIan]

The safety issue with DRL's is that often people won't realize that only the DRL's are on at night which leaves their tail lights off. I followed a guy for quite a while flashing my lights(from a safe distance) before he figured out why.
I'm just in the habit of turning the car lights on when I drive, even though the Tracker has automatic head lights. With DRL I might not notice if the sensor fails and leaves the tail lights off.

 

[supton]

I like to think I pay enough attention and turn on my lights when they need to be on. I think I usually do, although my Camry makes it hard with its backlit dash.

Personally I still say DRL's should have powered the full parking circuit, and "bright" yellows in the bumpers (ala what GM used to do) would do quite well. Just my opinion, and it's probably not bolstered by evidence. But I like see the taillights of the cars in front of me when I'm driving into the sun at dawn/dusk.

Anyhow...

You know what'd be nice to have "standard" while we're at it? How about turn signals on the side of the car? My Jetta has a small bulb in each fender, between the wheel and the door, presumably to give one more indication to others of what I'm up to. You know, in case I've missed the fact that they are there, and have hit the blinker, it might serve as a heads-up to the guy that I'm about to veer into.

Not that I do that--I'm rather religious about lane checks and all. But the premise is, if I were to see the blinker of the car next to me indicating that he wants into my lane--I will likely get out of the way, just in case he doesn't know I'm there.

 

[Nick1994]

I've got DRL but the dash lights aren't on unless I flip the switch, which makes the headlights a little brighter and turns on the tail lights. I see new cars all the time driving around at night either without headlights on, or only headlights and no tail lights. Can't believe car manufacturers are too cheap these days to not make them automatically come on.

 

[Hokiefyd]

The reason DRLs don't power on the tail lamps is because that reduces the conspicuity of the brake lamps, especially if there is no third brake lamp or if that bulb is out. Cars without tail lamps are certainly a problem, and I believe the combination of DRLs and always-on instrument clusters enables this behavior. But cars without any forward lighting are more dangerous still...and DRLs at least safeguard the rest of us from pulling out in front of or merging into someone who doesn't have the awareness to have their headlamps on.

I've come to avoid situations where I have to pull into oncoming traffic at night. I'll drive a mile out of my way to catch a traffic signal instead of a stop sign. Too many vehicles drive in pitch black with ZERO forward lighting around here. DRLs at least enable me to avoid them, even if they can't see where they're going.

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Can't believe car manufacturers are too cheap these days to not make them automatically come on.


Most vehicles with automatic lamps have ways to defeat them, and appropriately so. Automatic headlamps aren't always appropriate, even if they usually are. It seems that drivers can't even use the automatic setting correctly, and they end up driving around with NO lamps on.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
As a motorcyclist, my opinion is that DRLs should be FORBIDDEN, and any car so equipped should have them disabled.


Why do you feel this way as a motorcyclist? And I guess the follow-on question, if you were not a motorcyclist, would you feel the same way?

(I completely support the notion of DRLs, but I'm not a motorcyclist, so I don't see it from their/your perspective.)


They eliminate the ONLY advantage a motorcycle has in regards to being seen: the always-on headlight.

 

[MalfunctionProne]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
As a motorcyclist, my opinion is that DRLs should be FORBIDDEN, and any car so equipped should have them disabled.


Why do you feel this way as a motorcyclist? And I guess the follow-on question, if you were not a motorcyclist, would you feel the same way?

(I completely support the notion of DRLs, but I'm not a motorcyclist, so I don't see it from their/your perspective.)


They eliminate the ONLY advantage a motorcycle has in regards to being seen: the always-on headlight.


Isn't that why motorcycles make a lot of noise; so that they can be heard?

 

[supton]

If motorcycles make any more noise than they do already they're liable to become victums of road rage! Yeepers, I've had my eardrums blown out by passing Harleys. Ok, an exageration, but you get the idea. They can be painfully loud. Can't drive in summer with the windows down with those things around.

One summer I was about to set an alarm so I could confront someone who liked to go by at 3am, after about the 3rd time I was woken up. I suspect the cop down the street took care of it though. Pretty stupid to run loud pipes in a dead quiet rural area.

 

[cutter]

My 98 Geo Tracker makes a beeping noise if I leave the lights on and open the doors with the engine off. That's the only thing it does on its own.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Most vehicles with automatic lamps have ways to defeat them, and appropriately so. Automatic headlamps aren't always appropriate, even if they usually are. It seems that drivers can't even use the automatic setting correctly, and they end up driving around with NO lamps on.


So I think this is why having a light other than the headlight act as a DRL is a good idea. Like GM uses with the amber colored lights, my Camry does the same thing. That way the DRL isn't tricking the driver to believe the headlights are on, particularly if the vehicle offers backlighting for the gauges in the car at all times.

My GTI uses the headlights as the DRLs, but the interior backlighting makes it obvious when it's time to hit the switch.

 

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: Silverado12
As a truck driver (semi-retired), my opinion is that every car should have daytime running lights and auto lights that come on at night and when the wipers come on. A lot of people forget to turn their lights on and I think this will prevent a lot of accidents.


As a motorcyclist, my opinion is that DRLs should be FORBIDDEN, and any car so equipped should have them disabled.
Why?



I think it's because if motorcycles are the only vehicle with lights on during the daytime, they will stand out more and be easier to spot in traffic. I can see the point to that. I have a modulator (makes the headlight go from low beam to low intensity 4 times per second) on my bike, and that makes me stand out more than anything.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
I think it's because if motorcycles are the only vehicle with lights on during the daytime, they will stand out more and be easier to spot in traffic. I can see the point to that. I have a modulator (makes the headlight go from low beam to low intensity 4 times per second) on my bike, and that makes me stand out more than anything.


Yeah, you stand out by distracting motorists from other things that could be more important to their own safety in that moment.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: MalfunctionProne
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
As a motorcyclist, my opinion is that DRLs should be FORBIDDEN, and any car so equipped should have them disabled.


Why do you feel this way as a motorcyclist? And I guess the follow-on question, if you were not a motorcyclist, would you feel the same way?

(I completely support the notion of DRLs, but I'm not a motorcyclist, so I don't see it from their/your perspective.)


They eliminate the ONLY advantage a motorcycle has in regards to being seen: the always-on headlight.


Isn't that why motorcycles make a lot of noise; so that they can be heard?


My Burgman and my wife's Pacific Coast are quieter than my Dakota.

 

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: Silverado12
I think it's because if motorcycles are the only vehicle with lights on during the daytime, they will stand out more and be easier to spot in traffic. I can see the point to that. I have a modulator (makes the headlight go from low beam to low intensity 4 times per second) on my bike, and that makes me stand out more than anything.


Yeah, you stand out by distracting motorists from other things that could be more important to their own safety in that moment.


The modulator is legal in all 50 states. That "distraction" may keep me from getting greased. When I see a modulated headlight, it does not distract me in the least. It just makes the motorcycle easier to notice and that is what its intended purpose is. The modulators must meet the federal standards and they have a sensor that turns them off at night and low light situations, like going through a tunnel.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
The modulator is legal in all 50 states. That "distraction" may keep me from getting greased. When I see a modulated headlight, it does not distract me in the least. It just makes the motorcycle easier to notice and that is what its intended purpose is. The modulators must meet the federal standards and they have a sensor that turns them off at night and low light situations, like going through a tunnel.


That's cool. So if you ever find yourself being followed around by someone in a Camry or GTI flashing his brights at you, please be sure that I only want you to notice me. Because I want to be sure that you know I'm there so you don't bounce off of my car. It's for your own safety.