[GT182]

No it's not a law but most vehicles around here do have daytime running light. On my way home last night I saw some foreign car ahead of me with no rear lights on.. it was after dark. I assume it had daytime running lights and the idiot behind the wheel figured ALL of the cars lights were on. That's how most think that do have daytime running lights. I guess ignorance is bliss.

One question. How many have actually read the owner's manual for the vehicle they drive? I can honestly say I have for the Jeep GC and Focus. As for the Focus, if I hadn't I wouldn't even know how to operate the electronics in the dash or how many quarts of oil I need for an oil change.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by GT182

No it's not a law but most vehicles around here do have daytime running light. On my way home last night I saw some foreign car ahead of me with no rear lights on.. it was after dark. I assume it had daytime running lights and the idiot behind the wheel figured ALL of the cars lights were on. That's how most think that do have daytime running lights. I guess ignorance is bliss.

One question. How many have actually read the owner's manual for the vehicle they drive? I can honestly say I have for the Jeep GC and Focus. As for the Focus, if I hadn't I wouldn't even know how to operate the electronics in the dash or how many quarts of oil I need for an oil change.

That's where all this technology in cars has it's drawbacks. Auto parking, auto backing, lane adjustments, distance warnings, auto lights..... It really dummies the car and turns people into mindless drivers. A lot of these cars with their driving lights, also have dash lights on with that, so it can fool someone into thinking the lights are on if they aren't paying attention, not to mention they expect the car to turn the lights on for them. People have all grown to be a very lazy society that expects everything handed to them
We, including my wife, prefer to have everything in the drivers hands, it makes you pay attention and be aware. We got sick of all that stuff, it's why we sold all the new cars and now just drive our classics.
The problem though now becomes what this thread is about, idiots on the roads and the worry of someone not paying attention. Hence my back road comment.

I hear ya on the no signal comment. I rarely see anyone use a signal anymore. Sadly it's now become accepted. Just the other day I needed to go straight at a 4-way stop sign, and a semi was trying to make a left turn in front of me, she started her turn only to realize she couldn't make it, then motioned me to go ahead and turn right. Um.....I'm going straight and now your blocking the entire intersection, can't you see I DON'T have a turn signal on??? She automatically assumed I was turning. DUH!!! Then she gets pissed! Really? People are just clueless today.

[Fullsize455]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

We, including my wife, prefer to have everything in the drivers hands, it makes you pay attention and be aware. We got sick of all that stuff, it's why we sold all the new cars and now just drive our classics.

This right here, in a big way. I've never owned a vehicle newer than '98 and I just don't see that changing. I do not want all that extra technology for the sake of technology crap. I want to be in complete control of the car and all its functions. I don't want any kind of driving aids except ABS, I don't want drive by wire throttle, I don't want fancy chipped keys, I don't want daytime running lights or automatic headlights that can't be defeated, etc.. It's my car, I want it to be the way I want it to be.

My daily driver van had automatic headlights that came on in when the sensor was dark that couldn't be defeated and I hated them.. until I installed a relay in the main power feed for the lights, with a switch inside on the dash that I can flip to turn them off. It was way too sensitive and they would come on all kinds of times when they didn't need to, and they would come on in the evening well before I would turn them on. They do NOT need to come on if I happen to be sitting under an overpass waiting at a light for a minute in the middle of the day, they do not need to come on when I start it up in the garage at home, etc.. So the switch I installed is basically now my headlight switch, as whenever I choose to flip it on, it's dark enough outside for the sensor to turn the lights on.

I've never been a believer in daytime running lights or their effectiveness, and having driven a large amount of miles on country two lane roads and such, I still cannot for the life of me understand how anyone thinks they make any difference in visibility. Sure, I might be able to see your vehicle from a half mile away instead of only 2/5ths, but who on earth cares at that distance? What matters is when vehicles come close enough to potentially interfere with each other on the road, and if you can't see any vehicle, pedestrian or otherwise up close, you've got bigger problems that DRLs won't solve. In fact I despise many cars with DRLs as a lot of them use dimmed high beams for the light, and due to the angle of these lights they can often cause a lot of needless glare, even in bright daylight. Counterproductive if you ask me.

Plus, on a country two lane road, if you simply stay on your side of the damn road and look carefully before you turn/pass, you won't need to worry about oncoming traffic, as you'll pass each other just fine.