Yes, I'm A Sad Git

[Diver Fred]

Visibility wasn't my point though.

My point was that DRLs appear to be lulling the inattentive driver into thinking that they actually have their lights on (i.e. both fronts and rears)..
Which, at night and with no rear lighting on at all, is definitely a problem for other road users.

Is it just DRL's though? What about automatic switching of (head)lights on & off? Or cars where the headlights are enabled via the ignition switch so people never bother to switch them off when parked up.

 

[norseman]

Is it just DRL's though? What about automatic switching of (head)lights on & off? Or cars where the headlights are enabled via the ignition switch so people never bother to switch them off when parked up.

Having inadvertently killed a battery by failing to switch off headlights when parking up after driving in daylight, but having used headlights due to poor visibility, I'm not sure I agree with the latter part of your post.

As for the former, our last car had auto headlight control, but we never selected that facility on the switch.

 

[Brigadier]

Is it just DRL's though? What about automatic switching of (head)lights on & off? Or cars where the headlights are enabled via the ignition switch so people never bother to switch them off when parked up.

But your lights - front and rear - will be on, when it gets darker.
Which is good for other road users

 

[norseman]

But your lights - front and rear - will be on, when it gets darker.
Which is good for other road users

So will mine, I have a switch that even an old git like me can manage

 

[carmanmemoranda]

So will mine, I have a switch that even an old git like me can manage

Have you noticed there's a lot of drivers that can't manage that?

Cars seem to have just front lights on, or none.

 

[Diver Fred]

Having inadvertently killed a battery by failing to switch off headlights when parking up after driving in daylight, but having used headlights due to poor visibility, I'm not sure I agree with the latter part of your post

Having to regularly pass a school at chucking our time the number of cars parked on the Left side of the road facing oncoming traffic with headlights on cause the poorly dressed school mums keeping the car engine running so they don't get cold (in winter) or to hot (in summer). Sometimes they sit there with engine running for nearly a hour so their  brats kids don't catch cold walking from school building to the car.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Sometimes they sit there with engine running for nearly a hour so their  brats kids don't catch cold walking from school building to the car.

Poisoning the air, around the school for the pupils, and for the school's neighbours.

 

[Brigadier]

even an old git like me can manage

You can't follow a thread though

 

[norseman]

You can't follow a thread though

I tend to give direct replies to a specific post, so maybe you're right there.

Sad that today's drivers need automation to tell them when it's getting dark, or raining in the case of automatic wipers.
No wonder the industry is moving to driver-less cars, then the occupiers will be passengers & won't have to do anything, let alone drive.

 

[Brigadier]

I tend to give direct replies to a specific post, so maybe you're right there.

Sad that today's drivers need automation to tell them when it's getting dark, or raining in the case of automatic wipers.
No wonder the industry is moving to driver-less cars, then the occupiers will be passengers & won't have to do anything, let alone drive.

"If you make something idiot-proof, Nature will just evolve a better idiot"

Much truth in that.......

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Sad that today's drivers need automation to tell them when it's getting dark, or raining in the case of automatic wipers.
No wonder the industry is moving to driver-less cars, then the occupiers will be passengers & won't have to do anything, let alone drive.

They are called 'driver aids', my car has many of them, and I am quite grateful for them. They allow me to maintain more of my attention on the road itself. I don't have to keep turning the wipers on and off, or adjusting their speed - it rains, the wipers just run, and keep the screen clear. Back in the day, driving, I had plenty of spare time to switch them on and off, but the roads are very much busier now, than then, and driving standards are much worse, in part due to other's impatience, and in car distractions.

 

[norseman]

They are called 'driver aids', my car has many of them, and I am quite grateful for them. They allow me to maintain more of my attention on the road itself. I don't have to keep turning the wipers on and off, or adjusting their speed - it rains, the wipers just run, and keep the screen clear. Back in the day, driving, I had plenty of spare time to switch them on and off, but the roads are very much busier now, than then, and driving standards are much worse, in part due to other's impatience, and in car distractions.

With due respect Harry it sounds like you would be an ideal candidate for driver-less car ownership
I do agree about your reference to 'others' though.

 

[Diver Fred]

They are called 'driver aids',

I've been driving a hire car for a fortnight - a new Toyota Auris X. Had so many driver 'aids' it was dangerous... A central screen that was linked to the reversing camera but when it wasn't showing the reversing image was a bright white screen. There was 'Beeps' at every speed limit Sign - when you aren't expecting the beep it very distracting when you are driving in a strange town on a strange side of the road. I drove the car for a 2 hour run along a motorway with the cruise control on - during that time I felt like I had to constantly 'fight' the steering as I later discovered it had a 'Lane centering' function. That was the only time I drove the car with CC enabled.

It has put me off Toyota's.

 

[Mottie]

They are called 'driver aids', my car has many of them, and I am quite grateful for them.

Many of which we take for granted. Power steering, servo assisted brakes, electric windows, central locking, electrically adjustable door mirrors, heated rear screens to name just a few. Oh, and electric starter motors - any purists want to go back to using a starting handle?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

With due respect Harry it sounds like you would be an ideal candidate for driver-less car ownership
I do agree about your reference to 'others' though.

No, I enjoy the whole process of driving, always have, but some things distract from the process for me, and turning wipers on and off, as rainfall varies, is one of those things, which is done much better when automated.