Driving w headlights

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Originally Posted by JamesH

I must admit and read the exact opposite and it has been my personal experience too. Yes lights make it much easier to see oncoming vehicles but they inhibit your ability to assess the speed of that vehicle.

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sounds like the article i read also.

90% of the time i have my lights on ...

AKAIK all bike still have their low beam hard wired to come on as soon as the key in on ign, i would only put lights on and then only parkers when in a low light situation like winter or close to sunset. No point in driving around with lights on like those doof doof listening w#nkers with their illuminated wiper blades and coloured lights.

One time they're really handy is at dusk when you are driving away from the sun. It's much easier for cars approaching you to see you. By easier I mean, possible. When driving into the sun following a car with its rear lights on is re-assuring as well.

There must be some merit to running with your low beam on as it is required on mine sites and vehicles are wired so that once the ignition is switched on the lights are on. I always run with my lights on as I have to many close calls where other cars have pulled out in front of me and since I have run with lights it happens a lot less often.

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Originally Posted by loanrangie

i would only put lights on and then only parkers when in a low light situation like winter or close to sunset. No point in driving around with lights on like those doof doof listening w#nkers with their illuminated wiper blades and coloured lights.

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Wow, have you read any of the other reasons people have put forth for having lights on all the time?

So what about when out on long flat roads or highways, or even long flat city streets in the middle of summer with a bit of heat haze shimmering off the bitumen. You don't think that having your lights on would be beneficial to anyone further down the road who:

A. Was oncoming and looking to overtake but couldn't see you because of the heat haze or distances involved (your vehicle colour just faded into the background trees)
OR
B. Was a pedestrian (be it child, cyclist, mother with children, man with his dog) looking to cross the street and didn't see you?

You put two vehicles in the same circumstances as above and a I guarantee you that the vehicle with the headlights on will be more easily visible.

I hadn't heard the argument before about the oncoming traffic not being able to judge distances properly when you have your lights on, but I'd much rather they couldn't judge the distance so erred on the side of caution instead of not seeing you at all and turning out in front of you.

As far as I'm concerned it's a safety feature and should be mandatory like on motorcycles... now THAT would get up people's noses and I'm thoroughly expecting to cop some flak about it by expressing that opinion on here (especially after this thread). Some people just absolutely hate the idea.. honestly I can't understand why.

What I hate is those ******* driving around with their fog-lights on, be it sunshine or rain - hello??! FOG Lights people!?!! If it's not foggy, DON'T USE THEM! DUH!

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Originally Posted by Grizzly_Adams

As far as I'm concerned it's a safety feature and should be mandatory like on motorcycles... now THAT would get up people's noses and I'm thoroughly expecting to cop some flak about it by expressing that opinion on here (especially after this thread). Some people just absolutely hate the idea.. honestly I can't understand why.

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Nup, totally agree

My Subie had auto-off headlights. I just left the switch on so they would come on whilst the car was running; day, night, hail, shine, ....

If other people can see you, less chance there is of them doing something stupid in front of you

I always turn my lights on when:
- it's raining / foggy
- I'm on a dirt road
- I'm in a tunnel
- The street lights are on
- I'm towing something big (caravan or car trailer etc)

I have often wondered why people who drive on parkers never seem to realise that the low wattage bulbs in parking lights do NOT render the vehicle more visible. If you bother to observe a vehicle approaching with parking lights on you'll see that the vehicle becomes visible at about the same time as the lights. They are for - you guessed it - to make your vehicle more visible in the dark when parked.
If you need to use lights to make yourself more visible use low beam.

Cheers

Jules

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Originally Posted by loanrangie

AKAIK all bike still have their low beam hard wired to come on as soon as the key in on ign,

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That was dropped years ago. It was a requirement at one time.

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Originally Posted by The Fish

There must be some merit to running with your low beam on as it is required on mine sites and vehicles are wired so that once the ignition is switched on the lights are on.

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I suspect there are a couple of reasons that don't necessarily apply on road.

1. The vehicles aren't necessarily on a defined road so other drivers may not see them. On road, you know where to look for cars.

2. OH&S has got them running scared.