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Why do people turn on their headlights while driving in broad daylight?

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DAWeinG

Platinum Member
So for the past several years, I've noticed that people turn on their headlights in broad daylight. We're talking from am to pm. I can't help but notice that while I was cruising down the freeway today almost 1/3 of the people had their headlights on. I read in the driver's manual somewhere that you're supposed to turn on your headlights in daylight but I forgot what it was. So what's YOUR reason?
 


<< So for the past several years, I've noticed that people turn on their headlights in broad daylight. We're talking from am to pm. I can't help but notice that while I was cruising down the freeway today almost 1/3 of the people had their headlights on. I read in the driver's manual somewhere that you're supposed to turn on your headlights in daylight but I forgot what it was. So what's YOUR reason? >>



Hmmm, you NOTICED them.......OK Sherlock, complete the equation here.
 
Really? How new? The headlights in broad daylight thing seems to have been a trend for the past couple years. And anyways even though the alternator is recharging the car battery constantly, won't it eventually drain the battery faster? Meaning you're going to have to replace it sooner? And why did GM decide to leave the headlights on?
 


Do they come on when you're just in radio mode by turning the key backwards or half way foward on the ignition switch ?
 
As others have said, many newer vehicles have daytime running lights - hence they're always on.

The reason behind it is simple: Even in well lit conditions, a vehicle with headlights on is more visible than one that's not.

Visibility keeps you alive.

You do the math.

Viper GTS
 
Daytime running lights have been standard on most cars (not just GM) for several years now. They're intented as a safety feature to help drivers see one another. No, they don't really shorten battery life or anything - the alternator provides more than enough power to power them and not pull from the battery.
 


<<

<< So for the past several years, I've noticed that people turn on their headlights in broad daylight. We're talking from am to pm. I can't help but notice that while I was cruising down the freeway today almost 1/3 of the people had their headlights on. I read in the driver's manual somewhere that you're supposed to turn on your headlights in daylight but I forgot what it was. So what's YOUR reason? >>



Hmmm, you NOTICED them.......OK Sherlock, complete the equation here. >>



Yeah I did, I actually noticed that headlights + broad daylight = 😕

I detected a sense of sarcasm there but didn't really pick it up... 😛
 
Dont all cars from the Canada have daytime running light systems?

I thought I remembered hearing years ago that they had proved that it reduces collisions by quite a large percentage.
 


<< A lot of newer GM cars have the headlights always on. >>



DRLs are required by law in Canada, I believe. GM has some plants up there and started putting the DumbRLs on cars for the States, too.

I wouldn't mind it if GM's engineers had anything approximating a brain. However, they made two utterly idiotic decisions:

1) Use high beams dimmed down (uhh...why not just use the regular dman low beam?!?!)
2) Didn't turn on the taillights, too (so...hop in a rental car in the evening and the lights/dash lights are on and go driving around but, hey! Guess what?!?! You have no taillights!!)

Maybe they've fixed that latter point (I think Toyota was guilty of that, too, for a while).

Saturns are the WORST! Their DRLs are set very close together and are very bright and annoying.
 


<< Yeah I did, I actually noticed that headlights + broad daylight

I detected a sense of sarcasm there but didn't really pick it up...
>>



As ViperGTS pointed out visibility keeps you alive, the fact that you noticed them seems that the headlights had the desired effect on you.
 


<< Really? How new? The headlights in broad daylight thing seems to have been a trend for the past couple years. And anyways even though the alternator is recharging the car battery constantly, won't it eventually drain the battery faster? Meaning you're going to have to replace it sooner? And why did GM decide to leave the headlights on? >>



No. When the car is running, the load is "floating" on the input from the alternator. If your headlights used more power(amps) than your alternator could give, then yeah.. you would begin to drain your battery. But they don't. 🙂


 
i remember way back when GM was talking about installing DRL's

moron: "i wouldnt want my lights to be on when i'm driving during dayime."
me: "why not?"
moron: "duh, it'll run down my batttery"
me: "ever hear of an alternator?"
moron: "whats an alternator?"

nuff said
 


<< I wouldn't mind it if GM's engineers had anything approximating a brain. However, they made two utterly idiotic decisions:

1) Use high beams dimmed down (uhh...why not just use the regular dman low beam?!?!)
2) Didn't turn on the taillights, too (so...hop in a rental car in the evening and the lights/dash lights are on and go driving around but, hey! Guess what?!?! You have no taillights!!) >>



In the 1999 Silverado that we had, it had a DRLS and it also had a sensor that automatically turned on the headlights ( and taillights and instrument panel lights) at dusk, regardless of the position of the headlight switch, super handy sometimes, not quite so handy when you stalking career was on the line. 😛


Of course Chevrolet had the voltage or something screwed up the the running light systems on the 1999-2000 Silverados and they ate bulbs about every 4 months, so most of them you see driving around dont have the lights on since the bulbs are burned out, but the bulbs are different than the regular headlight bulbs.
 
...... lol well I learned something new today 🙂 It seemed like a waste of energy at first... First people want us to conserve power and now people are using power when they don't need it. Even though it's a different kind of power source, it created some sort of dissonance so I had to ask 🙂 I can always count on the ATOT community 😀
 


<< It's proven to reduce alot of accidents. >>



Can't remember what Car and Driver has written about them over the years. I need to do a bit of digging.

My wife's 1999 Corolla has DRLs but that hasn't stopped two people from pulling out in front of us. One, a woman pulled out of a parking garage RIGHT in front of me (I was going about 30mph) and BAM! Knocked her Escort back onto the sidewalk! About $7K in damage to the Corolla. The 2nd time, a woman pulled out of a side street in front of my wife and she nailed the brakes and bumped into her...scratching our bumper and denting the woman's fender.

Now, me, in my Sebring convertible...I'll turn the lights on for the drive in to work and again on the drive home as I typically have the sun at my back and I want to give all the notice I can to oncoming drivers who have to look into the sun. I'll also use them when driving into a parking garage (that's helped a couple of times for morons deciding the garage and its ramps are rally course).
 
Actually Daytime Running Headlights don't significantly reduce car accidents, according to most studies. But I think they're worthwhile anyways; I always drive with them on. They use up very little power (compared to the amount that's used to propel the car). I don't think there should be any laws passed on the matter, however. It should be left up to the consumers and the car companies.
 
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