by LORRAINE SOMMERFELD   | 2 DAYS AGO

The fabulous Willie Nelson gives this advice for living your best life: 

1. Don’t be an a-hole;
2. Don’t be an a-hole;
3. Don’t be a goddamned a-hole.

The less-fabulous Lorraine Sommerfeld would like to add to that:

1. Put on your lights;
2. Put on your lights;
3. Put on your goddamned lights.

Throughout my years rambling through this industry, this is the second biggest pet peeve that drivers bring to me. People who plug along in the passing lane are the first. I believe the unlighted steeds on our roadways are a bigger threat.

It’s more noticeable as the days get shorter and the season gets rainier. Well, it’s less noticeable. Most of you reading this are aware, but let’s pull apart the equation.

Daytime running lights (DRLs) were made mandatory on new cars in Canada as of December 1, 1989. When you start your car, smaller secondary lights – DRLs – come on in the front, and your dashboard is lit up. Study after study shows safety advantages and marked collision reductions when cars have these added lights.

Some argue the largest advantage is in countries in the northern hemisphere — like Canada. Some hate them and disconnect them via an aftermarket workaround. (Some provinces, like Alberta, state that if your car has them, you have to keep them maintained. Before you go yanking them out, check the law.)

The problem with DRLs and the error made when they were ushered into law is the rear lights on many vehicles (Honda and Toyota are big culprits, here) are not tied to the front lights nor the dash. Because studies showed that additional illumination on the front was an advantage, but not the rear, too many manufacturers tossed them on the front only. Wouldn’t be a problem, but the ensuing dog’s breakfast of confusion surrounding lighting systems has resulted in some very dangerous driving conditions.

Back in olden times, if you didn’t have your lights on, your dash was dark. It was an instant reminder that you hadn’t put your headlights on. An always-backlit dash removes that reminder. Many drivers are driving on highly lit roadways and those little DRLs are just enough to allow them to forget they don’t have their proper lights on. Drive down a dark rural road and you’ll know in a heartbeat your lights aren’t on.

Most cars have a setting on their lighting system that says “Auto.” This means when dusk or rain sets in, the car will automatically engage its full lighting harness, which includes the rear lights. If your car is not set in Auto, you are driving with only your DRLs on. Your rear may be black.

Of course, it makes no sense. Of course, it’s been a problem since its inception. It will finally be addressed in September 2021, when all cars made or sold in Canada will be required to have the front and rear harnesses connected. This means only another ten or fifteen years until most cars will be properly lit. Sigh.

I would love to post a full list of cars that have this problem. I started one a decade ago, then realized how futile it was to try. Some brands (Mercedes-Benz and Porsche spring to mind) have their lighting systems done properly across their lineup. But for everyone else? It’s hit and miss.

Various makes, some models within those makes, some years of those models — there is no consistency unless a manufacturer has established the very wise rule that everything they put out will have their DRLs tied to both the front and rear lights.

The law and the manufacturers are late to the table—we can fix this ourselves

“Why don’t they ticket them?” yell many, including myself. According to Sergeant Jason Kraft with Toronto Police Services, in Ontario, they can, and do. “The HTA states ‘every motor vehicle other than a motorcycle shall carry three lighted lamps in a conspicuous position, one on each side of the front of the vehicle which shall display a white or amber light only, and one on the rear of the vehicle which shall display a red light only,’” he explains.Most people don’t intentionally forget to put on their headlights. In a perfect world, drivers would automatically put on their full lighting system whenever they drive, day or night. It’s a good habit. When you get out of your car, it will do one of two things: squawk at you to turn the lights off, or shut them down itself. This is the best format; you can just leave your car lights turned on all the time and forget about it. “Auto” is OK; full system is better.

“By driving with daytime running lights only [one-half hour before sunset until one-half hour after sunrise], your rear red lights are not activated at all, thus the charge of ‘Drive without proper rear light’ HTA62(1) would be laid,” he says, adding most people are unaware they’ve failed to pull on their full system. So an officer might tell them so, the driver puts it on, and they’re on their way.

There is an additional charge for only having your DRLs on; the front bulbs are not strong enough to meet the law requiring your vehicle to be seen from 110 metres away. You might get a warning, but you’re risking two $110 fines.

Best practices? Pull on your full lighting harness every time you drive. If you set your system to “Auto,” double-check it periodically, and each time someone else has driven your car, whether they be family, mechanic, valet, or detailer. In a rental, check.

Instead of saying people who mess up are too stupid to drive, talk to everyone you care about and make sure they’re aware of this. New drivers, or those who seldom drive, can use some direction, not snark.

The law and the manufacturers are late to the table. We can fix this ourselves. And, no, I know of no signal to let people know only their DRLs are on. Come up with one, and I’ll publish it.

Reference: 

https://driving.ca/column/lorraine/lorraine-complains-put-on-your-cars-lights-yes-all-of-them