so we can see you

‍One of my pet irks is the lack of vehicle illumination in other cars when driving.

‍As I live ‘in the hills’ with the forest overhanging the road it can be badly lit or, sometimes, a fog/low-lying cloud may blanket the road.

‍Most of the inhabitants drive with their parking lights or full lights on. It does no harm to the car and is a godsend for other drivers as we can see other vehicles in this subdued light.

‍Drivers with no lights on in these conditions may say “I can see perfectly well without my lights on”.

‍Yes, maybe so, but other road users can’t see their vehicle if they have no illumination and, hence, it’s a potential accident just waiting to happen.

‍latest technology versus human instinct

‍Wise in design, a lot of European cars, like the Volvo, have lights that come on when the car is started. There’s even places in the world where full lights come on when ignition is begun. A brilliant idea … you can see the other vehicles in all conditions.

‍Now, a lot of the latest cars have an automatic technological thing to detect low light and put on the lights. I tell you: “Don’t trust the car. Go with human instinct … you know better. You should be in control, not the vehicle’s computer.”

‍“So, please put on your lights when driving at dusk or in subdued light.”