Driving in the Daytime with your Headlights On

Question:
Why do you drive in daytime with your Headlights ON

Choices:
Yes, it improves visibility and safety
Yes, it compliments my classy ride
Yes, I'm a full power guy, bigger and brighter is better
Yes, it helps dry out the rainwater pooling in the lens body
Yes, for other reasons
No, don't load the alternator and shorten the lifespan of the headlights
No, any advantages are marginal at best
No, I'll forget to turn them off when I park the car
No, I'm pushing 6+ years on my 24 month warranty battery
No, one of them is burned out and don't want to get cited for faulty equipment
Please educate us, it's a serious question

 

Shouldn’t you start with your answer?

No. If you can't see a 3/4 ton truck coming at you on the road then you have no business being on the road.

How about "No, for other reasons"?

My car, and a lot of others, has DRLs (daytime running lights). They are actually the high beams, but run on reduced power. I personally like them. None of the poll questions really fit. And why do you ask?

The only reason I drive with lights on during the day is bad weather- rain, fog, snow.

Except for what oddball posted, Daytime Driving with your Headlights On = DUMB

God's Honest Truth - the Other Side told my wife to drive with the headlights on.

They've been right enough times that the headlights are on when my wife is in the car.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
My car, and a lot of others, has DRLs (daytime running lights). They are actually the high beams, but run on reduced power. I personally like them. None of the poll questions really fit. And why do you ask?

Because I don't know much about the topic, from a scientific or actuarial POV. My wife always drives with the lights on, but she can't say exactly why except she has always done it that way.

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:
How about "No, for other reasons"?

Thanks, exactly right. Missed that one.

It improves the cars visibility to other drivers.

Because for my foglights to be illuminated my headlights have to be on.

One thing I do right away in my vehicles that have fog lights is install yellow foglights.
Main reason is my visibility on windy two lane country roads. It really lights us the edge of the road.

2nd reason is people seeing me. You are seeing them more but yellow fog lights really stand out on the road.
I like to think people are more inclined to notice the yellow fogs.

Just pure speculation on my part about people seeing me better.

I think anything that makes a car stand out from the background, whatever it may be, is beneficial. Motorcycles have had constant-on headlights for decades; they can be made to flicker or flash rapidly. It is difficult to prove if or how many collisions don't happen because of DRLs or headlights.

As of 2003 when I left, there are/were some stretches of highways in California (mostly two-lane whose traffic has far outstripped their capacity) where turning on headlights in the day is mandated.

I'm curious about the "pooh-pooh-ers" who say day headlights are dumb. Reasons?

I'd agree with egregore. It's the opposite that infuriates me. DRL only at night with no rear lighting, or the ones that have their brights on because they have a low beam burned out.

Anytime I'm pulling a trailer, I at least have my parking lights on, to illuminate the trailer lights.

^^^^^

P250UA5 typed just almost exactly what I would have. Thanks, man!

Cars nowadays (last 20 years.) have automatic daylight running settings.

No reason to manually override.

In areas I pass thru while driving, where I have seen too many accidents, I will turn my headlights on for increased visibility. I generally turn them back to the DRL setting when clear. Anything to help prevent a T-bone while I am doing 55-60mph, I view as beneficial.

Voted no, advantages are marginal at best, but more accurate would be that everything except the ‘02 Sequoia has daylight running lights and turning any lights on dims the internal displays and makes them harder to read.

I probably don’t worry nearly as much as I should about people seeing me. I generally operate as if they don’t and try to be ready for them to do whatever as much as I can.

I voted Yes for other reasons. My car constantly automatically turns them on at the slightest hint of shade. I'm always turning them off when I get out of the garage, but it turns back on before I hit the street. Still trying to figure out how to keep them off and turn off the stupid start/stop crap. My previous car was easy, it always stayed off but I did turn on rear DRL on it.

My car automatically turns on the headlights when it’s dark so I don’t worry about it.

But late 70s, I remember most government cars (non police) always had their lights on and they had a sticker “my lights are on for safety.”

There are also stretches of roads that have signs that say “turn your headlights on in daylight for the next x miles.”

I wouldn’t manually turn my headlights on during the day because I’ll be afraid I’ll forget to turn it off when I shut the engine (if it didn’t have an auto-off feature).