Rain and use of headlights
Discussion
Is this another element of common sense that has disappeared from driving?
The weather recently has been atrocious and putting aside the inability of most people to do anything other than crash into the nearest solid object the moment a drop of rain hits their windscreen, I've noticed a significant increase in the amount of people failing to use headlights in rain, especially on motorways. I can live with it in suburbia where the speeds (and spray) are much less of an issue, but on motorways it's bloody lethal.
A couple of other aspects though:
1. Most modern cars will automatically switch on headlights when the windscreen wipers are activated by rain sensors / manually turned on. So why do people not take advantage of this, they can be lazy and the car will do it for them, but they still fail to use their headlights.
2. DRLs - these seem to absolve the driver of having to worry that those behind can barely see them, as they only work on the front of cars. Or at least that's what seems to be the case on the 61 plate (or newer) car that I've seen using them. Not that DRLs are much cop in the rain anyway.
3. Of the ones I spotted yesterday, a strawpoll made it more or less an equal 50/50 split between male & female and a good spread of age ranges too, from the "how much fun could I have with her" 18 year old to the myopic flat cap wearing 80 year old great, great grandad and all forms of businessman / sales rep in between.
4. Side issue, but why do peope think that a bit of rain means that their car will instantly explode if the accelerator is used in any other way than being pushed by a feather? Equally, why do they have to brake using an elephants foot?
Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just me being a grumpy old man?
The weather recently has been atrocious and putting aside the inability of most people to do anything other than crash into the nearest solid object the moment a drop of rain hits their windscreen, I've noticed a significant increase in the amount of people failing to use headlights in rain, especially on motorways. I can live with it in suburbia where the speeds (and spray) are much less of an issue, but on motorways it's bloody lethal.
A couple of other aspects though:
1. Most modern cars will automatically switch on headlights when the windscreen wipers are activated by rain sensors / manually turned on. So why do people not take advantage of this, they can be lazy and the car will do it for them, but they still fail to use their headlights.
2. DRLs - these seem to absolve the driver of having to worry that those behind can barely see them, as they only work on the front of cars. Or at least that's what seems to be the case on the 61 plate (or newer) car that I've seen using them. Not that DRLs are much cop in the rain anyway.
3. Of the ones I spotted yesterday, a strawpoll made it more or less an equal 50/50 split between male & female and a good spread of age ranges too, from the "how much fun could I have with her" 18 year old to the myopic flat cap wearing 80 year old great, great grandad and all forms of businessman / sales rep in between.
4. Side issue, but why do peope think that a bit of rain means that their car will instantly explode if the accelerator is used in any other way than being pushed by a feather? Equally, why do they have to brake using an elephants foot?
Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just me being a grumpy old man?
I agree 100% When driving back from Rockingham this weekend the rain made the journey home so much more frustrating! People would sit in the 3rd lane of the motorway between 35/45 mph and then brake hard for no apparent reason.
It was easier to just keep left, in an empty lane. I assume that they we're going slow because of the weather, fair enough driving to the conditions, although i am a driving god and still felt compfortable at 60-70 mph. So surely, wishing to do half the speed limit would mean they would move to the 1st lane?!
It was easier to just keep left, in an empty lane. I assume that they we're going slow because of the weather, fair enough driving to the conditions, although i am a driving god and still felt compfortable at 60-70 mph. So surely, wishing to do half the speed limit would mean they would move to the 1st lane?!
Opportunity to have a short rant.
Why so many " Driver Aids" If drivers need all this help, they should not be allowed on the road, lights that come on when dark or raining, wipers that start when it drizzles, car auto parking, reversing sensors,
while on the subject, heads up displays, tyre pressure remote guages, out of lane warning sensors, and the list goes on and on!!
Can nobody be bothered to actually drive their bl***dy car, Go get the bus and be done with it.
.
I feel better now. Thanks..
Why so many " Driver Aids" If drivers need all this help, they should not be allowed on the road, lights that come on when dark or raining, wipers that start when it drizzles, car auto parking, reversing sensors,
while on the subject, heads up displays, tyre pressure remote guages, out of lane warning sensors, and the list goes on and on!!
Can nobody be bothered to actually drive their bl***dy car, Go get the bus and be done with it.
.
I feel better now. Thanks..
S2Mike said:
Opportunity to have a short rant.
Why so many " Driver Aids" If drivers need all this help, they should not be allowed on the road, lights that come on when dark or raining, wipers that start when it drizzles, car auto parking, reversing sensors,
while on the subject, heads up displays, tyre pressure remote guages, out of lane warning sensors, and the list goes on and on!!
Can nobody be bothered to actually drive their bl***dy car, Go get the bus and be done with it.
.
I feel better now. Thanks..
Something about a nail.. and a head.. Why so many " Driver Aids" If drivers need all this help, they should not be allowed on the road, lights that come on when dark or raining, wipers that start when it drizzles, car auto parking, reversing sensors,
while on the subject, heads up displays, tyre pressure remote guages, out of lane warning sensors, and the list goes on and on!!
Can nobody be bothered to actually drive their bl***dy car, Go get the bus and be done with it.
.
I feel better now. Thanks..
Was being followed by a 62 plate Merc on the way home yesterday (very nice it was too) and as we went under some tree coverage the retina-piercing DRL LEDs seemed to turn off - what a relief!
But it was because the sidelights had come on, which were significantly less bright.
Seems a bit stupid? DRLs brighter than sidelights?
But it was because the sidelights had come on, which were significantly less bright.
Seems a bit stupid? DRLs brighter than sidelights?
I hate this. I have driven on a motorway in extremely heavy rain where the visibility is literally less than 100 meters and people have not even got their side lights on.
Roadcraft states that if visibility is less than 100M then fog lights should be used, which I did. Then when visibility increased I turned them off.
Generally I never turn my headlights off. The more visible you are the better, also I like my Xenons....
Roadcraft states that if visibility is less than 100M then fog lights should be used, which I did. Then when visibility increased I turned them off.
Generally I never turn my headlights off. The more visible you are the better, also I like my Xenons....
ashleyqprw12 said:
S2Mike said:
Opportunity to have a short rant.
Why so many " Driver Aids" If drivers need all this help, they should not be allowed on the road, lights that come on when dark or raining, wipers that start when it drizzles, car auto parking, reversing sensors,
while on the subject, heads up displays, tyre pressure remote guages, out of lane warning sensors, and the list goes on and on!!
Can nobody be bothered to actually drive their bl***dy car, Go get the bus and be done with it.
.
I feel better now. Thanks..
Something about a nail.. and a head.. Why so many " Driver Aids" If drivers need all this help, they should not be allowed on the road, lights that come on when dark or raining, wipers that start when it drizzles, car auto parking, reversing sensors,
while on the subject, heads up displays, tyre pressure remote guages, out of lane warning sensors, and the list goes on and on!!
Can nobody be bothered to actually drive their bl***dy car, Go get the bus and be done with it.
.
I feel better now. Thanks..
[/incredulous-that-other-people-have-different-priorties]
Captain Muppet said:
ashleyqprw12 said:
S2Mike said:
Opportunity to have a short rant.
Why so many " Driver Aids" If drivers need all this help, they should not be allowed on the road, lights that come on when dark or raining, wipers that start when it drizzles, car auto parking, reversing sensors,
while on the subject, heads up displays, tyre pressure remote guages, out of lane warning sensors, and the list goes on and on!!
Can nobody be bothered to actually drive their bl***dy car, Go get the bus and be done with it.
.
I feel better now. Thanks..
Something about a nail.. and a head.. Why so many " Driver Aids" If drivers need all this help, they should not be allowed on the road, lights that come on when dark or raining, wipers that start when it drizzles, car auto parking, reversing sensors,
while on the subject, heads up displays, tyre pressure remote guages, out of lane warning sensors, and the list goes on and on!!
Can nobody be bothered to actually drive their bl***dy car, Go get the bus and be done with it.
.
I feel better now. Thanks..
[/incredulous-that-other-people-have-different-priorties]
ashleyqprw12 said:
Captain Muppet said:
ashleyqprw12 said:
S2Mike said:
Opportunity to have a short rant.
Why so many " Driver Aids" If drivers need all this help, they should not be allowed on the road, lights that come on when dark or raining, wipers that start when it drizzles, car auto parking, reversing sensors,
while on the subject, heads up displays, tyre pressure remote guages, out of lane warning sensors, and the list goes on and on!!
Can nobody be bothered to actually drive their bl***dy car, Go get the bus and be done with it.
.
I feel better now. Thanks..
Something about a nail.. and a head.. Why so many " Driver Aids" If drivers need all this help, they should not be allowed on the road, lights that come on when dark or raining, wipers that start when it drizzles, car auto parking, reversing sensors,
while on the subject, heads up displays, tyre pressure remote guages, out of lane warning sensors, and the list goes on and on!!
Can nobody be bothered to actually drive their bl***dy car, Go get the bus and be done with it.
.
I feel better now. Thanks..
[/incredulous-that-other-people-have-different-priorties]
As for auto lights - is the headlight button really something that requires driver skill? Are there headlight buttons which add to the experience of driving? I can't see how it matters.
Now if I genuinely beleived that the drivers of these cars couldn't operate lights and wipers without help I would be appalled, but I'd also be glad that these half-wits had some help so they could get on with the job of steering round things and hitting the brakes in time.
I'm sure that many drivers will opt for auto-pilot-drive when it appears as an option. For most people driving is a chore, the thing they love is personal transport, not having to concentrate all the time to drive the thing.
Manufacturers should be pulled up for selling cars with instruments that light up independetly of the headlights. I see so many cars driving around the city at night with NO LIGHTS on whatseover, as I assume that the driver has mistakenly thought instrument lights = lights on.
I can actually forgive f
kwits who forget to turn their lights on. They ones I can not forgive are those that drive on side lights. They have actually gone throgh a thought process - "It's pouring with rain and dark. Yes, one click will do...".
I can actually forgive f
kwits who forget to turn their lights on. They ones I can not forgive are those that drive on side lights. They have actually gone throgh a thought process - "It's pouring with rain and dark. Yes, one click will do...". Well today was interesting. The NW of England was pretty well underwater through the rush hours, spray and rain were unbelievable on the M62, yet still a good 10-15% of cars didn't have any lights on and plenty more with the "as good as useless" sidelights.
Unbelievable really, throughout summer there was constant use of front (and less so rear) foglights in bright sunshine, then we get to a point where some (even any) lights would be good and people switch them off.
Unbelievable really, throughout summer there was constant use of front (and less so rear) foglights in bright sunshine, then we get to a point where some (even any) lights would be good and people switch them off.
One day I am going to be bothered enough to sort out a photo of what I can see in the mirror of my lorry in the rain. Unlike car mirrors, because they are big slabs of glass spray just sticks to them, adding to that all of the spray that I am throwing up on a motorway just makes a dark coloured car almost invisible until it is actually next to me, low sun is just as bad.
Without staring into the mirror for 5 seconds to look for some movement or pick bit of an outline out there is no way to see a car without its headlights on, sidelights are about as usefull as shining a torch at me from the moon. This is in the drivers side mirror, the passenger one I have no hope if a car hasnt got its headlights on.
Without staring into the mirror for 5 seconds to look for some movement or pick bit of an outline out there is no way to see a car without its headlights on, sidelights are about as usefull as shining a torch at me from the moon. This is in the drivers side mirror, the passenger one I have no hope if a car hasnt got its headlights on.
Well said and if only some drivers realised the danger they put themselves and other road users into by driving in this manner...
4key said:
One day I am going to be bothered enough to sort out a photo of what I can see in the mirror of my lorry in the rain. Unlike car mirrors, because they are big slabs of glass spray just sticks to them, adding to that all of the spray that I am throwing up on a motorway just makes a dark coloured car almost invisible until it is actually next to me, low sun is just as bad.
Without staring into the mirror for 5 seconds to look for some movement or pick bit of an outline out there is no way to see a car without its headlights on, sidelights are about as usefull as shining a torch at me from the moon. This is in the drivers side mirror, the passenger one I have no hope if a car hasnt got its headlights on.
Without staring into the mirror for 5 seconds to look for some movement or pick bit of an outline out there is no way to see a car without its headlights on, sidelights are about as usefull as shining a torch at me from the moon. This is in the drivers side mirror, the passenger one I have no hope if a car hasnt got its headlights on.
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