I have a challenge for you...

If you believe in legislating, to protect the innocent public from inattentive motorists, I can understand that. In the interest of consistency, though- should you not also legislate against a whole bunch of other potentially dangerous behaviours, which drivers routinely exhibit? Perhaps mirrors should be removed, to discourage drivers from shaving/putting on make-up, while driving? Maybe cell phones could be automatically disabled, when the engine is fired up?

The OP is the voice of the future. The future is electric- and probably driver-less. If you find modern vehicles inefficient and wasteful, you'll welcome this evolving state of affairs. if you enjoy the challenges of decision making, behind the wheel, you may not share this enthusiasm.

 

[QUOTE="Sconnie, post: 7977794, member: 13599For some reason, I cannot have my fog lights on without my low-beams on too, so they're not really fog lights are they? Also, you sound like the most considerate large vehicle driver ever, no one does that for me in my little subie.[/QUOTE]
I had a Fiesta before the F150...

 

Struggling to understand how someone nearly T-boned you at night. Did you not have your own lights on? did you run a red light?

If someone has their lights on I can see them, so unless they are dazzling me, I won't run in to them at night.

But if they drive with their lights on during daylight, in the dry, I can see them but can no longer see anything else with ease. Your pair of 55w lights attract the eye, I no longer notice the pedestrian, the cyclist, horse rider, dog or even unlit car. You have compromised everyone else's safety to make sure that you can be seen.

 

I'd like vehicles to turn on dipped beam headlights once the engine is running. I think this might have been a legal requirement in Sweden (maybe other parts of Scandinavia) for many years.

I also fully support as draconian as necessary steps to prevent use of mobile (cell) phones in vehicles other than, perhaps, voice activated. The vast majority of stupid / bad driving I witness in the UK tends to be where drivers are distracted by using their phones. I've even seen people texting while driving....

 

I have a 20 minute drive to my office every day. I see at least 8 or 10 people texting while driving every single time. These are indeed the most dangerous people on the road right now.

 

Do you need an automatic ass wiper too? You should always drive like everyone else are dangerous idiots. If someone is not bright enough to turn on their head lights, lets get them off the road one way or the other, be it the Police or death. Thin the heard.

 

Mine work fine. Auto or otherwise. For my BMW and Subaru. The Off might leave daylight running lights on which aren’t that bright or blinding at all...

 

Do you not realize that you don't get to make this decision for other people?

That's the point that most in this thread are trying to get across to you. You don't get to tell other people what the primary purpose is for their own private vehicle. If he drives his work truck 30 minutes, twice a day... but he works out of it with the generator running for 7 hours a day... then what is the primary function of that truck for him? See... that's his decision, not yours.

 

Let's see what the original argument was

"Present your best argument for having an on/off switch for the headlights on your car, I haven't heard any that satisfy me."

So we just have to tell you why cars need to have the ability to be able to turn the headlights off, rather than run them on at all times. It seems like every valid argument to this has been met with something along the lines of:

But you didn't ask about that, you asked about the need for an off switch for the lights even going as far as to say

Engine running = lights on. Not driving because that's what most people do with their cars. So here are two examples. My first apartment in college was three stories with the lowest unit built halfway into the ground. So the big windows next to the parking lot were at perfect headlight level. Someone rolls in, and their headlights are shining straight into that persons home with about 3 feet of space between the headlights and the window of the apartment. It was common courtesy to turn off your lights if you knew you'd be sitting there for more than a few moments, because it would be rude not to turn them off. Another example. Football tailgate and the weather is 0 degrees. Someone in your party wants to warm up so they get back in the car, turn it on and crank the heat. Do the lights need to be on for this shining in someone's face sitting in a lawn chair at headlight level 20 feet away? No they do not. These are both silly minor reasons, but you asked for reasons to turn off the lights. There they are. And then you moved the goal posts

Here's the thing though, no one can beat your argument if you're the one judging arguments and deciding who wins. Headlights are good. I get frustrated when driving in inclement weather and see people without them, that is dangerous. But that wasn't the question you posed. And that doesn't negate the need for a simple switch that can turn your lights off during the few times where having your lights on is silly. Or the fact that headlights burn out and don't need to be on when it's 90 degrees at 11 am in July on a sunny day. My last car had auto headlights that would come on when it got dark. But it had a hard time if you were driving from daylight to dark, it wouldn't turn them on fast enough for my liking and I'd usually have to turn them on myself. However my current car is great and turns on the lights in cloudy weather, and when it gets dark. I check for the headlight display on my dashboard often and never have to turn it on. So in closing I'm on your side with headlights and I think a good drive should be cognizant of their headlights at all times, but that I don't believe they have to be on all the time, and I don't believe car makers should make it impossible to turn off the lights when the vehicle is ON.

 

Can't vote the poll because the answers are stupid. Maybe I'll start a poll about stupid polls.

 

Am I the only one who dislikes stupid polls?

 

Yes, and then make it law to boot ...

 

A dark environment being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to douse their lights shall not be infringed (note the comma).

 

Liberty. Not sovereignty.

And serious question here... why do you think all of the car manufacturers have not got together and done that?

So you're exercising your own personal decision making process... interesting.

 

At the risk of being repetitive there are those two quotes again. Is that like Nice try you lose, or Nice try play again?