Why do people drive round in the dark in cars with the side lights on, I don’t get it. Surely it’s either dark enough for headlights of not? Sidelights have no benefit I can see over proper dipped beams, just less visible.
Does anyone else get unduly bothered by this or do I just need to reduce my caffiene intake and take some deep breaths.
No, you are right.
Not only is it stupid, it is illegal except when used as day time running lights.
It used to be side lights only was ok at night on 30 mph (or less) limitted roads with lit street lighting.
From the copy of the Highway Code I have to hand, 15th edition 2007…
Rule 113
You MUST… ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise use headlights at night, except on a road which has lit street lighting. These roads are generally restricted to a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) unless otherwise specified use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226)
I get bored flashing idiots with parking lights at 10pm-11pm at night. People who doing this obviously never use their mirrors, otherwise they will know how much you can see if only parking light is on.
Also I will blame car manufactures (that’s popular to blame someone else for own stupidity). Majority of the cars lighting up dash without turning on the headlights, for some is enough light so they dont bother to look for green headlight sign to be on, on the dashboard.
R
I think the array of buttons and lights on the dashboard are a mystery to a lot of people - once they’ve got the radio and the air-con sorted everything else is just ornaments.
I was riding behind a woman in town the other day and her fog lights were shining right in my eyes. I happened to cath her up at the next lights and her window was down so I politely pointed out that she’d got her foglights on.
She was very apologtic but had no idea what fog lights were or how to turn them off! I guess she just pressed it at some point trying the get the heaters on or something and it didn’t affect her so she left the pretty orange light turned on.
Yes, sidelights, fog lights full beam all annoy me to varying degrees.
It doesn’t inspire confidence tha people don’t even know how to turn them on and off :crazy:
Nearly got run over this morning by an electric car that had indicators in the body of the headlight so it looked like the headlight was flashing. The side lights looked like indicators but weren’t flashing :doze: Never seen that before.
I know what you mean Lim, the last fiesta model did that?
You see it a lot with older motors - especially those in the ‘banger’ class.
They see it that if you don’t have your headlights on you’re not straining your battery and constantly charging it.
It might make a knackered old battery last a few more months.
Or if you stall at traffic lights you may have a better chance of restarting with a battery so weak it only just turns the motor over.
They don’t want to invest £70 in a new one when they know the whole car won’t get through it’s next MOT
Another fun one is most German cars with day time running light put the dash lights on with the day time light but not the tail lights
Yes I seen several and spoke to one woman who had forgotten to turn her light on as the dash light were on she was sure the rest were
Stupid design add stupid driver
Dave
One eyed willies hack me off! Why don’t drivers check if all their lights are functioning properly. If not, fix them! Bikers can’t afford to be lazy over lights.
