Drivers forgetting to switch on lights?

toastedpickles

As the title suggests I'm seeing a lot of people driving around at night with absolutely no lights on lately, mainly in towns and lit up areas but still, you can just about see them

Am I the only one or have you guys seen this as well?

colm_mcm

That was me today. Usually have them on auto but not today, flash of the high beams from the truck behind me and rear fog lights of the jeep in front got my attention.
Can happen to any of us

toastedpickles

colm_mcm wrote: »

That was me today. Usually have them on auto but not today, flash of the high beams from the truck behind me and rear fog lights of the jeep in front got my attention.
Can happen to any of us

True that, I came out of a tesco with only my parking lights on and took me a while to cop on, came down the road and there was a car in front of me with no lights on, so i flashed them and tried to tell them, but they just kept going

Jordan5372

very easy done. especially in well lit up areas.

LeinsterDub

Honda civic is a pain for this especially around dusk as the entire dashboard is lit up all of the time so you don't get the visual indication your head lights aren't on

Voodoomelon

Was on the M1 the other day on a pitch black section with no road lighting and this TWAT in an Avensis had NO headlights on. Its possibly the most dangerous thing I've ever seen.

He overtook me and he was completely invisible until he past me, for some reason his tail lights were on. We hit the tolls at Drogheda and the both operator must have said it to him because he left with them on.

GreeBo

A tip Im using lately is that rather than flashing someone to let them know, blink your lights *off* for a second then back on.
If someone isnt watching directly the can miss the point of a flash, but seeing someones lights go out immediately gets you thinking about lights not being on...

whiskeyman

It happens. I'm more surprised at the lack of drivers who try to let those cars with no lights know.
I've seen cars drive behind these 'ghost cars' without flashing and letting the driver know.

Ardennes1944

i have to do it very regularly on way home from work. People coming out of Tesco multistorey car park in douglas coming out onto a well lit area dont notice their lights arent on cos they dont need em

Bigcheeze

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Was on the M1 the other day on a pitch black section with no road lighting and this TWAT in an Avensis had NO headlights on. Its possibly the most dangerous thing I've ever seen.

He overtook me and he was completely invisible until he past me, for some reason his tail lights were on. We hit the tolls at Drogheda and the both operator must have said it to him because he left with them on.

Must be a Toyota thing. Have seen other avensis's with rear lights on but no front lights.

ofcork

Thats not possible surely certainly not in mine,first turn of stalk gives parks so tailights will come on.

colm_mcm

Front parking lights might be blown

There are a good few parking light bulbs in the rear cluster of an avensis so if the owner isn't too pushed on checking bulbs its quite possible to have afew blown rear bulbs and not notice but there's only one in each headlight.

Birdie086

Slightly unrelated, but driving from Killarney to Limerick the week between Christmas and new year, on a very dark evening, the car in front of me had no rear lights working.

Lovely, on a very dark and wet night.

I kept well back as visibility was very poor, however the motorists behind me kept assuming I was dawdling and kept overtaking - not seeing the car in front - and then braking when they saw him with their headlights. It was a very hair raising drive.

Should i have kept my hazards my on the whole time? just to warn that there was some sort of danger ie the invisible car directly in front of me??

toastedpickles

Birdie086 wrote: »

Slightly unrelated, but driving from Killarney to Limerick the week between Christmas and new year, on a very dark evening, the car in front of me had no rear lights working.

Lovely, on a very dark and wet night.

I kept well back as visibility was very poor, however the motorists behind me kept assuming I was dawdling and kept overtaking - not seeing the car in front - and then braking when they saw him with their headlights. It was a very hair raising drive.

Should i have kept my hazards my on the whole time? just to warn that there was some sort of danger ie the invisible car directly in front of me??

What I usually do is if I see a car coming behind me I'll stick on the hazards for a few seconds, say 20 seconds and stick them off, so that usually works for me, then when there's nothing coming over take them and on ye go

HeidiHeidi

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Was on the M1 the other day on a pitch black section with no road lighting and this TWAT in an Avensis had NO headlights on. Its possibly the most dangerous thing I've ever seen.

He overtook me and he was completely invisible until he past me, for some reason his tail lights were on. We hit the tolls at Drogheda and the both operator must have said it to him because he left with them on.

The Avensis is another car with a permanently-lit-up dashboard, it's a feckin disaster in built-up areas, far too easy to go around with no lights.

And without wishing to drag this thread o/t, the Avensis also has the quietest indicator noise of any car I drive (I drive quite a few different ones for work), very easy to go around the place with your indicator on for absolutely ages :mad:. The yanks have the right idea, a big loud clack-clack-clack means you can't leave the thing on without noticing!

ofcork

colm_mcm wrote: »

Front parking lights might be blown

There are a good few parking light bulbs in the rear cluster of an avensis so if the owner isn't too pushed on checking bulbs its quite possible to have afew blown rear bulbs and not notice but there's only one in each headlight.

Thats probably it,3 bulbs each taillight for parks and 1 small bulb in headlight,btw the guards should keep up enforcement on lights as still alot of cyclops out there.

Birdie086

toastedpickles wrote: »

What I usually do is if I see a car coming behind me I'll stick on the hazards for a few seconds, say 20 seconds and stick them off, so that usually works for me, then when there's nothing coming over take them and on ye go

Thank you, hadn't been in that situation before, roads I am not used to, heavy rain etc I just panicked a bit and kept back from the 'ghost' driver in front of me

Voodoomelon

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

The Avensis is another car with a permanently-lit-up dashboard, it's a feckin disaster in built-up areas, far too easy to go around with no lights.

And without wishing to drag this thread o/t, the Avensis also has the quietest indicator noise of any car I drive (I drive quite a few different ones for work), very easy to go around the place with your indicator on for absolutely ages :mad:. The yanks have the right idea, a big loud clack-clack-clack means you can't leave the thing on without noticing!

Regardless of what way the car is set up, how mentally challenged to you have to be to drive on a pitch black motorway with no headlights on?

HeidiHeidi

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Regardless of what way the car is set up, how mentally challenged to you have to be to drive on a pitch black motorway with no headlights on?

Well the driver clearly ate all his carrots as a child to have eyesight like that

(I'm not disagreeing with you in the slightest, btw)

whizbang

The Avensis is another car with a permanently-lit-up dashboard, it's a feckin disaster in built-up areas, far too easy to go around with no lights

I cannot understand this one at all.
I drove avensis for thousands of miles. what amazes me was the brightness of the dash light without lights on; It was so bright at night, you couldn't see headlights coming at you, let alone the road.
I got the habit of turning on headlights first thing, just because it allowed you to dim the dash light.