Parking lights are for being PARKED

Unfortunately these are often referred to as sidelights an people who aren't very thoughtful think it's ok to drive using them.

In the 1980s I had a Fiat where you could only turn on the parking lights by pressing a little button when removing the key. A pity all manufacturers didn't follow this design.

It amazes me in modern cars that you can actually turn off the DRLs, never mind that they don't operate the tail lights.

My cars DRLs are nice and bright. Turning on the parking lights turns on the tail lights, but dims the DRLs. I'd like to be able to have the tail lights on and the full brightness DRLs. So that too much to ask?

Can you give even one example where driving with sidelights is even remotely suitable?

So a driver with no lights blows through a pedestrian crossing, and your big concern is whether she is described as elderly or very elderly. Do you think you might have missed the point?

My favourite is the cars driving in the dark that come with DRLs but they’ve been deactivated too.

How does that matter to what the poster said about the manner of driving? Nothing ageist implied. Bad driving is just that.

When is a question pointless...? It's rhetorical... But asking a definition of elderly seems to fit the bill.

My major gripe is the total lack of enforcement on vehicles running with blown bulbs.

As a cyclist, I would include cyclists with no lights or inadequate lights.

Be safe, be seen. An old saying and never out of date.

No. My point is, whether you want to describe them as very elderly, a young boy racer or a traveller in a white van, doesn't add anything. All bad driving should be admonished

I live close to a school with traffic lights for pedestrians. Every day I see someone break the lights, most common is the driver who spots the amber light and puts the boot down to get through them, usually gone red.

I warn my children every day, that just because the green man is showing , look and don't assume the car approaching is goin to stop.

Bad driving in this country is too widespread.

I think it's unfair to put the blame on your average motorist in many cases, just as blaming the pilots of the 737 MAX for not reading the manual didn't wash with the FAA, EASA or any other regulatory authority. There is a reasonable expectation of standardisation across something absolutely as basic as lights, but the Korean manufacturers manage to screw it up, the Japanese aren't great, and the Europeans could do better.

I get into a 3 Series, and turn the lighting control to the below symbol.

The dashboard shows this symbol.

Are my dipped beams on?

I get into an E-Class. The dashboard shows the below symbol.

Are my dipped beams on?

Ha

The Be Safe Be Seen was a throw in for all road user. There are motorists, pedestrians, cyclists that you cannot see properly.

Sure we have all heard SMIDSY when cycling in broad daylight.

With you on the brake lights etc. Where are AGS on this?

I fail to see the correlation between this story and the incorrect use of parking lights?

My car has, DLR, side lamps & Parking Lights. Just had to read thru the guide, again, as I'm now confused. I’ve an 2013 A Class and I pretty much just use Auto & the side lights options. I use the side lights option as I don’t trust that my Auto lights works properly, I know there’s a fault saying 'message is missing'. I use the auto at night and do know that all my correct lights work, it’s just I don’t want to be driving around the city with all lights a blaze in the daytime.

So my question is if I’m parked up on the LHS or RHS of a road in the dark should I have one of those illuminated?

Handbags a plenty being thrown around.

... And that is why we don't talk about fog lights.

I think that technical term for them is position lamps.

Indeed they seemed to have been popular in the older days, when people tent to turn them on during rain or when it was getting dark but not completely dark yet.

However considering most cars on Irish roads nowadays have DRLs, I though use of side lights (position lamps) was in decline.