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It's time to mandate automatic headlights, imo (lemmy.world)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Sometimes I have to drive after dark in my city, and it never fails that if I drive any appreciable distance that I always see at least one person (often more) driving with their lights off. I do not need to tell y'all why this is dangerous. We're a community of enthusiasts. We know. Plenty of us are driving older cars that predate the tech.

It's not like they don't mandate lots of shit already. Seatbelts, head restraints, airbags, and backup cameras are some of the most sensible things ever required for cars to have. Why are automatic headlights not on this list? There also needs to exist a mandate whereby the lights turn on if the driver turns on the wipers. Because if you need your wipers, you need your lights too. It's common freaking sense.

Your headlights aren't just for seeing, but for being seen. Ambient light sensors are so cheap that they end up in midrange TVs all the time. I blame the backlit gauges and myriad other interior lights. Ergo, it's time to mandate automatic headlights. There's no reason not to.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Automatic full beams are the work of the devil. I tried them and the number of times I blinded some poor driver, cyclist or pedestrian because they were too slow to react were numerous. Now have them on manual

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Auto highbeams can be amazing, or absolute ass. In my RAM 2500 they’re awful. They often blind people (which is already bad enough for a RAM 2500, I don’t need to make it worse). However in my AMG they’re amazing. They turn on in a Hollywood light pattern and sweep across the road as I’m driving and they’re super quick and sensitive to react. The same headlights in Europe can even be configured to leave highbeams on and black out areas where it detects people and cars.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

I have a 2021 Seat Leon Hatchback, unfortunately I don't have those LED matrix headlights, I would love to try them, but the automatic headlight feature is awesome.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Except for all the twats in my neighborhood that drive around town with full beams on permanently.

Occasionally they turn then off when you flash them, but most are just oblivious. Automatics would at least solve that…

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

The stock needs a small solenoid that can kick the high beams off when the system sees another car, but cannot turn the manual override back on. You'd have to push the stock back again yourself. I love it. I don't even think the people who drive with their high beams on all the time would know. If they can't notice you flashing them, they sure as shit ain't noticing their lights suddenly dimming

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Stalk*

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

I thought you were messing with me at first but TIL.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

yeah, i don't have automatic hi-beams in my car, and i don't see how i would need them. i often see the headlights of other cars through the trees (when driving on a Landstraße) and preemptively turn them off. i'm already supposed to be paying attention to the drivers around me, so why would i let a computer do it?