Parking Lights - Why do people insist on driving on them?

S

Sol28

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So last night was a horrible dark wet night. Driving conditions were not at their best. Yet why is it so many drivers were driving around on their parking lights - and not on their dipped headlights? I see so many cars in the evenings in Urban areas where people drive using the parking lights only. Do they think they are saving money? Do they realise they are not very visible to other motorists?

(and dont get me started on the cyclist cycling accross my path, from a no entry road - dressed all in black, no reflectors - no lights - no high vis! :eek:)
 
Yeah they are completely pointless, but then you have the people with diddly lights on as well. They fail to realise it for me to see them, not for them to see the road....
 
Slightly embarrassing confession... when I was learning to drive in my mother's car I didn't realise there were 3 sets of lights - parking, dipped and beam - I thought the dial turned once for dipped and then another turn for beam - I had no idea that the beams were controlled by one of the stalks. So I was merrily driving along on my parking lights for ages - only going up to dipped to 'flash' drivers coming against me who didn't dip their lights - probably scared a few of them as I went from invisible to visible and back again :eek: . I suspect at least some of the 'driving on parking lights' people aren't aware they are doing so...
 
Nope "Parking lights" is the norm here - you are supposed to just have them on when parked in the dark, hence parking lights
 
orka said:
Slightly embarrassing confession... when I was learning to drive in my mother's car I didn't realise there were 3 sets of lights - parking, dipped and beam - I thought the dial turned once for dipped and then another turn for beam - I had no idea that the beams were controlled by one of the stalks. So I was merrily driving along on my parking lights for ages - only going up to dipped to 'flash' drivers coming against me who didn't dip their lights - probably scared a few of them as I went from invisible to visible and back again :eek: . I suspect at least some of the 'driving on parking lights' people aren't aware they are doing so...
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I reckon theres lots of people out there think the same thing. Maybe an awareness campaign needs to be run. Telling people whats the difference between parking, dipped and full beam.
 
Sol28 said:
I reckon theres lots of people out there think the same thing. Maybe an awareness campaign needs to be run. Telling people whats the difference between parking, dipped and full beam.
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Do people not learn this when they take driving lessons?:eek:
 
orka said:
... when I was learning to drive in my mother's car I didn't realise there were 3 sets of lights - parking, dipped and beam ...
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4 - parking, dipped, high-beam and fog. Don't get me started on the eejits who drive with rear fog-lights on in the rain
 
Bill Struth said:
Do people not learn this when they take driving lessons?:eek:
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I took 20 lessons before getting insured on my mother's car - but they were all in daylight. My son recently passed his test, had lots of lessons and he didn't get 'taught' this either - mind you he did also say that only an eejit wouldn't know about the lights on their car...
 
username123 said:
Nope "Parking lights" is the norm here - you are supposed to just have them on when parked in the dark, hence parking lights
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Never heard them called anything other than side lights.

Parking lights is an American term methinks.
 
orka said:
I took 20 lessons before getting insured on my mother's car - but they were all in daylight. My son recently passed his test, had lots of lessons and he didn't get 'taught' this either - mind you he did also say that only an eejit wouldn't know about the lights on their car...
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Must depend on the instructor then - mine made sure I took some lessons at night.
 
orka said:
Slightly embarrassing confession... when I was learning to drive in my mother's car I didn't realise there were 3 sets of lights - parking, dipped and beam - I thought the dial turned once for dipped and then another turn for beam - I had no idea that the beams were controlled by one of the stalks. So I was merrily driving along on my parking lights for ages - only going up to dipped to 'flash' drivers coming against me who didn't dip their lights - probably scared a few of them as I went from invisible to visible and back again :eek: . I suspect at least some of the 'driving on parking lights' people aren't aware they are doing so...
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Hilarious. Dangerous! But hilarious!
 
annR said:
I never heard of parking lights :(
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You never heard them called parking lights or never heard of them in general?

Parking lights IMO is the correct term and is used in RSA and NCT documentation:

People calling them side lights (again IMHO) make it sound like they dont know what they are for....
 
Parking lights are the single white lights at the rear of vehicles that come on when people put the car in reverse i.e are doing a parking manouvre.

The small lights at the front are called side lights.
 
username123 said:
You never heard them called parking lights or never heard of them in general?

Parking lights IMO is the correct term and is used in RSA and NCT documentation:

People calling them side lights (again IMHO) make it sound like they dont know what they are for....
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People like the RSA?
 
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