Post # 1
Member
4098 posts
Honey bee
Pennsylvania has some ‘strict’, yet understandable headlight laws.. They haven’t been updated since 2007, but I think they are VERY good and SHOULD be enforced… Here are our current headlight laws (This is copied from a publication)
A recent revision to the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code requires a driver to turn on his headlights when the weather requires the use of windshield wipers. Whether on intermittent or a continuous setting, if the weather requires you to use your windshield wipers, you are now required to also turn on your headlights. The new law took effect January 29, 2007. This provision adds to the already existing requirement that headlights be used between sunset and sunrise and when visibility is below 1,000 feet. Motorists can be fined up to $100 per headlight offense. In addition, drivers also face fines of $200 to $1,000 if snow or ice from their vehicles injures or kills another person. This law also applies to commercial vehicles. A recent Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration Report concluded that the use of headlights during daylight hours reduces head-on collisions involving two cars by 5% and head-on collisions between a motorcycle and a car by 23%. If your vehicle isn’t equipped with daytime running lights, it may be a good idea to start using your headlights every time you drive, regardless of the weather conditions.
Now, lately in my area it has been VERY VERY foggy.. This is a picture taken from my front window (there is a house about 10 yards (ish) away)
and it’s not a normal fog.. It’s like DENSE, hard to see through (if you can see at all!) and this picture was taken after some of it had ‘burnt off’…
Anyway.. My vent is that people who drive White/Silver/Grey/neutral colored vehicles, even black and pale blue.. who DON’T TURN ON THEIR HEADLIGHTS, which in effect means NO TAILLIGHTS!!! It is STATE LAW to turn those suckers on when visiblity is low.. Then these people who occasionally wind up getting hit, complain that they got hit from the rear… NOBODY CAN SEE YOU!!! Why is it THAT hard to turn them on?? ALSO, when you have your wipers on, take the extra 3 seconds to turn on your headlights, that’s required too!!!!
Sorry for the vent, this stuff aggrivates me to no end when I’m driving to work when someone is VISIBLY yelling at someone on the side of the road because THEY got hit and their headlights were [likely] not on…
Post # 3
Member
3072 posts
Sugar bee
I always drive with my headlights on. I’m with you, it drives me absolutely bonkers when people don’t have their headlights on when there is low visibility!
Post # 4
Member
4098 posts
Honey bee
@Brideonabudgetlauren: Turn signals get me too, it’s not that hard LOL
Post # 5
Member
3072 posts
Sugar bee
@hiroshymatetrastar: Right?? Sometimes I wish I were a cop so I could ticket people for this stuff. It seems like people just don’t care anymore
Post # 6
Member
4434 posts
Honey bee
- Wedding: January 2013 - Harbourfront Grand Hall
Mine are always on, thats how my car is. But yes, I HATE IT when it’s super foggy like that and some people don’t turn their lights on! I know in some southern state they have signs posted saying “lights on in rain” that should just be common sense!
Post # 7
Member
7767 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
This stuck in my head from when my dad was teaching me about motorcycles:
“Always have your headlights on at all times, because you want to be as visible as possible.”
I don’t get it- why would anyone NOT have their lights on ALL THE TIME? What is the reason or excuse? Why wouldn’t you want to be as visible as possible?
It is one of my biggest pet peeves- when someone does not have them on and it is getting dark! I always pull up next to people and tell them – people drive without them on at night all the time!
Post # 8
Member
10354 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
I live in the Bay Area. We’re required to turn ours on for bridges, tunnels, etc in addition to bad weather. Obviously San Fran is known for its fog…so people are surprisingly pretty good about it here.
Post # 9
Member
2415 posts
Buzzing bee
@hiroshymatetrastar: Don’t know what portion of PA you live in, but I live right in the heart of Amish Country and I get really frustrated when buggies are out when it is that foggy with no lights on. I always have my headlights on (and when it is foggy, my fog lights) but I have been driving along more than once when it is foggy and almost ran right into the back of a buggy because they didn’t have their flashing lights on. I mean, seriously. Don’t kill someone because you don’t want to drive a car.
I agree that people should be fined if they don’t use their headlights more. I don’t think a lot of people realize that law.
Post # 10
Member
2424 posts
Buzzing bee
That has been the law in NY before I even learned to drive more than 10 years ago, I thought it was everywhere.
Post # 11
Member
6003 posts
Bee Keeper
- Wedding: October 2019 - City, State
my car follows the rules for me. Its always on auto so when it gets to be a certain level of “dark” it automatically goes on. I do have to do it myself in rain sometimes since it stays too bright at times for th elights to kick in. So as a rule, i follow the wipers=lights thing. And really in foggy weather its a must if you ask me.
Post # 12
Member
4042 posts
Honey bee
I live in a sunny state, so if my car didn’t automatically have them on at all times, I probably would only turn the lights on when it was dark. But also in bad weather! It’s common sense. I don’t want to get hit.
Post # 13
Member
9916 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
Sometimes it is so foggy in my niehgborhood that the only way I can see is without headlights…it is so scary! I know my car is hard to see when it’s like that, so I usually ALWAYS have my lights on…but there is this one little stretch where I have to turn them off.
Post # 14
Member
1068 posts
Bumble bee
Mine are always on auto so they turn on for me when needed. My daytime running lights are always on.
Post # 15
Member
567 posts
Busy bee
I really just turn them on when I get in the car. There isn’t a reason for them to be off, because it’s not like I’ll get a ticket for driving with my headlights on. So I drive with them on all the time 🙂
Post # 16
Member
944 posts
Busy bee
I live in PA and started driving in 2007. I’ve always driven anywhere, even on sunny days with my headlights on, it’s just safer that way.. I don’t understand why some people just are too lazy to do so. I understand forgetting to turn them on maybe once or twice when there is a lot going on, but really people?
That is all 🙂