No Lights | No Sense

Allow me to vent my spleen here.  I am talking about the growing trend of driving around in the dark with no lights.  No headlights.  No taillights.  No parking lights.  No fog lamps.  No lights, period.  I have heard the stories of it being a gang ritual, that if you flash your lights at them they will turn around, chase you down and do mean things to you.  Personally, I think it is something much deeper than that.  I think it delves into the psyche, in particular the realm of human stupidity.

A couple of mornings ago I was driving to work on I-285 at about a quarter of six in the morning.  It was raining.  I came upon a black crossover in the right center lane, running about 50 mph with no lights on.  To me, this discounts the Gang Theory.  I don’t know anything about gangs, but I’m pretty sure they don’t drive black crossovers in the pre-dawn hours, presumably on the way to work.  I did not see the vehicle until the last second and swerved to avoid hitting them in the rear end.  Thank goodness no one was in the other lane.  I sat on my horn and they, in turn, sat on theirs.  Let me get this straight.  This genius is driving on a major interstate in the dark and in the rain with no lights on, and if I blow my horn at him (or her), then I’m the jerk?  I suppose if I rear ended them it would be my fault.  One Call, That’s All.

This leads me to the bigger question.  Driving  in Atlanta these days is harrowing enough.  What kind of an idiot drives up I-285 at six in the morning with no lights?  I see it all the time.  If I’m lucky enough to spot one of the Stealth Motorists, I hit my brights and go around them.  I would rather drive with them behind me than in front.  I have actually seen cops drive by and go around these idiots and not pull them over.  I certainly am no expert in any areas of law, but doesn’t driving with no lights in the dark constitute at least a warning ticket?

Doug DeMuro of autotrader.com offers this opinion which has a lot of validity.  Modern vehicles come from the factory with instrument clusters that are illuminated.  Motorists enter and start the vehicle. They must figure that the lights are already on, because the instrument panel is lit up.  There are no warnings or reminders like there are with seat belts.  I’m sure that this is the case many times.  But when you see a 1978 lime green Caprice with wagon wheels come by with no lights and the bass box thumping and rattling, that theory doesn’t hold water.  The other evening I saw one of these type vehicles traveling down the expressway, no lights, speeding up, slowing down and swerving.  As I cautiously went around him, I look over and the “driver” has his cell phone up, texting.  Now, that’s a real mental giant right there.

Okay, I’ll admit, I’ve done it.  I’ve climbed in my car, pulled out of the driveway and started down the road, forgetting to turn my lights on.  But, long before you get to a well-lighted major thoroughfare or interstate, you first have to drive down darkened side streets.  This is where you realize what you have not done, and turn on the light switch.  The graphic above is courtesy of 2CarPros.com.  It demonstrates the proper technique for turning on the headlights and taillights.  You simply grasp the knob, turn it all the way to the right and, wah-lah!  You and the people around you are much safer.

Mr. DeMuro offers a solution which, in my opinion, makes the most sense of all.  And, that is to make it mandatory for manufacturers to make the lights come on automatically whenever the car is started.  When it comes to cars, most everything is done for you today.  Cars can park themselves, and in some cases, drive themselves.  That may be a good thing, because the car may drive better than the idiot behind the wheel, but that’s beside the point.  How hard would it be for automotive engineers to implement a feature such as the lights coming on automatically?  I think it’s a great idea.  And after that, maybe they could perfect making the turn signals function automatically… Still Cruisin’!  –J.