Sulu

That's the way it is on my 2015 ES and my parents' 2015 Corolla: Off, Auto, Parking Lights, Full headlights. And that (in addition to so many cars with the instrument panel backlighting on all the time) is the problem, I believe. With the Auto setting, there is now an extra detent between Off and the other headlight-on settings. If the driver has switched the headlights full off and then turns the switch 2 detents (as was the case before the Auto setting was put in there), that switches the parking lights on (in addition to the DRLs) rather than the full headlights as it used to be.

I leave mine on Auto, and if I switch off the car with the headlights on, I either lock the car twice with the fob or turn the headlight switch to Off and return it to Auto; either of these actions turns off the headlights immediately rather than the 30seconds to 1 minute.

tex2670

This doesn't explain the pure stupidity of people who can't even notice that the road is pitch dark in front of them.

RXSF

Exactly. Even if people can't tell bc of instrument cluster lights, what about the other back lit buttons in the car? People are just....

dseag2

I agree with you, but the DRLs on so many cars have gotten so bright that I think drivers mistake them for actual headlights. My Audi DRLs are so bright that I probably wouldn't need headlights to drive. Go figure... the DRLs were meant to improve safety and they are actually impeding it.

Oldfart

Never paid attention to the brand, just because of this thread noticed 4 cars on my commute home and non of them were Toyota or Lexus.

Carista

Audi, for example, has a thing where if it's dark outside and you don't turn on your headlights, the instrument cluster will not be lit (even if it's configured to be lit). This is to remind the driver that their lights are not on.

On most Toyotas/Lexuses for the US market that don't have a switch related to DRL, you can turn it off with Carista. For Canadian-market cars, that's usually not an option.

chromedome

Definitely something to do with the gauges being lit all the time. On older cars, when it's dark outside, you were forced to turn on dipped beams to see the gauges. With automatic lights it's even easier to make a mistake - you expect the dipped beams to turn on in the dark but they don't because the light stalk could've been set away from Auto.

The only way to tell is if the small green headlight symbol is turned on. Then again, that symbol is also on with parking lights on and dipped beams off. I've made this mistake a lot of times. There should be a separate symbol for dipped beams on.

yardie876

Cars are smarter now. I think showing a visual warning on the instrument cluster reminding the driver the headlights are not on after dark would be beneficial for cars that have auto headlights but the driver has them in the off position.

Vladi

I do not understand why DRL rule doesn't include rear lights as well. That is so stupid cause some people drive with DRLs only at night due to super bright nature of LEDs but from the back they are completely unnoticeable. Even during the day it doesn't make sense if it start pouring or getting foggy, you can't see the people from behind if they don't have headlights tuned on.

comotiger

I agree, taillights should be included in DRL for reasons stated.

tex2670

Well then Audi DRLs must be pretty amazing. Sometimes I test out my BWM Corona DRLs when driving down my street, and I think "How the hell can people drive like this."

And, in all fairness, I see people (1) without DRLs at all driving down unlit suburban streets with no headlights, and (2) in older cars that I know do not have IP backlighting doing the same thing. I understand that the modern IP has given people this "impression" that their lights are on, but it's not a license to just stop using your brain.

Automakers could add some "indicator" or "warning"--but there would still be people who don't know what it means, or don't notice it--just like people that blind me with their high beams. There's a blue indicator in their instrument panel--why are they driving around in heavy traffic with their high beams? Because they are clueless. My local Walmart has a sign on the door when you come in reminding customers not to forget their children in the car.

pbm317

Backlit clusters and lit display radio screens are the main culprit. I see this everywhere, last night even a new 3 series wagon.

I haven't been in a VW in a while... but I seem to recall that the backlit gauges on the VW would darken if it was dark outside, to help indicate that your headlights weren't on yet.

Plenty of cars have auto headlights, but they also need the control to be set on auto, and not on off.

tex2670

I have a 3-Series. The IP is not backlit if the lights are not on.

dseag2

The DRLs in the A4 are amazing. They wrap around the entire headlight and they are bright, so yes... especially at dusk they light up the road.

chromedome

Audi and Accord DRLs cause a lot of glare at night, maybe because of the width and position. LED DRLs are just strips without any focusing so they can end up being a hazard to opposing traffic if they're not dimmed at night.

As for parking lights, the ES doesn't have any. The light stalk position after Auto dims the DRLs and turns on tail lights. On Auto, this setting never gets used, so it's either DRLs only or dipped beams and tail lights.

Would it be a huge distraction if cars had front *and* rear DRLs? That would at least stop drivers from going around at night with only front DRLs on.