so my question is, do Daytime Running Lights, DRL's, qualify as having your lights on with your wipers in bad weather? Some people seem to think so and it does not make sense to me? It's almost like driving miss daisy, turn off the lights you're wearing out my batteries! TIA Frogy
I'm pretty sure that it is state law that when there is any form of precipitation, your lights have to be on. Mist, sprinkles, rain, flurries, snow, etc. And rightfully so, lights should be on in those conditions. I read about it in Session Weekly along time ago.
169.48 VEHICLE LIGHTING. Subdivision 1.Lights to be displayed. (a) Every vehicle upon a highway within this state: (1) at any time from sunset to sunrise; (2) at any time when it is raining, snowing, sleeting, or hailing; and (3) at any other time when visibility is impaired by weather, smoke, fog or other conditions or there is not sufficient light to render clearly discernible persons and vehicles on the highway at a distance of 500 feet ahead; shall display lighted headlamps, lighted taillamps, and illuminating devices, as hereinafter, respectively, required for different classes of vehicles, subject to exceptions with respect to parked vehicles and law enforcement vehicles, as hereinafter stated. In addition to the other requirements of this paragraph, every school bus transporting children upon a highway within this state, at any time from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset, shall display lighted headlamps, lighted taillamps, and illuminating devices as required by this paragraph, except that the operator shall use the lowermost distribution of light specified in section 169.60 unless conditions warrant otherwise. (b) When requirement is hereinafter declared as to the distance from which certain lamps and devices shall render objects visible or within which such lamps or devices shall be visible, these provisions shall apply during the time stated in this section upon a straight level unlighted highway under normal atmospheric conditions unless a different time or condition is expressly stated and unless otherwise specified the location of lamps and devices shall refer to the center of such lamps or devices. Parking lamps shall not be used in lieu of headlamps to satisfy the requirements of this section. Subd. 2.Certain violations; negligence. Notwithstanding section 169.96, a violation of subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause (2), is not negligence per se or prima facie evidence of negligence.
Thanks man, I looked for the statute but did not find it? it seems that some cars have dash lights that fool the owners into thinking that they actually have their headlights on?
No, I think a lot of people are just that stupid. It's even worse down here in Kato, which tells me people are even more stupid on average in this town. White-out conditions, white car, no headlights. See it all the time.
i think we also need to get this to include the old people (or whomever) driving with their brights on in sunny conditions... and make the luxury cars with ONE rear fog light switch to 2, the brighter one bugs me for some reason. anyways, (tail)Lights on for safety!
they should start handing out tickets for it too. if they're going to harass people, they might as well do it for something that's genuinely dangerous. It's really frustrating for me, as I've got some sort of ventilation issue in my wagon or something. so as soon is it rains just a little bit, ALL my side windows fog over. and then if people at cross streets or in my blind spot don't have their lights on, I cannot see them at all.
which is all their fault though... and I think that issue is form eating too many Domino's pizzas ha ha
it's always had that problem. and no, I'm no going to have my car crushed because the people around me are too stupid to turn on their headlights.
^^ you not being able to see out of your windows is not any better if not worse then them not having their lights on. if you can not see out of your windows what does it matter if their lights are on?
I can see some. just not very well and the defrost keeps the front and most of the front side windows clear but the blind spots and many intersections get hairy. a pair of headlights are visible clear as day. a car with no lights on could be missed. I am extremely careful, otherwise the car already would have been totalled, but it does make me nervous.
