Let there be light

Transport Canada should enact a regulation forcing car makers to allow for maximum illumination of all dashboard instruments and read-outs when the headlights are on.

In most cars, switching on the lights means automatic dimming of the dash lights, on the theory that because you turn your lights on at night, you don't need the dash lights to be all that bright.

Not bad, given the theory. However, that theory is grievously flawed.

Because those of us/you who really care about traffic safety switch our real headlights on all the time, day or night.

Why? Because (a) we know 'lights on' makes us more visible and hence less likely to get into a collision, and (b) we know we cannot rely on Daytime Running Lights, most of which only switch on the front lights. Especially on freeways during inclement weather, having the rear lights on is much more important than having the fronts on.

(Some jurisdictions make it mandatory to switch on your headlights when the wipers are on. Not a problem for us - our lights are ALWAYS on.)

So to establish good habits, it's seat, mirrors and steering wheel adjusted, belt buckled, ignition on, lights switched on, every time, before we pull away.

But in cars without a max dash light setting, this leaves us unable to see the gauges and read-outs during the day.

Some notable exceptions that spring to mind: the Chrysler 300 family of cars, and various Nissan models. These typically have a rotating knob with a rheostat to vary the night-time dash light intensity to personal taste, along with two detents in the range of rotation. Click past the first one, and you get full IP lighting. Click past the second and you get the interior dome lights on.

Brilliant.

All others, please copy.

Comments

[Kevin]

For what it's worth, I found this to be an annoying side effect of turning on the lights in my Mazdaspeed3.

On this car, you cannot see the numbers without the backlighting. The entire cluster is black, and the numbers illuminate brightly in red during the day. With the lights on, it goes to the nighttime dim mode and, especially with sunglasses, can be completely unreadable.

I quickly discovered though that pressing a button on the cluster will bring back full illumination. Pressing it again will go back to whatever your pre-set nighttime level was.

While it's a slight compromise, having full illumination every time the lights are on would be a bad thing. The daytime lighting is WAY too bright to be used at night.

[DjDATZ]

I completely agree. The theory is completely flawed. The other thing I don't agree with is why there is even a point in having "day lights"? Why not just have all of your lights on all the time? Well, other than your high-beams of course... Does it hurt to be as visible as possible?!

I like how the 08 Smart Fortwo does it...But yeah, I surely wouldn't mind all the displays being light up brighter.

[Mark]

Just another car to add your list, the Acura CSX, and most likely its sibling the Honda Civic. I was relieved when I got my CSX to discover I didn't have to adjust the brightness of my dashlights when my headlights were turned on, as I was so accustomed to doing (and annoyed with) in my previous car (2003 Acura EL).

[Steve Frsot]

Can we not just ask companies to stop illuminating their gauges in daylight all together?

I can't tell you how often I see some idiot driving along (usually in a Japanese Car) at night with no lights on other than the DRLs. The see some light ahead of them, they have a lit dashboard and therefore have little idea that they are completely dark from behind.

Personally, I have a car that has gauges that are very easy to see during the day without illumination, and a manual headlight switch, forcing me to get in the habit of turning on the lights myself.

[stewart taylor]

I find it totally ludicrous that most manufacturers don't make the tailights come on with DRL's. Is this a ploy to make more money on parts from rear end collisions?

However, they can come up with rain sensing windshield wipers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Makes you wonder sometimes!