"Parking" lights

[Kristofor]

Many others use them as the car starts turning, also very pointless (they are meant to indicate your intention). Sigh...

I now live <6 miles from work in an outer suburb with little traffic so it's not an issue. However, I used to commute from a western suburb through Minneapolis to a Saint Paul suburb, then later from Saint Paul to a Minneapolis suburb during rush hour.

During rush hour traffic my experience has been that 70%+ of the drivers out there will actively try to deny lane changes/entry. One or two blinks are all that you can manage before some ahole in the next lane leaves rubber on the road trying to close the gap... So, I guess I'm quite guilty of the blinking just before making a move. Convince 70% of folks to make a hole for someone signaling (as I do), and I'd change that behavior.

Kristofor.
PS. I also drove with only my parking lights on this last weekend (pulling into a campsite at night as not to shine the tents of folks trying to sleep).

[430752]

Only time I ever use them is in severe dense fog. Headlights are worse than no headlights in such circumstances, but you'd want your parking lights on for obvious reasons.

What bothers me, tho', is the rear fog lamp on some luxury cars. I'm not against it generally, and thing american cars should adopt it, I'm just against the idiots who always have it on. On the mercedes and audis, and I presume the BMW's, you turn the light swtich all way right for lights, pull out one stop for driving/fog lamps, and pull out a second stop to activiate the rear fog lamp. Too bad most people just simply turn all way right and pull all way out. Then on a clear night I gotta drive behind an asymmetrical super bright taillamp at night. wonderful.

[mschrank]

Personally, I'd rather drivers drive with their parking lights on rather than no lights, especially at dusk/dawn.

My Tacoma's factory daytime running lights come on when the ignition is on. They might be confused for parking lights, since they are the orange turn signal lights.

Sorry if I'm peeving some of you by being visible.

[Shep]

What T's me off is when it's dark and they have no lights on at all. I've had a lot of scares driving at dusk.

[BearPipes-1]

If they're driving with them I automatically figure they're idiots and I worry what other stupid thing they're going to do in the rain.

Yes! Unfortunately, there are so many triggers for this thinking, that driving has become sort of a "how are you people going to try to kill me today?" exercise.

[BobSch]

Personally, I'd rather drivers drive with their parking lights on rather than no lights, especially at dusk/dawn.

My Tacoma's factory daytime running lights come on when the ignition is on. They might be confused for parking lights, since they are the orange turn signal lights.

Sorry if I'm peeving some of you by being visible.

No peeve involved. I'm irked at those thoughtless bozos who drive in the dark with just their parking lights or NO lights. What I'd like to see is all the manufacturers and importers agree on one standard. Oh, and if there's daytime running lights there should be something in the back too.