Daytime Running Lights,
Automatic Headlights:
Love ‘em? Hate ‘em?
There is plenty of controversy surrounding the merits of daytime running lights (DRL). As best we can summarize, there seems to be some evidence that this is actually a safety feature. But the evidence is largely from far-northern countries, with little reliable evidence to suggest it also applies in southerly and urban environments. I’d be willing to accept driving around with my lights on all the time, were it not for the band-aid feature attached to DRL: automatic headlights. Apparently if my lights are already partly on, I can’t be trusted to turn them all the way on when they are actually needed. What if I drive at night with only DRL, get rear-ended by a truck (no tail lights with DRL), and sue someone? According to the wiring diagram, automatic headlights are a USA-only feature on the Matrix. Pontiac apparently doesn’t want to take any chances; Canadian Vibes now include auto lights.
Unfortunately, my automatic headlights tended to turn on at noon on a sunny day – almost anytime the sun wasn’t shining directly on the sensor. It is very annoying to turn a corner and have the whole instrument panel go dim, too dim to see on a bright day. Turn up the brightness and then it is too bright at night. So out they came – see here for details.
DRL
are tougher to control, and debatable if you should. The way I did mine is not fully switchable; mine are off until
switched on and then they stay on until the ignition switches off. But this approach is an improvement over
what some people have done: leaving the
parking brake slightly on. This can
cause the brake to drag and sends a false signal to the ABS controller and the
dashboard brake warning light. See here for details.