Car lights...

I carry new light bulbs and tools in my car but to be honest I would not know how to change them myself. My dh can change them so if he was in car it would be OK. I suppose I hope if a bulb went when I was driving alone at night I might find someone who could change it for me. I have also noticed that car light bulbs do not last as long as they used to.

due to *there being

Grandmattie I wonder if the brake lights are due to tier ebwing more automatic cars which require your foot to be on the brake to prevent it from moving and also the new stop/start technology for fuel saving, which also require a foot on the brake.

We have driven on the motorway and seen someone with no lights on - dark evening and it was raining. We flashed them but no response. We assumed there was a problem with all the lights and drove behind them as far as we could. Same happened to DS too. Frightening!
And as to signalling before turning! Seems to be a dying tradition...

We have decided that as cars are do expensive in Portugal indicators must be an extra cost because so many Portuguese drivers never use indicators. I use them even when there aren't any car around because it's an automatic reflex when about to change direction for me. Several times I have used my indicator to show I turning left into my drive (bearing in mind we drive on the right here) snd some person has come flying down the road and overtaken just as I am about to turn.

I'm in East Midlands also. I will check my lights! I suspect our Police are too overworked and thin on the ground to pick up every badly lit vehicle, much as they would like to.

My other bugbear are the now blinding brake lights. OK they are useful - but sitting for 10 minutes with your foot on the brake waiting for the train to pass???

I know; that's why I said I was too complacent....mind you, my car is parked directly in front of my garage so I do tend to see what the beam is like. But I doubt if many of us check our lights on a daily basis [even though we should...].

Sorry but I'm baffled why anyone would presume having their lights checked as working for an mot means they will be okay for the next few months? All vehicle lights should be checked regularly... just because they work today does not mean they are working tomorrow.
Bulbs can blow at anytime the same as a house bulb can.
Truck drivers that work for a reputable company would not get out the depot gates without completing a full inspection at the start of their daily shift, this includes lights so why should car drivers be any different.

Saw two people on mobile phones, too; numbers had been decreasing recently.

I've done a 40 mile round trip this evening, both rural and city. I noticed three cars with one light out and one with no lights at all!

Ho, ho,ho. You cannot be serious! Police forces all over the UK have given up doing such 'mundane' tasks for many years because they do not have enough officers and their workload is all about more serious matters.
Traffic officers may take notice if they have nothing else to do but that is rare.
Haven't you noticed we do not see Motorway Cops anymore - they are just after crooks and boy racers.

Yes, there are a lot of cars with faulty headlights. One reason might be the expense of repairs. It's often not possible to replace bulbs yourself and re-set the beam as you could do in the old days. But of course this is not an excuse.
And don't get me started on cyclists. In my so-called 'cycling city' they are a menace. No lights, dressed in black, speeding on pavements, ignoring traffic signs. Never any prosecutions. Never any police, of course.

I so agree about Aberdeen! I can't believe how many motorists don't use indicators! It makes my blood boil. Nips mum, we may well be targeting the same people. I hope there are more of us around

Loads everywhere between Kent and the North of Scotland, of course no thanks if you mention in to anybody. Its not very good when people who have adjusted their lights to drive on the Continent forget to change them back!

Mapleleaf, my car (a 9 year old Volvo), DOES tell me when a low-beam light has failed - I get a message on the dash board. I've no idea whether the same happens if a rear or indicator light goes, as it hasn't happened yet. I imagine there must be plenty of newer marques that have the same function. And, being a Volvo, it has daytime running lights, so no need to remember to turn them on

Nipsmum surely you realised by now that indicators are an optional extra on many high spec models? BMWs, Audis and Mercs seem to be particularly affected.

Not noticed the missing headlights but do find it unpleasant on the motorways when a car has a headlight which is up in the air and blinding my rear view mirror.

We have the invisible cyclists here too.

It's illegal to use fog lights unless it's properly foggy.

After following a young lady driver for approx 3 miles, I put down my window at the Traffic lights and leant over and said did you know your indicates aren't working ? She was not amused. Cyclists with no lights or very poor lights and dark clothes are very common in Aberdeen especially around the hospital and the universities. It s a nightmare for drivers .So many don't even wear crash helmet's.

I check lights every time I use the car as stop and indicator lights are important during the day as well as others for night driving. I test them and the reversing lights against the garage wall before setting out but can't easily change them. BMWs are notoriously difficult in that regard.

Don't get me started on the lack of use of indicators, I'm not a mind reader.

I don't drive much at night as I find lights disorientating, I've been like this since my 30s, Optician told me it's because I'm slightly longsighted in one eye & slightly shortsighted in the other. Nothing to do with age, I don't wear glasses for driving apart from sunglasses

Goodness, yes, indicators.

Drivers don't seem to realise that not only do other road users want to know their intentions but also pedestrians waiting to cross a road would like to know if the car approaching the junction they're waiting at intends to go straight on or turn and mow them down...

starbird
My Golf only has one reversing light too. It's entirely legal.

A particular bugbear is people not indicating. It seems to be happening more and more. Maybe they're afraid of wearing out their bulbs.

I don't drive much at night but DH has - he comes home in the dark in winter. Police aren't bothered as there are no longer enough of them to go round!

PS Also agree re fog lights, only ought to be used when it really is foggy.