I want a super version of this. I want headlights that dim several lumens when I slow down and when I stop. I drive a massive truck with headlights that blind the shit out of people. I wish it would slowly dim them as I slowed and would basically turn them off or point them down when I’m stopped. I don’t need to see 500ft ahead at that point. We have the tech, and LEDs are perfect for that.

One thing that has contributed to this problem is daytime running lights. I haven't owned a car with them yet, but I routinely see people driving at night with only the DRL's and no tail lights.

I'm not sure if the dash is illuminated in that situation, but it shouldn't be. There probably needs to be an obnoxious warning chime at the very least.

The problem is we’ve removed the cues to turn the lights on.

Normally it gets dark and you know it’s time to turn the headlights on because none of the dash lights are illuminated. You can’t see the speedometer. Unfortunately with the advent of LCD dashes and touchscreens the default has become leaving everything in front of the driver lit, and that includes analog instruments. Add fairly bright DRLs people have lost the visual prompt to flip the switch on.

Backlights, where not necessary for operation, should remain off until lights are turned on. Getting rid of touchscreens for everything and going back to push buttons. That would help a lot with headlights as well as being distracted flipping thru menus to turn the AC on or something.

Here in Sweden we have laws requiering headlight to be on when the car is moving, regardless of the time of day or year.

All cars for the last several decades have automatic headlights that turn on when the ignition turns on.

It is brilliant, it makes it so easy to dstinguish between parked cars abd cars that are moving, both as a driver and as a pedestrian.

Automatic full beams are also standard these days.

Because if you need your wipers, you need your lights too.

If you have trouble seeing the road, people will have trouble seeing you. Do they not teach that in drivers ed these days?

And somehow it's always the grey cars...

I do not like having headlights being forced on. There are situations often enough where either I don't want to unnecessarily light up someone's place or I simply want to be inconspicuous. But I absolutely support the option to use an ambient light sensor to darken the dash in that situation. Pretty sure that was one of the options in new legislation a few years ago. It was either force lights on with the uv sensor (Toyota?), add tail lights to the drl function (Mazda?), or turn off the dash lights if headlights are off and it's dark out (haven't seen this one). There are many streetlights in my area so missing headlights aren't obvious for miles at a time to a less-knowledgeable driver

Canada has had it mandatory since 1989, It is a good thing to have multi-ton objects whizzing around you clearly marked.

It's like the third last thing you'd ever want to sneak up and catch you off guard.

I think one of the biggest reasons for why this is happening is because cars have gauges that are lit up all the time now, and also they have daytime running lights that stay on at night too, so they think that their lights are on. There is no sign that their light is not on other than the logo in the gauge cluster

There is precedent for this feature. Motorcycles have head/tail lights at startup.