I have attached an email that I sent to Marc Garneau, our minister of transport and his response concerning an issue that I have observed in increasing regularity. It concerns the matter of day-time driving lights and the dashboard lights on newer vehicles. The dashboard lights on newer vehicles are illuminated all the time and as I noted in my email to the minister it can lead to drivers not turning on their headlights at dusk.
I hope that by publishing these letters that it will help to inform the public and act as a reminder to turn on their headlights:
Mr. Garneau, I am writing to you as the Minister of Transport with a concern about the increasing number of vehicles I encounter on the streets that have not turned on their headlights. I live in St. Albert, Alberta just out side of Edmonton where we have short hours of daylight during the months of December and January. In recent years I have encountered a large number of vehicles driving in the city in the darkness of morning and evening hours without their headlights turned on. I have signaled, when possible, to a number of drivers to turn on their lights.
I attribute this to the fact that a large number, perhaps most new vehicles, now have their dashboard lights continuously illuminated regardless of whether the headlights are turned on or not. I can confirm this as I own a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan on which the dash lights work this way and it has a small indicator on the instrument panel to indicate when the headlights are turned on. In contrast the dashboard lights on older vehicles were not illuminated until the headlights were turned on which served as a reminder to the driver to turn them on.
Driving in the city with the street lights at this time of year drivers are forgetting to turn on their headlights since they do not require them to navigate the well lit roadways The dim day time driving lights and dashboard lights are on but there are no tail or marker lights and this in combination with dirty, salt covered vehicles can combine to make them difficult to see.
There has been talk about making automatic headlights mandatory but would it not be perhaps a simpler, less costly and fail safe option to have the manufacturers return to having the dash lights not constantly illuminated and designed to illuminate when the head lights are turned on. In the meantime drivers need to be reminded to turn on their headlights.
If you have any insight into this topic it would be appreciated if you could provide an update.
Best regards,
Rob Pritchard, St. Albert
Dear Mr. Pritchard:
Thank you for your correspondence of January 18, 2017, regarding night-time driving lights.
Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, Transport Canada develops and enforces the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS). The CMVSS define the technical requirements that apply to new vehicles at the time their main assembly was completed.
CMVSS 108, Lighting System and Retroreflective Devices, sets the minimum safety requirements for vehicle lighting and light-signaling devices. This standard requires that tail lamps be illuminated when drivers switch on their headlamps. At present, there is no relation between illumination of tail lamps and any other event.
CMVSS 101, Location and Identification of Controls and Displays, requires that items displayed on instrument panels be clearly visible to drivers while operating a vehicle. For some instrument panel designs, this means that they have to be illuminated all the time. For drivers not familiar with the operation of their vehicles, this may create a false perception that their headlamps are activated.
Please be assured that Transport Canada shares your concern regarding vehicles travelling in the dark without their headlamps and marking lamps illuminated. The department is currently reviewing the lighting standard (CMVSS 108) and will take your comments into consideration as part of that process.
The department has created a campaign to create awareness for drivers on this issue. The campaign promotes drivers knowing their vehicles to ensure they understand the lighting symbols on the dashboard and vehicle lighting features. Please visit www.tc.gc.ca/seeandbeseen for more information.
Thank you again for writing and for sharing your concerns.
Yours sincerely,
The Honourable Marc Garneau, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport
