When should you drive with your parking lights instead of your headlights?

NEVER!!!!!

There's no count on the times I've seen some idiot driving at night with only his parking lights on because he thinks his headlights are on but he only turned on his parking lights at dusk and never turned his headlights on when it got dark.

He's an invisible bullet waiting to kill someone who pulls out right in front of him while's he tooling down the street at 50..

If you think you need lights on at all, then put your full headlights on so that you don't have to worry about it. And as a previous answer said, the law specifies when your headlights must be on (night, rain, etc.). Better yet, if you don't have daytime running lights, use your headlighs all the time.

When I was taking driver training many turnings of the seasons ago, I was taught that you should never drive with just the parking lights on. It did not matter what time of the day it was. Because of this I wondered what was the point to parking lights in the first place. I finally figured it out when I was on a trip with my parents and we decided to just drive nonstop from Provo, UT, to Santa Barbara, CA. This is a trip that we would normally do over two days. So, we were driving until the wee hours of the morning. During that drive, I saw many semitrucks parked on the freeway on and off ramps with the just their parking lights on. If these lights had not been on, I probably would not have known they were even there. Obviously, the truck drivers had stopped for some sleep. Leaving the parking lights on let others usinging those ramps know that the trucks were there with out putting as much of a drain on the batteries as leaving the headlights on would. Since that time, I have used this trick myself when I have had to pull over to the side of a road after dark to sleep on long drives.

You should never drive with just your parking lights on. Most states mandate that your headlights be on at all times while driving at night or in bad weather. Also, Fog lights also require headlights to be on along with them.

You should feel free to drive with your parking lights on at any time during the day. Most cars made now come with "Daytime Running Lights." Having your parking lights on during the day helps increase your visibility.

However, you should NEVER use just your parking lights in times of poor visibility, night, rain, etc. Use your headlights...

I say never from dawn to dusk. It looks cool until you get rammed by someone who didnt see you.

I use parking lights when I'm stopped outside waiting for someone, at a drivein, or other safe areas. They look cool on my car so I like using them :) but when I'm moving I have DRLs so I can't not have headlights on unless I remove the bulbs...

Nobody answered the question! :-) The only time I've ever driven with just my parking lights is exiting or entering a drive-in theatre while the movie is playing. You drive real slow and be prepared to flash your full beams if some numbnuts doesn't see you and is driving towards you.

"In addition to increasing visibility and alerting other drivers to the presence of a car, parking lights can also be useful in emergencies. In some cities where it is permitted, drivers use parking lights to drive at night in well light areas, to help reduce light pollution. In addition, should a headlight go out while driving, the parking lights, which are typically on with the headlights in most car designs, can help to compensate and make other drivers aware that the approaching vehicle is a car with one headlight, not a motorcycle."

--i found this on the Internet..forgot the link, though..

http://themalepsyche.blogspot.com

Legally - see other answers. But, after careful observation, I have *never* seen a case when parking lights make a car more visible, whereas I have seen many where headlights make it more visible. If you think it needs lights, it needs headlights. And I encourage you to use them even when you even think you might want them. I drove in Denmark, where they are compulsory - and it made driving a heck of a lot easier.

When there are within city lights, this is in the UK.

In the UK, it is legal to drive with parking lights on, only within city limits at night. But no one ever does this.

However, in dull weather, or light rain during daylight most people will use them rather than headlights.

However over here they are not called parking lights, but sidelights.

In Norway it is mandatory to drive with your lights on all the time. When you rent a car the lights are automatically on. If you turn your parking lights on so you can see your dash board then it is obvious that you should have your lights on so people can see you. Parking lights only help people from behind you see since all of the tail lights are on the same way when your lights are on. I don't know how many times I have went to change lanes and could not see the jerk behind me because he was only driving with his parking lights on. All on or all off. Parking lights are for when you are parked so you don't blind people coming to wards you or if in a parked situation where other people are in front of you parked and you don't want to burn the back of their head off! LOL.
Jim

When you're parking!

Actually the law says that headlights must be turned on 30 minutes after sunset, and must remain on until 30 minutes before sunset. The law is useless as even the most incredibley foolish people would realise they need to turn them on alot earlier. To me that law is even dumber than the law that says dogs can't smoke cigarettes.

As for driving with parking lights on at night. It is banned in most countries. Great Brittain and few other countries allow people to drive with parking lights only if there are streetlights. It still sound like a foolish and old fashioned practice to me even if it is legal.

One thought.....why do you think they call them "parking lights"?... :)

They are for when your car is parked.....not for driving!

To my knowledge, there is not a law governing the use of parking lights. the law only covers headlights....one hour before sunset and one hour after sunrise. any other time is a personal choice. new cars now have drl, which are day running lights. from a safety standpoint. drls seem to be making a difference in auto crashes. visibility of drl-equipped vehicles, in day light, is much greater than without. end

Wrong. There is not necessarily any difference between daytime running lights and 'parking lights.' Times have changed and DRL's are becoming more common factory installations, because during the day, illumination of the car makes it easier to be seen. While adding the headlights makes one even more visible, just the DRL's or 'parking' lights make one more visible and less likely to annoy oncoming drivers than having headlights on.

It is not a matter of looking 'cool.' I'm baffled as to how anyone would think he looked 'cool' because of using running/parking lights during daylight... but since some people think it looks 'cool' to wear their ball cap backwards or sideways

The only serious problem I've heard of about parking lights is using them at night, especially if stopped on the roadway since they may fool an overtaking driver into thinking you are moving.

This issue is actually a complex one, with different laws in different jurisdictions because the 'best' answer is not all that clear.

This is an example of when an old law or adage becomes outdated, but the prejudice remains; combined with the safety factors not being clear or obvious.

The old law or rule was that 'parking lights' were just for parking when parking off the roadway in an unlit rural area. That may still be the law in some jurisdictions. In others daytime running lights are required. In Washington State, where I learned to drive, I was taught never to use the parking lights by themselves even during the day. There is actually a discrepancy between the State Drivers' Guide and the law. As this State trooper explains, the law prevails:

"On page 55 of the Washington Driver Guide, point 3 states, "Whenever driving and lights are necessary, use you headlights. Parking lights are for parked vehicles.” Why don't the traffic officers enforce this long standing rule of the road?

As far as I can tell, the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) does not prohibit the use of parking lights without headlights, despite what the Washington Driver Guide might imply. By law, vehicle headlights must be on from a half hour after sunset until a half hour before sunrise and at times when conditions make it difficult to see other people or vehicles. During any other situation drivers may choose to drive with their parking lights on, with or without headlights. Although you might want people to have their headlights on whenever their parking lights are on, the section of Washington state law titled “Rules of the Road” does not require it. Law enforcement officers enforce the RCW's as opposed to the rules in the driver guide.

Theoretically, the driver guide is based on Washington law, but if you ever find something in the guide that seems in conflict with state law, our state law will always prevail. The people who wrote the driver guide had the daunting challenge of taking over 450 pages of legal jargon and condensing it into an easy-to-understand booklet for someone who hasn’t even finished high school. If you ever find information in the guide that seems contradictory or incomplete, you should compare it to state law.

While investigating this question, I did find an interesting law regarding parking lights. Did you know that if you park your car on the shoulder of an unlit road outside of city limits at night, you are required to leave your parking lights on? Imagine how many dead batteries we’d have if we insisted that traffic officers start enforcing that one."

"Parking lights" are for use in parking and emergency situations.

Duh! No disrespect, of course, BUT if you think you want to SEE better OR be SEEN better and you think it is appropriate to use your parking lights, why not SEE and/or be SEEN better by using headlights??? Common sense? Good judgement? C'mon! Using your parking lights serves what purpose? Pretend to be Batman? Look cool? Seriously, driving with only parking lights can be misleading to an oncoming driver who might perceive you to be farther away than you really are. By the way, I am a certified driver ed teacher and a certified road test inspector.

According to GM Owners manual (2006)
Headlights = Lights used for driving. Headlight switch also turns on taillights, front running lamps and side marker lamps.
Day Time Running lamps = Lights on front of vehicle that are on when the vehicle is running durnig the daytime. Sometimes these lights turn off when in park, some times they are dimmer headlamps, some times they are seperate lamps sometimes they are turn signals.
Parking lamps = A switch position on the headlamp switch that turns on the taillights, side marker lamps and frojnt running lamps WITHOUT the headlamps. Sometimes used in foggy conditions or when the vehicle is parked on the side of the road so drivers can see the vehicle without being blinded by the bright headlamps.
Emergency flashers (4 way Flashers) = The red triangle button that causes taillamps and front turn signals to flash on and off. Used for emergency situations so other drivers can see your vehicle.

Hope this helps.

You should NEVER drive with your parking lights. They weren't intended for anything other than giving you additional light for parking.

Share your answer...

they're the ones that flash (on/off) when you turn them on. they're located at both ends.the switch has a triangle on it, and it's often located near the steering wheel, or sometimes integrated into the headlight controls.

http://themalepsyche.blogspot.com

I've never even heard the term parking lights. Which lights are those? Now, I have heard of daytime driving lights. Are they the same? I'm confused. One thing I do know is that when your family is asleep and you're coming in at 3 AM, you don't want headlights on when you pull in the driveway. Or if you have a long driveway and you want to not be seen doing your "nightly exercises" in your car at night with your date, then you don't want your headlights on. You want to use other lights. I think they're called daytime driving lights, but like I said I'm not sure.