Turn on the Lights

So, I'm driving and I noticed something I've noticed a million times before only today it causes me to think "I should blog this" and now I'm here doing exactly that.

Here's the thing folks, I know if you're driving a 1986 Yugo, turning on your lights during the day probably does cause you to lose a noticeable amount of power. But when you're in your shiny new champagne-colored Lexus, I'm guessing you could be running everything at the same time while charging your laptop via the cigarette lighter and still have enough juice to drive down the road at a higher-than-average speed.

Why am I complaining about what you do? Why do I care? I can't see you. It's that simple. When it is raining and the skyline is any shade of gray and/or brown (almost like dusk, eh?) and you are driving sans lights and your car happens to be any one of the following colors (white, gray, silver, taupe, champagne, charcoal, etc.) you blend right into the background. I can't see you.

I know you can see the road. I know you can see the buildings. I know it is officially day. None of these things change the fact that when I'm driving down the road in these conditions and quickly glance at my mirrors or perform the oh-so-popular over-the-shoulder glance, you don't stand out. And if I can't see you because you don't stand out, I'm more likely to hit you because I don't find out you're there until a second before impact.

Am I just a bad driver? Possibly. I had an accident in 1998 (?) but there was ice involved. Does my eyesight suck? Not really. I've got 20/20 vision and don't suffer from color blindness. I guess what I'm trying to say is "Hey, help me not hit you. Turn on your lights."

Don't believe me? Try this out the next time you find yourself on the road at dawn/dusk under similar conditions:
Note: Your number one focus should be on safely driving your car. If you can't multi-task, don't do this.

1. Drive down the road with your lights on.
2. Watch the cars driving in the opposite direction.
3. In the line of cars you are watching, review which cars you tend to notice first.
4. Keep track of cars that appear to notice you are on the road.

I'm not for the government mandating we all turn our lights on. I just think you should turn your lights on because it prevents me from hitting you. I don't want to hit you. I like you. Unless you're one of those punk drivers, in which case I think you should be taken off the road altogether.