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Omigod. Are you saying that we Canucks invented the concept of using high beams as running lights? I hang my head in shame.

Very useful for people who have trouble staying in one lane.

I'm not objecting to running lights per se - just the idea of using high beams. It used to be considered rude and hazardous to drive with high beams in the presence of other traffic, but that - along with things like tailgating, pbutting on the shoulder, and weaving in and out of traffic with no room to spare - has since become part of acceptable driving practice.

Prudent motorists have always turned on their headlights - low beam only, of course - during the day when it was raining or snowing or visibility was otherwise impaired. There was even an early experiment in running lights where some cars had a small, constantly-lighted lamp mounted in the middle of the grille, although that never caught on.

About 10 years ago I noticed an increase in the number of people who flashed their high beams at oncoming cars in situations where one would normally blink one's headlights, e.g. as a warning that you've forgotten to turn your lights on. At first I thought this was just part of the deterioration of courtesy on the roads. But then I realized that these people were still trying to blink their lights, but couldn't - the running light circuit would kick in and activate the high beams instead. So it's not the drivers that are rude - it's the design.

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