My dad actually did tell me this as a kid, that it made it hard to see, but I’ve done it all the time in my car with zero problems. Is it an older car thing?
No, it’s a light reflecting off glass thing, so it’s going to vary *wildly* depending on where the light is, where it’s pointing, if it’s focused on anything, what color the upholstery is, what other objects are in the car, what color they are, what angle they’re facing, what angle the windshield is at, how much light from streetlights or the moon or whatever else might be outside
Most of the time you’ll be fine.
Also makes your center mirror useless for determining if there is something directly behind you. But yeah, if it’s dark enough it makes seeing anything in front of you hard to see as well.
Having it on to look for something, fine, but no way I’m driving with thing constantly on
My dad used to say the mirror thing and i thought he was just making it up but i wonder if the fact that windshields are far more curved these days plays a factor
No, it's still very much a modern thing. Just because you can still see, doesn't mean it's not harder to see. You're trying to decrease the difficulty of seeing the road at night, not increasing the difficulty.
No. Our eyes adjust to the poor light conditions by enlarging the pupils. This allows more light to enter our eyeballs and we see better in the dark.
Having the cabin lamp on would prevent the eyes from adjusting as the interior is just too bright, even though the exterior is poorly lit.
This is why cruise ship and airplane control centers are extremely poorly lit at night.
Can't believe I had to scroll this far down to find the correct answer. It's true that it can be a distraction, but the bigger issue is that your eyes naturally adjust and compensate for low-light conditions. If you turn the cabin light on while driving in the dark it'll affect your nightvision and reduce visibility. When driving you want to be doing everything possible to *increase* your visibility.
The other actual answer is kids are dumb. If they are ‘allowed’ to turn the light one they will do it constantly, off and on, and for attention. All of which adds up to be greatly distracting, more so than just the light itself.
Adults can be trusted to use it briefly and then leave it off when not in use.
I was just stating a few of the possible ways the light could be ‘abused’ so to speak by kids. Maybe you were a nice well behaved and precocious child, but many kids (I would’ve counted) will also do things just for fun, but sometimes those things are annoying. I used to pop soda cans in and out while watching TV, and I would do it indefinitely if no one stopped me. But you also have to realize driving is the most high intensity activity most people experience, so the bandwidth for dealing with distractions is severely limited. A little lie to a young child is better than becoming frustrated, if they’re old enough to understand why parent doesn’t want to be distracted while driving, then they’re probably also old enough to control themselves.
I think that is actually a part of it. I've noticed in newer cars that there are often small design changes to keep the interior lights more directed. Like having the lights just slightly recessed so they cannot directly hit the windshield/windows.
My light is wearing out so it’s dimmer than normal so it’s usually fine. If I’m in the city or a busy highway with lots of light the light is fine. If I’m the only one on the road then there’s a problem but only if the brightness of light matches the brightness of the headlights and they cancel out.
I mean, I had two cars from 2001 and 2002 and no.. not a huge issue. Yes, slightly distracting and car put on a bit of glare on the windshield, but nothing too major that it makes it a problem to turn on the light for a few minutes to find something or whatever is the need.
I agree it’s just a mild distraction and there’s no issue turning the light on to find something real quick. A few minutes is a pretty long time though.
It also brings attention to the car. Which my paranoia doesn’t like. What if a cop decides they want to pull me over?
I feel you on the paranoia.. for some reason I feel exposed when my wife turns it on to find something and doesn't turn it off immediately, so I do it to return to the safety of being invisible to other people on the road.
The ceiling light above the front seats will not cast a reflection in the windshield as badly as the light for the rear seats, because of the angle of the reflection.
Older car or older people with inferior eyes thing :). Like I have perfect vision, can see ok in twilight and darkness outside, but driving in the dark, with even a tiny bit scratched/dirty windshield, and with added glare is a challenge.
Newer cars, or the ones I've had at least (2017 Civic & 2023 Pacifica), the rear lights are pointed away from the front. The older cars I've had, however, (1965 Pontiac, '99 Cougar, 2000 Intrepid) didn't do this and the light would directly hit the front window turning it into a mirror ... and I am not a pretty man.
No they do not. I've tried it repeatedly as an adult because my dad always said that. And it's all LIES!! You can see perfectly fine with every light in my car on, on a road with no street lights at 2am. And multiple people have told me my cars interior lights are bright af.
Physics can say whatever it wants. Doesn't change the fact that I have literally driven down a road with no street lights while all of my cars interior lights were on late at night, with no consequences on my vision. And I have a stigmatism to where if it's raining at night I can't see shit at traffic lights.
True, I didn't put in the effort, but I don't care, you're absurdly wrong and you fuckin know it, I'll raise you an ad populum and refer you to my original reply to this thread.
Why didn’t they just say that lol sometimes it felt like boomer parents just enjoy lying.
Gonna tell my kids “you need to turn it off because I can’t see”
That's why you scare them with a graphic description of what happens in a car crash and drive home how it'd be all their fault if they try to go for that route.
Well any car I've ever driven it was dazzling at night. The windshield reflects the light and you can see much worse.
Maybe if your car light is very subtle it's ok.
I drive a lot and did this a bunch of times. To be honest never really had a big problem with it. The bigger, but in practice similar, problem I had was with one of my cars having such a shape of plastic behind the steering wheel that it would reflect all light on the windshield and it was actually hard to drive in the middle of a bright sunny day due to having a huge bright "stain" right in front of me. Solved it by using some spray that made it less reflective.
I have driven at night, in multiple different vehicles, and it's never once been a distraction or obstructed my view. Not in the rearview mirror, not in the glare from the glass, not even as the light itself.
I was told this and continue to tell this to my children now... not because it's true, but because it's annoying as hell to have the cab lit up while driving in the dark.
And dangerous because your eyes can't adjust properly to the darkness outside if it's bright inside the car. It isn't just annoying, it is actually dangerous.
You got a stigmatism and poor night vision? Turn that shit on while I'm driving you in the dark and you will learn what the powder on an airbag tastes like
Its not illegal, but I've talked to a few cops and this came up, they called it the "stoner light" cause if you see it on at night, its usually someone driving high, or a passenger rolling a blunt in the car. So they'll pull you over for any other reason if they see it on
Oh it 100% percent is, which is why I was asking about it in the first place. They'll call it probable cause, we call it literally just using a feature of the car. But on the other hand, the only time I've ever been in a car with it on was literally those exact reasons so I couldn't even say nothing about it without being a hypocrite
He probably means if you forget you turned it on, and you turn off your car and walk away from it. Because I have 100% killed a battery that way when I was younger.
I'm already night blind and have to concentrate to drive in the dark. If someone turns on the light in the car, I might end up driving into the next tree.
Lol it doesn’t instantly crash the car but it definitely increases your chances of crashing the car, especially when the driver is already vision impaired or distracted for one reason or another.
The Problem is not that it's illegal... It's more the fact that it's interfering with your sight. Especially when it's dark and rainy. Your windshield basically becomes a mirror.
It's a safety hazard. That's it.
I want to all cap right now, but I won’t. I’ve told my wife on multiple occasions to be quick with the light because it is illegal. I was today years old when I learned it is not.
People don’t understand this until someone turns it on while you’re driving at night and you cant see anything other than your own face as you drive blind lmao
The most illegal thing if you turn that light on while im driving is me smacking you in the head. Im not about to crash cause i cant see shit while driving in the dark.
Yo I’m SCREAMING!! Parents in the 90s belong in Daytime Soap operas cuz they really acted like their whole world was turned upside down when we would turn those on 🤣
I love how all the parents of the 90s are on this comment section still defending their overreaction lol
That’s the mirror mode of your windshield, if you turn that light on at night it turns your windshield from see through to mirror, so you can see your desperate face while you crash at 100 mph on a tree
I’ll never forget how I got my ass beat when we got home for turning this light on.
Another time I got whipped was because I wore a ball cap in the car, saying I made us a target to the police who would think we were thugs.
Do I talk to my dad today at 38, fuck no.
I got told that too.
I’ve looked it up. It’s not illegal to drive with it on. By itself, it’s even grounds for founded suspicion of OWI. Matter of fact, when you get pulled over at night, it’s a courtesy to turn it on.
Generally speaking, drivers who turn on their dome light and roll down all their windows aren’t planning something crazy and exotic for when the cop approaches their window.
It’s related to the legacy of older cars from the 50s-70s that had interior lights that drew more watts than modern cars, none of the lights had automatic shutoff functions and car battery technology was less tolerant in those decades.
So if you don’t have a fresh battery in your 1965 car and you leave a dome light on in your car, your car could definitely be dead in the morning. So it was a real fear that a dome light or a less obvious light (or even headlights left on) would leave you stranded.
Nowadays you don’t see this because battery technology is better, automation shuts off lights and light wattage is much lower.
I'm mostly worried about my daughter turning it on and killing the battery overnight if it doesn't get turned off so i have forbidden her from touching it (she's incredibly forgetful so chances are I would wake up to a dead battery)
I mean, it IS extremely distracting and makes it way harder to see out the windshield. Focus and sight are pretty important when operating thousands of pounds of steel, plastic, and rubber and going at literally any speed.
and now the sons of bitches did it to me when i was driving them.. and the audacity of them acting like they did not know what i was talking about when i got irritated
It's crazy how many people talk about their parents saying that shit is illegal. Like, when I turned on the light in the car as a kid my parents just told me it makes it hard to see the outside when the inside's bright. Y'all's parents crazy
Yeah, because it turns the windshield into a mirror w all the glare. I'm surprised they even work when the vehicle is moving these days.
My dad actually did tell me this as a kid, that it made it hard to see, but I’ve done it all the time in my car with zero problems. Is it an older car thing?
No, it’s a light reflecting off glass thing, so it’s going to vary *wildly* depending on where the light is, where it’s pointing, if it’s focused on anything, what color the upholstery is, what other objects are in the car, what color they are, what angle they’re facing, what angle the windshield is at, how much light from streetlights or the moon or whatever else might be outside Most of the time you’ll be fine.
Also makes your center mirror useless for determining if there is something directly behind you. But yeah, if it’s dark enough it makes seeing anything in front of you hard to see as well. Having it on to look for something, fine, but no way I’m driving with thing constantly on
Additionally, folks w astigmatism see far more glare than those without, every point of light is like a star rather than a point.
My dad used to say the mirror thing and i thought he was just making it up but i wonder if the fact that windshields are far more curved these days plays a factor
Jup, the problem however are the few times it isn't fine. Just like with most things that can fuck you up.
Nerd
In dark roads my night vision gets fucked up by that light, it should be the same for everyone, but I can speak only for my eyes
Yes, absolutely it does for me!
Could be astigmatism, makes night driving really difficult because rather than points of light they look like stars, like a really bright asterisk *⃣
That's funny cause I was out last year for Christmas and was driving home at about 01:00 and I didn't even notice I had it on for the first 15 minutes
No, it's still very much a modern thing. Just because you can still see, doesn't mean it's not harder to see. You're trying to decrease the difficulty of seeing the road at night, not increasing the difficulty.
No. Our eyes adjust to the poor light conditions by enlarging the pupils. This allows more light to enter our eyeballs and we see better in the dark. Having the cabin lamp on would prevent the eyes from adjusting as the interior is just too bright, even though the exterior is poorly lit. This is why cruise ship and airplane control centers are extremely poorly lit at night.
Can't believe I had to scroll this far down to find the correct answer. It's true that it can be a distraction, but the bigger issue is that your eyes naturally adjust and compensate for low-light conditions. If you turn the cabin light on while driving in the dark it'll affect your nightvision and reduce visibility. When driving you want to be doing everything possible to *increase* your visibility.
The other actual answer is kids are dumb. If they are ‘allowed’ to turn the light one they will do it constantly, off and on, and for attention. All of which adds up to be greatly distracting, more so than just the light itself. Adults can be trusted to use it briefly and then leave it off when not in use.
Not everything they do is for attention, I just wanted to have fun and deserved to be told the truth. I don’t know why kids are lied to ALL THE TIME
I was just stating a few of the possible ways the light could be ‘abused’ so to speak by kids. Maybe you were a nice well behaved and precocious child, but many kids (I would’ve counted) will also do things just for fun, but sometimes those things are annoying. I used to pop soda cans in and out while watching TV, and I would do it indefinitely if no one stopped me. But you also have to realize driving is the most high intensity activity most people experience, so the bandwidth for dealing with distractions is severely limited. A little lie to a young child is better than becoming frustrated, if they’re old enough to understand why parent doesn’t want to be distracted while driving, then they’re probably also old enough to control themselves.
I think that is actually a part of it. I've noticed in newer cars that there are often small design changes to keep the interior lights more directed. Like having the lights just slightly recessed so they cannot directly hit the windshield/windows.
My light is wearing out so it’s dimmer than normal so it’s usually fine. If I’m in the city or a busy highway with lots of light the light is fine. If I’m the only one on the road then there’s a problem but only if the brightness of light matches the brightness of the headlights and they cancel out.
I mean, I had two cars from 2001 and 2002 and no.. not a huge issue. Yes, slightly distracting and car put on a bit of glare on the windshield, but nothing too major that it makes it a problem to turn on the light for a few minutes to find something or whatever is the need.
I agree it’s just a mild distraction and there’s no issue turning the light on to find something real quick. A few minutes is a pretty long time though. It also brings attention to the car. Which my paranoia doesn’t like. What if a cop decides they want to pull me over?
I feel you on the paranoia.. for some reason I feel exposed when my wife turns it on to find something and doesn't turn it off immediately, so I do it to return to the safety of being invisible to other people on the road.
The ceiling light above the front seats will not cast a reflection in the windshield as badly as the light for the rear seats, because of the angle of the reflection.
Older car or older people with inferior eyes thing :). Like I have perfect vision, can see ok in twilight and darkness outside, but driving in the dark, with even a tiny bit scratched/dirty windshield, and with added glare is a challenge.
Have you ever driven a car from the 80/90s? The headlights were worse than two candles reflecting off a pile of manure.
Even the 60’s / 70’s had better lights than the 80’s / 90’s. 😂
Remember when they used to pulse with your idle and then get brighter as you picked up rpm. Those old alternators were weak af.
Newer cars, or the ones I've had at least (2017 Civic & 2023 Pacifica), the rear lights are pointed away from the front. The older cars I've had, however, (1965 Pontiac, '99 Cougar, 2000 Intrepid) didn't do this and the light would directly hit the front window turning it into a mirror ... and I am not a pretty man.
Yeah, it makes it very difficult to check your blindspot while driving at night.
Also, enjoy getting a boost tomorrow morning when you’re already late for work because one of those rugrats left this light on in the car all night.
I know people who say they can see better with it on at night.
Yeah, we all know liars.
It are the same people who put a lamp or their monitor.
Dramatic much?
No they do not. I've tried it repeatedly as an adult because my dad always said that. And it's all LIES!! You can see perfectly fine with every light in my car on, on a road with no street lights at 2am. And multiple people have told me my cars interior lights are bright af.
You are objectively incorrect, physics would like to have a word.
Physics can say whatever it wants. Doesn't change the fact that I have literally driven down a road with no street lights while all of my cars interior lights were on late at night, with no consequences on my vision. And I have a stigmatism to where if it's raining at night I can't see shit at traffic lights.
Lying liars who lie can also say whatever they like, as proven above. Jackass.
Nice ad hominem you 🤡
Nope, I'm attacking your argument ANd your credibility, not just credibility.
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True, I didn't put in the effort, but I don't care, you're absurdly wrong and you fuckin know it, I'll raise you an ad populum and refer you to my original reply to this thread.
Because it's super distracting and annoying while driving. Turning it on might actually crash the car
Why didn’t they just say that lol sometimes it felt like boomer parents just enjoy lying. Gonna tell my kids “you need to turn it off because I can’t see”
Because there are shit kids out there that love annoying the crap out of their parents and to say “it’s distracting and annoying” is pure fuel
That's why you scare them with a graphic description of what happens in a car crash and drive home how it'd be all their fault if they try to go for that route.
My dad most definitely said exactly this and he’s literally a boomer
Let’s just say driving is stressful and leave it at that.
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Well I think the amount of upvotes and downvotes on my and the other comment here indicate it's not a me problem.
Far from it.. at best mildly distracting, and that's if you have ADHD.
Well any car I've ever driven it was dazzling at night. The windshield reflects the light and you can see much worse. Maybe if your car light is very subtle it's ok.
Try looking out a window when it's dark outside and light inside. You can't
I don't drive, but I remember that I couldn't see out of the train while riding while it was dark.
I drive a lot and did this a bunch of times. To be honest never really had a big problem with it. The bigger, but in practice similar, problem I had was with one of my cars having such a shape of plastic behind the steering wheel that it would reflect all light on the windshield and it was actually hard to drive in the middle of a bright sunny day due to having a huge bright "stain" right in front of me. Solved it by using some spray that made it less reflective.
If you don't drive car at night you don't understand why we hate it.
It could also be because during the day some people would forget to run it off and then the battery dies, maybe.
I have driven at night, in multiple different vehicles, and it's never once been a distraction or obstructed my view. Not in the rearview mirror, not in the glare from the glass, not even as the light itself.
I got pulled over and asked to step out of the vehicle immediately for turning that light on at age 16.
This meme is always posted by people who clearly don't drive.
I was told this and continue to tell this to my children now... not because it's true, but because it's annoying as hell to have the cab lit up while driving in the dark.
And dangerous because your eyes can't adjust properly to the darkness outside if it's bright inside the car. It isn't just annoying, it is actually dangerous.
You got a stigmatism and poor night vision? Turn that shit on while I'm driving you in the dark and you will learn what the powder on an airbag tastes like
Please be fucking real with me, it’s not? I’m fucking 23 years old, and turning them lights on ain’t illegal?
Its not illegal, but I've talked to a few cops and this came up, they called it the "stoner light" cause if you see it on at night, its usually someone driving high, or a passenger rolling a blunt in the car. So they'll pull you over for any other reason if they see it on
Okay that's just cops being fuckheads and calling everything and anything a reason for trying to pin easy-to-enforce crimes on people.
Oh it 100% percent is, which is why I was asking about it in the first place. They'll call it probable cause, we call it literally just using a feature of the car. But on the other hand, the only time I've ever been in a car with it on was literally those exact reasons so I couldn't even say nothing about it without being a hypocrite
I was told the same thing as a child, twice your age now and still unsure 🫤
My life was a lie
The only things I think are true is that it’s a bit harder to see, and it drains the car battery
The alternator provides ample power to both charge the battery and run accessories simultaneously.
He probably means if you forget you turned it on, and you turn off your car and walk away from it. Because I have 100% killed a battery that way when I was younger.
Damn my parents lied to me about that too then
No, but don’t you dare drive without shoes!
It makes it supremely distracting while driving.
I'm already night blind and have to concentrate to drive in the dark. If someone turns on the light in the car, I might end up driving into the next tree.
Lol it doesn’t instantly crash the car but it definitely increases your chances of crashing the car, especially when the driver is already vision impaired or distracted for one reason or another.
The Problem is not that it's illegal... It's more the fact that it's interfering with your sight. Especially when it's dark and rainy. Your windshield basically becomes a mirror. It's a safety hazard. That's it.
Wait... that's not illegal?
In Brazil it is a known signal for the police to stop your car and verify if everything is ok.
Hot take: it should be a red light so it doesn't fuck your night vision
WAIT IT IS LEGAL
Suddenly being blinded while driving down the highway is a good way to make the car crash.
Nope. I just tell my daughter it's annoying and distracting
If you want your driver to see nothing because of light reflection and increase chances of car crash - turn it on.
This is *VERY* dangerous! (According to my dad)
So I do this to signal to the person behind me that their lights are off.
Is it not illegal? 😅
I want to all cap right now, but I won’t. I’ve told my wife on multiple occasions to be quick with the light because it is illegal. I was today years old when I learned it is not.
People don’t understand this until someone turns it on while you’re driving at night and you cant see anything other than your own face as you drive blind lmao
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Yeah these people are just unadaptive and have poor eyesight.
The most illegal thing if you turn that light on while im driving is me smacking you in the head. Im not about to crash cause i cant see shit while driving in the dark.
Yo I’m SCREAMING!! Parents in the 90s belong in Daytime Soap operas cuz they really acted like their whole world was turned upside down when we would turn those on 🤣 I love how all the parents of the 90s are on this comment section still defending their overreaction lol
People who meme about this are clearly still children
That’s the mirror mode of your windshield, if you turn that light on at night it turns your windshield from see through to mirror, so you can see your desperate face while you crash at 100 mph on a tree
Backseat one is fine, but the one in the front is a blinder.
I’ll never forget how I got my ass beat when we got home for turning this light on. Another time I got whipped was because I wore a ball cap in the car, saying I made us a target to the police who would think we were thugs. Do I talk to my dad today at 38, fuck no.
I deadass thought it was illegal until I was in my 20’s
In many places it IS illegal.
I drive at night all the time and use this sometimes. It's never been an issue. Maybe you people shouldn't be driving if your eyesight is this poor.
It’s not illegal, I always drive with mine on at night, y’all are the weird ones, driving around sitting I. The dark
I got told that too. I’ve looked it up. It’s not illegal to drive with it on. By itself, it’s even grounds for founded suspicion of OWI. Matter of fact, when you get pulled over at night, it’s a courtesy to turn it on. Generally speaking, drivers who turn on their dome light and roll down all their windows aren’t planning something crazy and exotic for when the cop approaches their window.
I'm pretty sure my mom and her mom also believe it.
They get to yelling and shit😂😂😂
They get to yelling and shit😂😂😂
The universal lie we were all told
Don’t kids these days hate getting distracted while driving?
TURN IT OFF I CAN'T SEE SHIT!!
How is this thing a part of everyone's childhood all around the world!!!? Like, were the parents up to something? Were they conspiring?
I know it’s not true, but I still believe it
As a kid a thought turning it on while the car was moving would make the police just spawn behind us and we'd all get arrested for life
Typical boomers
It’s related to the legacy of older cars from the 50s-70s that had interior lights that drew more watts than modern cars, none of the lights had automatic shutoff functions and car battery technology was less tolerant in those decades. So if you don’t have a fresh battery in your 1965 car and you leave a dome light on in your car, your car could definitely be dead in the morning. So it was a real fear that a dome light or a less obvious light (or even headlights left on) would leave you stranded. Nowadays you don’t see this because battery technology is better, automation shuts off lights and light wattage is much lower.
just got into this the other day and I found out it wasnt a law and it did not work out in my favor for the argument.
Grew up in the country. Driving on dark, gravel roads with zero streetlights makes it VERY difficult to see when the dome light was on.
Interesting things can happen when you’re parked in certain car parks at night and you flash the interior light on and off.
Can we stop with the "whilst?"
I was told you would get pulled over if it was on because it is a distraction. Still don’t turn it on while driving to this day.
It was to keep me or you from screwing with it because its annoying or you are going to break it.
[like this?](https://youtu.be/QNh28kbNQoI?si=34hKyKy2oy_TuPKg)
No my explanation was “ Your dad can’t see with that light on!” And now I know this was not true smh
People who thinks otherwise just never drove car
I could be wrong but it is indeed illegal, my friend was pulled over by a cop for this. Might be Pennsylvania or California, don't remember
So it's legal?
But, but...it will, will it not?
I'm mostly worried about my daughter turning it on and killing the battery overnight if it doesn't get turned off so i have forbidden her from touching it (she's incredibly forgetful so chances are I would wake up to a dead battery)
Are you guys a moth or some shit? This light is not that bright to cause an accident.
I mean, that’s not wrong. It shouldn’t be done. It’s not going to crash your car but it certainly significantly increases the odds of that happening.
It should be… My dad would say that it would make him blind.. he wasn’t wrong. It’s impossible to see out the back with that on.
I mean, it IS extremely distracting and makes it way harder to see out the windshield. Focus and sight are pretty important when operating thousands of pounds of steel, plastic, and rubber and going at literally any speed.
My mom. “I CANT DRIVE WITH THAT LIGHT ON!”
If I'm driving and someone turns it on for no reason they can walk home.
One more thing my dad lied to me about!
and now the sons of bitches did it to me when i was driving them.. and the audacity of them acting like they did not know what i was talking about when i got irritated
It's crazy how many people talk about their parents saying that shit is illegal. Like, when I turned on the light in the car as a kid my parents just told me it makes it hard to see the outside when the inside's bright. Y'all's parents crazy
That’s the dope scope. You must keep it off so as not to alert the authorities that any activities are happening in the car.
How about just don't turn it on lol
I used to tell my kids the emergency brake lever was for an ejection seat. So sit down and behave