Drivers warned to ‘turn off’ key setting we rely on as it doesn’t ‘activate’ when driving in winter weather

POLICE have sent warnings to winter weather drivers to turn off a common safety feature in their cars.

In a Facebook post, an Indiana police department offered a key driving tip warning that a standard safety feature may not work well in snow, rain, and fog.

Automatic headlights may not be as effective as precipitation comes careening down on vehicles, the Bloomfield Police Department said in the post.

"The automatic headlight control in vehicles detects brightness outside the vehicle," the department wrote in the post.

"This does not activate because of inclement weather such as snow, rain, or fog."

Automatic headlights employ sensors to detect ambient light levels, seamlessly illuminating the road ahead as darkness descends.

These systems may automatically adjust the vehicle's headlight intensity while adapting to changing environmental conditions.

But, according to the police, drivers should "turn off" the systems and manually turn on their headlights when driving in the snow.

LIGHTS BLAZE

Drivers who turn on their headlights will also help their rear visibility, the police department said.

Modern cars often come with daytime running lights (DRLs), a low-intensity headlight strategically positioned on the front of the car.

The lights enhance a driver's visibility during daylight hours.

But, DRLs don't turn on a low-intensity light in the car's rear, like regular headlights.

The department said DRLs "may activate white lights to the front but leave the taillights off which leads to many driving at night or in inclement weather feeling headlights are on without any rear lighting being present."

They summarized: "If in doubt turn your headlights on!"

BRIGHT BEAM

Studies have found correlations between good headlight use and driver safety.

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) compared drivers using good, acceptable, marginal, and poor headlights while driving.

Drivers who used good headlights saw an accident reduction rate of 18.7%.

The headlights also decreased driver safety issues by 29%.

"Driving at night is three times as risky as driving during the day," the IIHS's research engineer, Matthew Brumbelow, said.

"This is the first study to document how much headlights that provide better illumination can help."