My vehicle, a 2003 Chevy S10 truck, like many vehicles, has daytime running lights that automatically go on when the truck is running; the regular headlights and taillights come on automatically when outdoor light fades. As a result I never touch the headlight switch. Recently my friend was following me in her car on a highway trip when we encountered surprisingly dense daylight fog; sensible speed on the highway dropped to 25 or 30 mph. Happily every car I saw had its lights on (not to see but to be seen). At one point my friend flashed her lights at me repeatedly and I pulled over to find out what was wrong. "your taillights aren't on, " she said. "I know you're there, but if I'm as far back as feels safe, I really can't see you!" it had never occurred to me that there was ever a time when safety required me to actually turn on the headlights. It seems entirely possible to me that the non-automatic lighting of taillights on vehicles with this lighting arrangement might contribute to pileups in daytime fog or blowing snow. I'm going to rig my lights so the taillights come on in daytime running too. This situation might not rise to the level of a recall, but I wonder whether standards for future vehicles should require that daytime running lights include taillights.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA