As the evenings draw in, please may I ask you.....

When I first attempted to learn to drive my boyfriend at the time got me to drive to Manchester in the Morris 1000. It was nightime and, soon after we set off we were stopped by some police for a spot check. They asked me where everything was and told me to switch things on and off [of course I didn't know where anything was ]. As I drove away they all laughed their heads off and [jokingly, I think] jumped behind a hedge to get out of my way. I can still see them now, 44 years later.

When I was at college in North Wales in the 60s I had a motorbike, a Yamaha 250. I was in digs several miles away and riding back one dark winter evening all the lights on the bike failed. It was in a small windy country road and at first I couldn't see a thing. It was terrifying. Total darkness.

I got off and pushed the bike, then as my eyes adjusted to the dark I saw a faint glow ahead and as I got to the top of the hill I could see the lights of Gresford Colliery in the distance. I got back on the bike and very cautiously made my way to the colliery.

Some very kind men there tried to fix my lights but couldn't. So one of them got into his car and rode behind me with his lights on all the way to my digs.

There's kind

When our kids were at primary school I nearly reversed over our vicar on a cold, foggy afternoon

I was parked outside the school at going home time. DD2 was in the same class as his daughter so he was also waiting but spotted that my brake lights and rear number plate were really filthy - muddy farm road etc., etc.

I was just about to reverse out of my space when I saw his nose pressed up against my rear window. Seconds earlier he'd been on his hands and knees cleaning my lights with his handkerchief.

What a daft thing to do lovely caring man.

My car was MOT'd last week so I know everythings working at the moment
I once had a spot of bother with a Cornish policeman over my rear lights not working. At the time some of the lights were being switched on with a bit of twisted wire under the dashboard (Don't Ask!!!) With a bit of surreptitious fiddling I got them working again without him noticing and he sent me on my way with the usual Cornish police officer's advice " I'd let your husband have a look at it when you get home"

And don't forget to check the brake lights - a bit difficult on your own !

Many years ago when I had just passed my test and 17 years old, I was flagged down by the local sergeant (he wasn't called Big Mac for nothing). I was shaking in my boots wondering what on earth I had done. I wound the window down already terrified of telling my parents I had been in trouble with the police to be told 'Put your lights on love' and waved on. A lesson I have never forgotten.

The first thing I do when getting a new car, is to find out how to switch on the fog lights. Having found out some years ago that it is no good waiting until you hit fog.
They seem to be different in all cars, so if I'm lending my car to offspring I make sure that they also know. X

It's also important to clean your headlights in the winter. I once thought my eyes needed testing as I couldn't see very clearly even though my lights were on full beam.

DH was horrified when he showed me the filth that he'd washed off.

No wonder I couldn't see

Seconded! Lots of lol going on here. But how awful. (more lol)

I left choir two weeks ago from a brightly-lit carpark. It has been so light and we have had such amazing weather that lights at this time of year get forgotten - almost every flaming year. So off I drove and it was only at the humpty-backed bridge over the river when I was peering to avoid the stones on either side that I realised I couldn't see very clearly... Now I know why a car nearly hit me in the carpark!

!!!!!

I will never stop at night to warn anyone of anything after a frightening experience I had a few years ago.

I was driving to choir practice along a narrow country lane and pulled into a passing place to give way to a car coming the other way. I was driving a Volvo estate and the boot door was unlocked. Suddenly two men jumped out from the hedge, flung open the door, threw two bags in and then ran round the side to try and get in the passenger doors. Fortunately, although I was shaking like a jelly, I managed to centrally lock myself in, stick the car in gear and roar off (I'd make a good getaway driver)

Then I remembered the bags were in the back so I drove to the nearest police station. I hadn't been there more than a couple of minutes when a car pulled in with the two men who had tried to get into mine so it had obviously followed me.

It turned out the two men had been working in nearby fields and were waiting for a lift. They didn't know who would be picking them up so when I pulled into the passing place they assumed it was me. The car coming the other way was the one they should have got into but in the dark they didn't realise their mistake. The man coming the other way saw what happened but had to turn around before he could pick them up and chase after me because I had their bags!! Fortunately for me as soon as I pulled out on to the busy main road there was so much traffic I didn't realise I was being followed until I reached the police station.

Although they didn't speak much English they were horrified when they realised how much they'd scared me and were full of apologies.

And the moral is? Make sure your doors and boot are locked if you go out alone at night!!

mollie; I've done a similar thing only I didn't know how to turn the lights on [but it was in the country]. I also remember being in a supermarket car park and not being able to start my car. I flagged down a passing policeman who showed me that sometimes you have to wiggle the steering wheel about a bit to unlock the wotchermacallit. The more I think about some of the things I've said the more I wonder if I should, in fact, be allowed near a car. In fact, the worst thing I've done I'm not even going to mention here . I'm going to go out and check my lights now [if I can navigate myself around the switches. I bet cars are like washing machines in that, for all the programmes and settings you have most people only ever use a fraction of them .In fact, I'm not even sure that I should be allowed near a washing machine either....

@Tegan : One of the worst things about fog is that when its gone so many people are driving about with high-intensity fog-lights blazing!

Re headlights - a useful idea (which is the law in some parts of the US) is to turn headlamps (dipped) on whenever the windscreen wipers are in use.

an anecdote just came to mind about headlights that happened to me in Canada
had just passed my test and foolishly picked up a second hand 1969 Mustang 351 (V8 engine for those who know about these beasts) on my way in the dark (in Toronto with rush hour traffic) to pick up my son from the childminder (he was 6 months old) having struggled to fit his backward facing car seat in the passenger seat. when- to cut a long story short - I realised I was driving on full beam (twin headlights glaring) with everyone flashing their lights at me - and I had no idea how to dim b****y things
finally pulled into a shopping mall and accosted the first person I saw who explained to me that the dim switch was on the floor (next to the foot pedals) moral of that - find out where everything is worked from when taking delivery of a 'new to you' car.

phoenix, do be careful! That car behind you could have been driven by someone aggressive rather than the young woman you terrified!

I live in London and cyclists who do not have/use lights and wear dark clothing are the bane of my life.

Poor girl! I'm so glad you "explained why you had stopped".

I got pulled over by the police a few years ago for having lights on that I didn't even know were on [I think they'd been turned on when the car had it's MOT and had been left switched on]. They said it was illegal to have fog lights on [I think it was the fog lights that were the problem] if it wasn't foggy and I could be prosecuted cause they dazzle people. Which reminds me that I must check my lights [it's that time of year] although it is service/MOT time next week. I'm always worried when I see people driving without lights on cause there was a case a few years back where some crazy mad person drove round without their car lights on having resolved to wipe out the first person that pointed it out to them .

My previous car had auto headlights, my current one doesn't, took me ages to get used to turning them on/off manually. Omy current car, if a headlight fails it warns you and turns on the fog lights.

headlights that go on automatically - whatever next my 21 year old VW golf has no such niceties but I do check lights are still working before I venture out!
I do find the 'fairy lights' on 'new cars' which are always on an irritant - are they really necessary - I assume these are the LED lights referred to.

I must admit to being guilty of forgetting to put lights on - my car has automatic ones, so if I drive DH's I don't think about it until I get flashed. Usually when I leave an area with street lamps, and head out into the Stygian gloom of our village.

Using side lights only in fog grrrrr! They're useless. Don't show. Invisible. Pointless.

We have an automatic setting for the lights on our car - and we have the LED strips around the headlights which are on all the time - I suppose that gradually most cars will be like this so less of a problem. I think the clocks change this weekend so next week will be the one to be extra careful as everyone gets used to driving home in the dark.

Coming home from work last night an elderly couple behind me had no lights on. I had mine on, so did the car behind them, but they just kept on oblivious!

It was about 5.30pm, so not very dark, but most people did have their lights on.

I agree with Kiora about pedestrians, one of our neighbours walks his 2 black dogs late at night, but they all have hi vis stuff on, even the dogs

It's amazing how many drivers are oblivious to the fact that they are driving without lights .

I found myself driving behind someone late last night with no lights on at all. I kept flashing and flashing my own lights at him or her. So did the occasional car coming in the opposite direction. It must have been several miles before the penny dropped.