No rear lights in park!

[Watts_Up]

When I was stationed in Europe and bought European cars we noticed they also had rear fog lights (makes sense)
and one of the rear fog lights could be turned on as often you had to park half on a sidewalk and half on a very narrow street
that offered some visibility and hopefully prevented someone from flowing into your car.

I noticed that German car when parked, can keep one front and one rear park light turned on using the turn sign when removing the ignition key.
I wonder if this is still the case but I think this could be very practical when parked at night in a small street especially on a raining day.

 

[P3dStealth]

I noticed that German car when parked, can keep one front and one rear park light turned on using the turn sign when removing the ignition key.
I wonder if this is still the case but I think this could be very practical when parked at night in a small street especially on a raining day.

I just read that they use to leave all the parking lights on but it killed the battery. They try to save power by only the one side. It's something that was never adopted in the united states.

 

[jeffbco]

I just read that they use to leave all the parking lights on but it killed the battery. They try to save power by only the one side. It's something that was never adopted in the united states.

The "one side" was more a reaction to the narrow roads and identifying the overhang into the roadway.

 

[MP3Mike]

I just read that they use to leave all the parking lights on but it killed the battery. They try to save power by only the one side. It's something that was never adopted in the united states.

I think here in the United States we just use our emergency flashers in those situations.

 

[frankvb]

I think here in the United States we just use our emergency flashers in those situations.

Actually the parking lights are used in places where there isn't much street lighting, and you need to park the car there not just for a few minutes. I did my driving exam in 1989, and vaguely remember you must have those lights on in certain cases (e.g. outside of municipal areas when parked partially on the roadway).

 

[raggedy]

Unrelated, but I a neighbor that parks her MS on the street. We have narrow winding streets with no sidewalks, and when I drive up the hill towards this parked MS at night with my high beams on, the car will turn on its headlights for a full second. I assume this is a safety feature so cars don't slam into the parked car? It only does this when I approach the parked car with high beams; it doesn't flash its headlights when approached with just the normal headlights on.

 

[Gigaron]

Turn on the emergency flashers? As others have said, with an ICE you leave the motor running but as soon as you put the Tesla into Park and open the door, the car is turned off.

 

[mark95476]

Okay,

- You, the driver, know where you parked your car.
- The headlights are on so it's obvious that others can see it.
- A vehicle coming from behind will see the rear reflectors light up so they're not going to drive into the back of it.

I'm sure there's a LOT of history with this function before MY as P3dStealth alluded to and we're probably running around in circles.

@mark95476 I don't think it's about how much light they give off. In a dark setting like @Medic's pic in the OP, you can barely see the back of the car without the taillights illuminated. Typically, taillights light up when the headlights are on so that other vehicles can clearly tell where your car is while it's running, whether or not it's moving.

Exactly. Thx.
With option selected for headlights to stay on after exit I think it's a reasonable ask for the tail lights to stay on as well.