Why I Drive With My Lights On

When I was young, my dad taught me to always drive with my lights on.

He said that this made you more visible. Safer.

As a teenager, it wasn’t something I always remembered to do.

At night, it was easy; the encroaching darkness was a blunt reminder. But during the day, under a bright and glaring sun, the necessity faded. Plus, I had a bad habit of leaving them on after parking, draining the battery, and needing a jumpstart.

It felt safer and less exhausting to just keep the lights off. To let them stay dark.

Then came an unlucky, brutal streak; three accidents in quick succession.

None of them was my fault.

In every single instance, the other driver gave me the same exact excuse: “I just didn’t see you.”

That changed my mind. Today, I drive a car that automatically shuts the lights off for me… no more dead batteries… and my lights are always on.

I haven’t been in an accident in years.

But as I was driving today, the morning light bright through my windshield, I looked around and realized that I wasn’t the only one. Dozens of cars around me were also driving with their lights on.

For some reason, seeing all those headlights at once struck me deeply.

For years, I thought turning my lights on was just a mechanical safety precaution. But looking at all the illuminated cars around me, I realized it’s also a profound rule for how to exist in this world.

So many of us spend our lives walking around with our lights off. We do it because the sun is out, and we think we don’t need to shine. Or worse, we do it because we are terrified of draining our batteries… afraid of being fully seen, fully vulnerable, and fully present will leave us exhausted and stranded.

We blend into the background to stay safe.

But blending in is how we get hit

When we hide and allow the world to collide with us on its terms, turning your lights on isn’t about blinding others or being flashy, it’s about signaling to the world, “I’m here. Take note of me. I occupy this space.” And when we have the courage to shine, we look up and realize we aren’t alone; we invite a whole community of illuminated people to do the same exact thing.

It turns out my dad was right all along.

It’s safer to move through life seen.

Always,
Your Trusted Friend ♡