Member-only story
UNKNOWN TECHNOLOGY
What Else Don’t I Know and How Long Haven’t I Known It?
I learned this today
We were driving home last night when I noticed my headlights were acting weird. I mentioned it to my wife; she said it was from the bumps in the road.
The road isn’t that bumpy.
I looked at the dash and saw my high-beams were on, but suddenly the blue indicator light went out. Puzzled, I looked out at the road again and saw that the high-beams would come on and go off as we drove along. Maybe it really was the bumps in the road?
No, I saw the pattern. We were driving through a neighborhood where some people had bright Xmas decorations and some did not. My high-beams dimmed as we approached the lit up houses and came back on as we passed them.
Automatic high-beam switching! I’ve wondered for years why cars didn’t have this; we’ve had the tech from way, way back, but I didn’t know my Outback had this. I’d never noticed it before because I reach for the control the moment I spot a car coming at me, no matter how far away. So maybe I’ve had this in previous Outbacks and never knew it?
I googled.
