Light It Up: Canucks to Mandate Taillight Illumination

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

It’s a problem — one I’m sure you’ve witnessed. A hapless driver, plodding along a darkened highway with no taillights illuminated, mistakenly thinking their lights are on thanks to a bright dashboard and flaccid daytime running lights.

High on poutine and maple syrup, Transport Canada is having no more of it, announcing a new mandate requiring all new cars sold in the Great White North to have extra illumination starting in 2021.

The initiative also proves that someone within the Canadian government has a sense of humour, as Transport Canada says they’re going “ghostbusting to target phantom vehicles.” Break out the ECTO-1!

Transport Canada minister Marc Garneau, who has logged 677 hours as a spacefaring astronaut, described vehicles which drive in the dark with no lights on as “phantom vehicles,” a phrase keeping in line with the ghostbusting theme. Posing a safety risk, they are difficult to see in low-light conditions. Given that most of Canada is plunged into wintery darkness for what seems like eleven months of the year, this is not a wholly bad observation.

The safety standard requires all new cars sold in Canada as of 2021 to be more visible in low-light conditions, and will require manufacturers to build vehicles that do one of the following:

  • Have daytime running lights and tail lights come on when the vehicle instrument panel is illuminated and the vehicle is in operation;
  • Automatically turn on the headlights, tail lights, and side marker lights in low-light conditions; or
  • Keep the driver’s instrument panel dark so the driver knows to turn on all the lights.

Some idiots drivers believe an illuminated instrument panel means the headlights and tail lights are already on, which may not be the case. Vehicles imbued with snazzy TFT screens ahead of the driver are often brighter than the sun, leading more than a few bewildered pilots to blithely claw their way along the freeway without giving any thought whatsoever to the status of their outward illumination or their fellow drivers.

“Phantom vehicles have been a nuisance and a safety risk on Canada’s roads for many years and I’m proud our Government is doing something about it. The new measures we’re taking will improve nighttime visibility and safety,” said Mr. Garneau, who is not currently wearing a space suit.

Some may grumble about Daddy Government legislating more equipment installed on our cars but, in this case, I’m okay with it. We’re never going to train all drivers to be as alert as we are. Not everyone is a gearhead (yes, I know that’s hard to believe) and, in fact, I remain convinced that a great cadre of people see the car as nothing more than an appliance to be tolerated. Look at the crowd who want us all in hypoallergenic autonomous pods, fer chrissakes.

Chime in below if you’ve ever encountered one of these mooks who drive without turning on their lights. The best story will be awarded $100 in valuable TTAC Bonus Bucks, which are completely fictional and not valuable at all. Points are doubled if the story includes a reference to ghostbusting.

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • Tele Vision Tele Vision on Mar 24, 2018

    My 2007 CTS-V had to have the DRLs activated upon import to Canada. Just the turn signal lights are on during the day, so I won't burn a headlight out from daily use. Pretty SMRT.

  • Delta88 Delta88 on Mar 26, 2018

    VW and Audi figured this out a decade ago. Light sensor in the gauge cluster. When it’s dark and the headlights aren’t on the instrument cluster goes black. I almost always keep mine in the Auto position but a few times I had it in the Off position when pulling into the parking garage at work. Works like a charm, gauges go black so I flip the switch to Auto. I think I see at least one Toyota or Honda running in ghost mode every time I drive at night.

  • VoGhost The Recon will be Stellantis' best vehicle.
  • Tom Batsios 2017, JL? Not likely. I had a 2018 JK. The JL came for the late 2018 model. I now have the 2024 JL for which I had to wait 3 months. It came with the 3.6 and manual transition.
  • 1995 SC Dacia Sandero
  • Bd2 Anal has been posting as my username again. My imports are : Hyundai Galloper, the original asian offroad SUV copied by the Isuzu Trooper, Izuzu Montero and Toyota Land Cruiser.
  • Jeff Heard about this on You Tube. Not a fan of Stellantis but then there are those here who like them which is their prerogative.
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