ssddx :
technically, yes you should always play with your radio while stopped. however, i think we all know that this just isn't a reality so you need to take this into account. if you have a large display within arms reach it will be used when driving. also, unless you have the brightness turned way down or the screen off when not in use it will be distracting at night.
technically,
if you have a light source inside the vehicle.. it can only help your vision while driving at night.
especially when the light is ambient and not directly in your field of view (could be a personal preference though, about where the light is located)
because your eyes will dialate (the pupil widens) to allow more light into the eyeball.. this is how your eyes adjust from massive amounts of light to only the light from the moon.
if your eyes are wide open to allow maximum amount of light into the eye.. it helps you see in the dark, but when an oncoming car approaches .. those headlights are going to cause your vision to adjust for the added light.
meaning, your vision will be high in the dark and go slightly dull for the oncoming headlights.
when you have a source of light in the car, your vision will be slightly dull .. as if constantly looking at oncoming headlights.
without any adjustment to your vision, you can remain clear-minded, and thus your ability to remain in full control doesnt deviate.
if the source of light from the screen is brighter than the oncoming headlights.. you still benefit yourself, because not all headlights are created equal.
some of the newer cars have much brighter headlights, and the display should be on par with those types of headlights.
your ability to see the curb with your headlights turned off (and no other source of light) is highly dependant on the quality of air.
one location might be highly visible in the moon light... you can see the ground and even potholes in the ground (i'm talking about a field at night - or even in a forest with an opening of trees)
another location might be under the same moon (full moon / half moon / whatever)
but
because of the character of the air.. you simply cannot see your hand moving in front of your face.
yes, some people can see in the dark better than others.. but the character of air can be more powerful than the best natural eye sight.
people used to put black lights in their cars and would get pulled over for having them turned on while driving.. and this always made me upset, because i know good and well that the light inside of the vehicle can adjust your eyeballs light intake and make driving at night much more comfortable.
it's like it takes the ocean out of peering out of the windshield.. besides, usually that ocean is blinded by headlights that are pointed too high.
i thought those people who got pulled over for having the light strip in their car should actually sue for being bothered.
its mistreatment regardless of what rule is in place.
nature's law should be accountable for safety.
and its hypocritical to say your light is illegal when other headlights of improper height are placing more strain on your vision than the light strip in the car.. ESPECIALLY when the light strip is helping you avoid the blinding effect of oncoming headlights.
to be perfectly clear..
i like to lower the dash panel lights when i am driving on a country road, because it helps me see the outdoors better.
but when i am in town, there are other headlights and street lights and lights from businesses that all contribute to a varying level of light seen by the eyeball.
simply being trendy and helping yourself limit the varying level of light should be praised.
truth be told..
many cars of today have more light coming from the dash panel, as there is a screen to show information.
instrument panels have been growing more complex since the 1990's .. and with that complexity means more light emitted.
to say you cant have a 10 or 12 inch black light in your rear window .. but you can have a 5,6,7 inch LCD screen right there in front of you inside the instrument panel - again, that is hypocritical.
and because its hypocritical, that means being harassed about it is abusive.
if the police where pulling people over in the country roads where no street lights exist, i would have had less to say.
but if the road was busy with oncoming traffic, i wouldnt hesitate to make my life easier.
you will still see a deer.. the only difference is, if you have your dash panel lights as low as they will go ... you can see the deer at the edge of your headlight beam, where there is a mist of light that fades to darkness.
with an interior light on, the more bright - the further into the fade of dark to light the deer needs to be.
many times it is a stupid situation to argue about.. because if the deer is on the side of the road, you arent going to hit it unless you:
1. aim for it
2. the deer moves into the road
and if there is something obstructing you (preventing you) from moving into the other lane, the only thing you can do is press on the brake and hope the deer moves out of the way.
this is especially true for driving in the city.
if a person is on the road in your path, you might not be able to swerve into the other lane because a car is there blocking your point of exit.
sometimes you can TRY to leave yourself a way out, but other people are usually traveling faster .. meaning they will overtake your vehicle and totally remove your point of exit as they are overtaking your vehicle.
some people will overtake your vehicle as slow as 3 or 4 mph
meaning
the car will be blocking your point of exit for like 20 or 30 seconds.
ANY screen can be memorized and navigated without looking at it.. that is the wonderful working of the human intelligence.
it doesnt have to be a cd changer joystick.. it can be a touchscreen LCD.
if you are reaching down at the center console OR leaning forward for the radio position.. it really shouldnt matter.
your will power will be the final decision as to whether you steer the wheel while leaning up for the radio, or if you feel that you are in an ackward position and your mind/body refuses to move the steering wheel (known as 'locking up' )
most people with an advanced car audio system should be parked in a parking lot somewhere listening to music.
you cant get pulled over (you can be asked to leave the area)
and this would be a good time to play with the buttons and learn the way around the interface.
if you do this enough, you'll memorize the actions needed to do what you want to do .. and you wont have to look at the screen anymore.
and if you do have to look at the screen.. you are supposed to look from near field to far away and check for anything that might become a problem.
if the coast is clear, you have a moment to look at the screen.
one or two buttons and you need to check in front of you to make sure it is clear again.
this can prevent you from being held responsible if something 'darts' out in front of you.
'dart' means the rate of travel is faster than can be avoided, meaning if you press on your brakes.. the impact remains guaranteed.
that is why you check the edge of the road AND you look further to the right to see if there is anything that might run onto the road.
its a good idea to look a full car distance for the left side, and a minimum of two and a half car lengths on the right side.
a person will never run fast enough to become a problem.. but a go kart or four-wheeler or dirt bike can travel fast enough to fill in two and a half car lengths.