Parking lights...

[humble_programmer]

While living in Germany for 7+ years, I learned a lot about parking lights, where they are used almost all the time. Since land is expensive in Europe, having a private driveway is a luxury not everyone can afford, so parking on the street is very common. Since many of the side streets are unlit--particularly in smaller villages--parking lights often are the only way to prevent a dark colored car from becoming invisible. In some cases, they will even post a special street sign (small rectangle with white + red bars) that requires the parking lights to be left on as long as the car is parked, and you'll get a ticket if you don't! Most European cars let you turn on the parking lights on only one side of the car (usually a combination of the headlamp switch and the turn signal) so that only the "street side" of the car is illuminated. I've also been told that some car owners who park on the street every night install a second battery just for the parking lights.

Our 2004 Special Edition Boxster has the 'one side only' parking light feature...does yours?