I see you complaining about government meddling when you mention DRLs being shoved down your throat. The least you can do is blame the right people when it comes to US models. Your car has full time DRLs due to a corporate decision in Sweden, not some bureaucrats in Washington. Saab, Mercedes and Saturn (division of GM) did the same thing. Most other US cars wear them as dealer ordered options and American brands can be turned off by applying the parking brake. Personally, I think manufacturers should trigger the DRLs by the charging light circuit so that they don't illuminate until the engine has been started (not just key on) and would go off if the charging system failed.

Your claim that DRLs are useless on the highway is just plain ridiculous. I can't even count the times I've caught some jerk hanging out in my blind spot, or someone going 40 MPH faster than other traffic, or worse yet in rush hour traffic - passing everyone on the shoulder, except for the fact that their car had lights on.

Large fleets have been doing this "lights on for safety" thing for 30 years. Long before Canada and Northern Europe did their official studies. And they're paying the bills.

The interesting thing about the way Volvo operates the lighting relay lets you leave the headlights in the ON position all the time (on mid '80s and later cars without DRLs) and all outside lights, including parking lights, operate by the key. The parking light position operates without the key though.