It is a Canada thing, for sure (reason # 137 for me to stay south of the border). My wife is a newfie and it's always been odd to her that we can turn off our headlights. I understand the safety aspect. I see people driving at night with no headlights all the time. Although I like to think that it's just Canadians who are used to the government doing it for them, I'm sure I'm sure it's not always the case .