I blame the combination of automatic lights and DRLs. Accidentally move a switch that you never touch 1 position and you might not notice for months that you don't have your lights on.

This is why I don't use automatic lights. You are responsible for ensuring that your car is in a safe state to operate, which means knowing whether or not your lights are on. The only times you should use automatic is when you are going though an area with a lot of tunnels, and you don't want to have to toggle the switch every time, or, if you are driving during daylight, but you are expecting to continue into dusk or night. In those cases, move the switch to auto, so you know for sure that your lights are in auto mode but don't just set it and forget it.