It would be pretty simple for manufacturers to pop up a warning to the effect of "HEY IT'S DARK OUT---TURN ON YOUR FUCKING LIGHTS!!!". Most of these cars have automatic lights and the sensors that go with it so the hardware is already there. For whatever reason the automatic lights get turned off and nobody realizes it... Between the always-illuminated displays, every-brighter DRLs, and too-vague headlight controls (whatever happened to a simple dedicated switch instead of the tiny knob-on-a-stalk with invisible markings?), it can be hard to tell from behind the wheel if the lights are on or not. The DRL indicator on the dash usually looks too much like the headlight indicator, so that doesn't help at a glance.
Hell, I've done it myself after the numpties at the dealer turned off the automatic lights in my wife's car when it was in for a service (WHY???). Really easy to get in the car, assume the auto lights are on, and then not realize they actually aren't.
My daily is old enough the gauges don't illuminate unless the lights are on, so it's easy to tell (not that I ever turn off the automatic lights).
I don't have strong feelings about this. At all.