Why is America stuck with bad headlights? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#151

Post by glxxyz » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 2:59 AM UTC

sandworm101 wrote: post #76

a2tech wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My parents live near Lake Michigan (although decidedly NOT on the lake) and I made the mistake of visiting them last weekend and driving home on Sunday night when everyone was migrating from their lake house back to the city. I think I spent roughly half the drive back with stars in my eyes from people in Audis and BMWs blowing by me with their ridiculously bright headlights. If I made the mistake of checking my blin…

Lake country + Sunday night = high beams. When people improperly load vehicles, especially when towing things like boats, the headlights tip upwards. You were probably seeing overloaded vehicles, trailers with high tongue weights because they pushed everything to the front rather than center the cargo over the axle. That pushes the back of the truck down and the headlights up.

Made even worse by levelled or lifted trucks with headlights that aren't even properly adjusted in the first place.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#152

Post by glxxyz » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 3:07 AM UTC

kiliantics wrote: post #25

coding123 wrote: post #4

Even more idiotic is my truck. I put a camper on it. I can't drive it at night because the weight of the camper tilts the entire truck back just a bit so that the head lights are aimed right at driver's eyes even on the lowbeams. Everyone flashes me and gets pissed off. Hopefully Adaptive headlights account for things like this.

In my experience, people driving trucks and people with high/blindingly bright headlights are highly overlapping sets of people. So you can at least feel consolation in that those people are probably not surprised in being pissed off by you.

Truck owner with correctly adjusted stock headlights here, but your observation is pretty accurate on average.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#153

Post by glxxyz » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 3:08 AM UTC

coding123 wrote: post #4

Even more idiotic is my truck. I put a camper on it. I can't drive it at night because the weight of the camper tilts the entire truck back just a bit so that the head lights are aimed right at driver's eyes even on the lowbeams. Everyone flashes me and gets pissed off. Hopefully Adaptive headlights account for things like this.

How much lift do you have, and how awesome do those 35s look in photos? ;)

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#154

Post by glxxyz » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 3:10 AM UTC

hirundo wrote: post #65

If it can detect cars and de-illuminate, it shouldn't be too hard to detect and spot-light other things for safety, like people, animals, debris.

With RGB LEDs it could highlight them in a different color; the Fox Puck of driving? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grOttsHuuzE

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#155

Post by glxxyz » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 3:11 AM UTC

detaro wrote: post #62

bstar77 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I lived in Canada we had to turn on the honk mode because there were too many people using devices that block remote vehicle locking. The honk is an obvious indicator that the car did, indeed, lock.

Too annoying to look at the car for the 2 seconds it takes to see the indicators flash, which seems to be the common alternative?

My car flashes lights on the first click and honks on the second, which is a pretty good compromise and handy when I lose it in car parks.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#156

Post by glxxyz » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 3:12 AM UTC

xondono wrote: post #97

heipei wrote: post #28

Even more importantly: Why is America still stuck with cars that honk when they're locked and that have indicator lights flashing in the same color as the tail-lights? One is a nuisance, the other one a straight-up safety issue.

That’s one of the things I miss the most of driving through america. Being able to make your car honk from your remote is magic to someone like my that always forgets where the car was parked. I’ve tried to see if I could turn that feature on on cars in Europe but so far, no luck.

I don't use it much but there have been times it has saved me a lot of wandering around...

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#157

Post by glxxyz » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 3:14 AM UTC

heipei wrote: post #28

Even more importantly: Why is America still stuck with cars that honk when they're locked and that have indicator lights flashing in the same color as the tail-lights? One is a nuisance, the other one a straight-up safety issue.

I thought that was the dumbest thing when I first moved to Canada. Then I bought a car and continued to think it was dumb for a couple of years before I realised that my car too used the brake lights to indicate.

They aren't red indicators, the car just flashes the brake lights. There's no difference for the observer between indicating and a dodgy connection.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#158

Post by smileysteve » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 3:14 AM UTC

kerkeslager wrote: post #119

serf wrote: post #14

groups like Audi/Porsche/BMW have trouble bringing their fancy LED setups to America due to laws pertaining to high / low beams -- meanwhile every Jack and Jill on the road has glaringly illegal aftermarket Xenon bulb setups in refractor headlight housings rather than proper projectors, blinding the hell out of everyone on the road, and the police seem to do nothing about it. I mean, hey -- i'm usually happy about au…

In my area, the police cars themselves have blinding LED beams.

Somebody read that visibility saves lives but assumed brightness = visibility

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#159

Post by kube-system » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 3:17 AM UTC

vsareto wrote: post #70

decafninja wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

re: "aftermarket xenon bulb setups" Is this still a big problem? While I would have agreed with you, say, back in the 2000s when the whole "import tuner" craze was in full swing, I don't think this is popular anymore. The car mod scene seems to be close to extinct now, with whats left being a lot less crazy than those in the past.

You will see them far more often on large trucks in the USA these days. Especially true for midwest drives across long stretches at night where the brightness is much more annoying than in the middle of a city. If the truck is lifted, the brightest points of the light can hit you from further away, worsening the problem. It is also bad when someone is behind you with this setup, especially lifted trucks. Some cars ha…

There are cars where all three mirrors dim. It was a hard requirement for my last car purchase because I live in truck country.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#160

Post by glxxyz » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 3:18 AM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #113

Simulacra wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The dealer will disable that for you. I couldn’t stand it, yes let’s tell everyone I just unlocked my car.

Unless there is thick fog they can just see you with their eyes. There's security arguments for having it (i.e. confirming locking/detecting jamming) but pretending people cannot see you or otherwise hear you, but can hear a single honk isn't a realistic set of seemingly contradictory circumstances.

I have a 2006 Accord that got a lot of things like this just right.

First press: locks car and flashes hazards, with no sound.

Second press within a couple of seconds: honks horn.

If no flash and no sound: a door is open and it's refusing to lock.

Most of the time I don't annoy anyone, but when I lose it in a car park I can get it to honk at me. Why is this so hard for other manufacturers?