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

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#231

Post by 01100011 » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 5:24 AM UTC

alkonaut wrote: post #98

01100011 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think if you asked the other drivers they might say that you having adaptive lights is a must have.

Is blinding that big a problem? Assuming the lowbeams are well adjusted, they should never blind anyone. The number of times each winter that I forget to switch off my high beams for an oncoming driver and blind him is between zero and one.

It is to me, but my vision at night isn't the greatest. I see quite a few people with HID/LED lights now and the blue shifted spectrum and poor aiming have caused me problems.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#232

Post by ARandomerDude » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 5:33 AM UTC

totetsu wrote: post #199

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…

When I am cycling at night, I sometimes carry a flashlight to shine at the windscreen of people who can't not blind me.

Are you sure temporarily blinding someone coming toward you in a vehicle is a wise tantrum to throw?

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#233

Post by tannhaeuser » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 5:36 AM UTC

It's not just a problem in US. Ever since Xenon headlights became the norm in upper mid-class cars and up (2003?), I'm having trouble driving at night (here in Germany). I have no data to back this up, but I'd say subjectively glaring is much less of an issue since LED became standard (2010?).

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#234

Post by kitteh » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 5:43 AM UTC

boring_twenties wrote: post #66

zenexer wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good LED headlights aren’t blinding. It’s often aftermarket nonsense that causes problems. As someone else mentioned, the culprits aren’t often LEDs; there are some crazy bulbs out there, and the people using them just don’t care if they’re blinding other drivers. It’s ridiculous.

There doesn't appear to be any dearth of traffic enforcement in general in the United States. They carry special devices with them just to measure your window tint, FFS. Is there some reason they can't be incentivized to enforce actual safety laws like this one, too (or instead)?

Know one major US city where the state police ran a campaign on the various interstates entering that city (and the surrounding unincorporated roads) where they were writing tickets for lights that violated state law. Went on for a few months and there was backlash (from suburban teens families) to the right folks in the state that got them to stop the campaign.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#235

Post by AnssiH » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 5:44 AM UTC

causality0 wrote: post #170

Are LED matrix headlights something Europeans can get in a 20,000 Euro car or is this limit something that's only significant for luxury cars?

I don't think they are too common in 20000 EUR cars yet, but they are continuously trickling down.

A quick look shows that they are an option in Opel Astras that start at 21390€ (inc. 24% VAT plus 2000€ car tax) in Finland and under 20000€ in e.g. Germany, though.

The median price of new cars is around 30000€ here. The most common models are Skoda Octavia, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Qashqai (all three start at around 24000€), of which Skoda Octavia is available with matrix headlights and the two others are not, if I looked correctly.

Most people buy used, though - ~85% of car purchases are used cars.

A quick look through used cars market at nettiauto.com seems to show that there are many Opel Astras with matrix headlights for sale starting at around 14000€, but not many others at those prices.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#236

Post by Leherenn » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 5:45 AM UTC

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #91

sandworm101 wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

All it takes is aftermarket lighting with the cutoff in a different position and nobody willing to bother reaiming the lights. I see this a lot. The low beams are notionally not too bright but they are pointing forward without any effective cutoff.

Isn't it checked? In my country it is part of the standard check during the mandatory technical certification of the vehicle every few years.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#237

Post by voidfunc » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 5:50 AM UTC

I just leased a car after a decade of car-free living (not doing crowded public transport again until we have a vaccine) ... the headlight situation is 10x worse than I remember. Driving at night is a brutal.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#238

Post by gautamcgoel » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 5:51 AM UTC

So, basically the same reason we have bad everything. Our institutions and regulations are outdated relative to the rest of the world, so we get stuck with shitty stuff.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#239

Post by mkhpalm » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 5:53 AM UTC

lvspiff wrote: post #53

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…

The worst thing to happen to America was Autozone and Fast and Furious. Cheap aftermarket modifications to your car being sold to people with no knowledge of what they were doing but wanted it too look cool cause they saw it in the movie. Its led to years of teenagers with no training putting things on their cars that turn them into obnoxious spectacles on the road. I know I sound like an old coot but frankly I'm gla…

The really cheap and blatantly illegal headlight craze took off with Amazon and Ebay. Brick and mortars like Autozone have to abide by some standards.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#240

Post by WarOnPrivacy » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 5:53 AM UTC

totetsu wrote: post #199

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…

When I am cycling at night, I sometimes carry a flashlight to shine at the windscreen of people who can't not blind me.

Also appropriate for the jackwads who compulsively & pointlessly slam on their high-beams, whenever their headlight field captures a pedestrian (who's on the sidewalk, way away from the road).

The Astrolux MF01 was all but made for this. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32976932742.html