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

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#411

Post by jacquesm » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:03 PM UTC

dx034 wrote: post #243

jacquesm wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got rid of a Mercedes C class that autobraked twice at random causing near accidents each time. The area where I live has a lot of narrow bridges and the autobrake would get triggered by the bridge posts. Traction on those bridges can be pretty uneven, especially when moist. First time came pretty close, second time I was prepared. There never was a third time. Stuff like that should work or be fitted to some test…

Are you sure they got triggered by the bridge posts? These systems tend to exclude any non moving objects. I've driven several cars with emergency braking installed and it never reacted to a static object, even if I was headed for it. The only time I found it can mis-trigger is for cyclists that you'd be able to pass easily.

Yes, 100% sure. Bridge posts come within 8" of the car and when you approach the bridge the return of the two (steel) posts is enough to trigger the radar based collision detector. Pretty dumb really, if there is nothing in front of the car and you're going forward you can't possibly collide with it and hard braking in a situation like that is much more dangerous than simply rolling through. I figure with the cars' GPS and a list of exceptions they could fix that sort of thing in a band-aid style fashion but they were not interested. I'm not going to wait to see what other edge cases aren't covered.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#412

Post by giancarlostoro » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:03 PM UTC

aaomidi wrote: post #136

giancarlostoro wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you are literally blinded by somebody's headlights making you momentarily blind, you are a danger to yourself and others and could kill yourself and / or others which is not even your fault to begin with! Jail time doesn't sound too insane then. I've literally had to close my eyes whilst driving due to someone's ridiculous headlights being super bright on the opposite side of the road.

Jail should be only reserved for a time when a person is refusing to change their behavior to stop being a risk to themselves or society. It is not and should not be used as a punishment. This is ridiculous.

I didnt mean to imply they would immediately go to jail, but usually laws come with consequences and jail would eventually be up in that tree of consequences.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#413

Post by macintux » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:05 PM UTC

seer wrote: post #278

ramenmeal wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've noticed newer Toyota headlights's are really bright and angled too high up. That or Toyota drivers leave their brights on more.

Isn’t there a knob to control the angle of the projectors? So that if you have heavy cargo at the back you can adjust the angle? In the country I live in you’ll get honked to oblivion if you mess with that and blind the other drivers.

Uncommon in the U.S., sadly. My Jeep had that feature for the Canadian market, but not here, weirdly.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#414

Post by d_e_solomon » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:07 PM UTC

ooobit2 wrote: post #335

ooobit2 wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the reason the Fast franchise is some 8+ films in and still doing $500M+ box offices. It's also a good reason documentaries, classical and jazz music, and non-fiction books in all but self-help and cookbooks sell poor. I'd love to see a huge textbook covering pre-Calc through intros to harder topics like Real Analysis and Stochastics top the bestsellers for 22 weeks. But instead, people are buying the 5,431st…

It'd be nice if someone would do something about Wrongthink Trolls. It's not cool to see several downvotes on a random post, three or four levels deep in a comment chain, simply because it criticizes people spending money on useless political spin. It's crazy , maybe even hate speech to suggest a math textbook should be more important than a political memoir? ...on Hacker? Is there some sudden influx of people who jo…

I preface my comment with, I have a math degree.

First, I'm not sure what politics versus math reading has to do with the topic at hand - namely, car headlights. Second, you're complaining about downvotes. Third, you're complaints sound like "kids get off my lawn". So yeah... that's why you're getting downvoted.

To more directly engage with your point, politics isn't just an exercise in group think. It has very real consequences for many people - consider the number of deaths per capita in Germany versus that of Sweeden. The difference in response is one partly of politics and resulted in unnecessary deaths.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#415

Post by VLM » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:07 PM UTC

I'm glad we don't have these because the mfgrs and dealers would just use it to screw over the buyers.

It would be full of ongoing software bugs that can only be fixed if you pay for a $75 oil change at the dealership. Sometimes the headlight firmware will crash while you're driving down the road and somehow the owner will be 100% liable not the mfgr kinda like self driving car crashes. The module will be designed to crack the first time a piece of road gravel touches it and the module will cost at least $1000 and require disassembling the entire front end of the car to replace.

I'm just not looking forward to it.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#416

Post by wastedhours » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:07 PM UTC

WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #240

totetsu wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

You say that, but I was once driving on a dark, national limit road through the forest one night - and had turned off my full beams because I'd just passed a run of cars coming the other way. I caught a glimpse of a pedestrian and instinctively turned them back on just to catch a glimpse of a (complete f'king moronic) person in full black pushing his bike (with no reflectors) in the road talking to the pedestrian.

After that, as a pedestrian I'd rather have a full beam to the face than think a car might not have seen me, even if I'm safely on the pavement.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#417

Post by giancarlostoro » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:08 PM UTC

Dylan16807 wrote: post #167

aaomidi wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jail should be only reserved for a time when a person is refusing to change their behavior to stop being a risk to themselves or society. It is not and should not be used as a punishment. This is ridiculous.

So write a ticket the first time, and if they don't change then jail for endangering others, right? I don't think people are especially concerned about the exact punishment schedule here, they just want consequences that result in safe cars, much like with drunk driving laws. Someone mentioning jail doesn't mean they want it as an immediate first-line consequence. It's a simplification, so please recognize that befor…

You are correct, I dont care the punishment schedule as you put it, but here if you keep avoiding paying a ticket they will jail you for a few days. I have had a relative go to jail for not paying a ticket, it wasnt fun but hes highly unlikely to not pay a driving ticket or make the same mjstake. Whats worse is I think he paid for it but somehow the wrong county was involved or some mess its been a few years so I cant remember what the mixup was.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#418

Post by thrownaway954 » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:08 PM UTC

ok... i'll admit, that was awesome!!! i think everyone on the planet has wanted something like this for awhile now. when driving at night, i'm constantly blinded by people who keep their high beams on. it's gotten even worst over the years with leds and raised trucks and cars where the beams are at eye level. this could really help make night driving safe all around.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#419

Post by organsnyder » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:08 PM UTC

VLM wrote: post #415

I'm glad we don't have these because the mfgrs and dealers would just use it to screw over the buyers. It would be full of ongoing software bugs that can only be fixed if you pay for a $75 oil change at the dealership. Sometimes the headlight firmware will crash while you're driving down the road and somehow the owner will be 100% liable not the mfgr kinda like self driving car crashes. The module will be designed to…

Defects like those would be subject to mandatory recalls. New vehicles are already full of software-controlled features. My 2017 vehicle has had three recalls that were purely software patches.

Re: Why is America stuck with bad headlights?

#420

Post by throwaway0a5e » Tue, Aug 04, 2020, 1:11 PM UTC

Leherenn wrote: post #236

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Inspections don't really improve road safety much and they screw the poors right into the arms of predatory lenders so many US states don't have them.