Car headlights don't have to be this blinding • Hacker News Board

Re: Car headlights don't have to be this blinding

#51

Post by observationist » Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 4:25 PM UTC

post_break wrote: post #39

As someone who has retrofitted headlights with proper HID projectors, deal with RHD to LHD conversions, on some vehicles you can make your headlights look absolutely amazing, with no glare or harm to oncoming traffic. Some of these OEM headlight designs are atrocious. 2015ish F250's are some of the worst headlights when it comes to this. What really pisses me off? LED bulbs only available in 6000k or higher. I had to…

I've heard of people around my parts sneaking around at night with black masks, taking baseball bats to specific headlights on trucks late at night. Apocryphal or no, stories like that are being cheered by regular people.

The federal government took upon itself responsibility for things like this, because it's impractical at best for cities or states to regulate these. It's too bad that politics and bloat has made governance of this particular issue more or less impossible. Self regulation is obviously a joke, the standard suite of choices mean the default options for consumers are obnoxious as hell.

It'll have to become a big enough issue to warrant attention and action by the President, either this one or whoever comes next, or nothing will ever be done.

Maybe a convention of states that runs all current politicians, judges, and bureaucrats out of their jobs (in a sane, phased way) and establishes term limits and bans on careerism and bloat. Citizens can bypass the feds and kick their asses to the curb - imagine a total reset, in which we put forth competent, responsible people.

This problem will never be fixed. Gonna have to wear adaptive sunglasses at night for driving.

Re: Car headlights don't have to be this blinding

#52

Post by tristor » Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 4:28 PM UTC

logancbrown wrote: post #45

epistasis wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and this poor attitude of "safety" meaning "safe for the driver" extends to all sorts of terrible safety regulations. 41% of vehicle deaths are people not even in a car[1]. Yet car safety regulation is heavily focused on the 59% that are, nothing to regulate the ridiculous gender-affirming hood heights or aftermarket lifts that turn a survivable collision into a deadly collision. [1] https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot…

It doesn't help your case when you state inflammatory remarks like "gender-affirming hood heights". This isn't reddit. The data even points to the fact that, by total vehicles vs vehicles that cause pedestrian deaths, regular passenger cars cause 19.9 pedestrian deaths per 1MM registered vehicles while trucks, as and entire category, cause 19.2 pedestrians deaths per 1MM registered vehicles. "nothing to regulate" is…

> You only see them higher because there is no enforcement of the rule.

Unenforced rules effectively don't exist. Selectively enforced rules are a focal point for discrimination and corruption. I don't think you're making the argument you think you are.

Re: Car headlights don't have to be this blinding

#53

Post by rconti » Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 4:37 PM UTC

mdp2021 wrote: post #2

Same in europe, since a few years. It should be illegal, but there you are. There is the possibility (as said by an apologetic driver) that it sometimes may be a badly functioning automation ("Too high? Oh but it's automatic").

Actually, it's worse in the US due to our regs.

Re: Car headlights don't have to be this blinding

#54

Post by logancbrown » Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 4:39 PM UTC

tristor wrote: post #52

logancbrown wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't help your case when you state inflammatory remarks like "gender-affirming hood heights". This isn't reddit. The data even points to the fact that, by total vehicles vs vehicles that cause pedestrian deaths, regular passenger cars cause 19.9 pedestrian deaths per 1MM registered vehicles while trucks, as and entire category, cause 19.2 pedestrians deaths per 1MM registered vehicles. "nothing to regulate" is…

> You only see them higher because there is no enforcement of the rule. Unenforced rules effectively don't exist. Selectively enforced rules are a focal point for discrimination and corruption. I don't think you're making the argument you think you are.

If you are so knowledgeable, then what argument am I making?

Re: Car headlights don't have to be this blinding

#55

Post by epistasis » Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 4:41 PM UTC

jader201 wrote: post #40

epistasis wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and this poor attitude of "safety" meaning "safe for the driver" extends to all sorts of terrible safety regulations. 41% of vehicle deaths are people not even in a car[1]. Yet car safety regulation is heavily focused on the 59% that are, nothing to regulate the ridiculous gender-affirming hood heights or aftermarket lifts that turn a survivable collision into a deadly collision. [1] https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot…

> Yet all car safety regulation on the 59% that are I don’t think you meant literally “all”, but one that comes to mind that definitely is intended for pedestrian safety is around requiring that EVs make audible noises when they’re moving at slow speeds (the fake humming as they move forward, and the beeping as they reverse).

Fair point, I edited my comment to reflect it!

However I think your EV examples shows an important attitude about what types of vehicles can be regulated. EVs are fair game for regulation, oversize trucks and SUVs are not. That's an attitude not based on safety, but on societal priorities.

This two-class system extends even beyond safety regulations, into emissions regulations too. Trucks and oversize SUVs get a free-ride out of everybody else in society.

Re: Car headlights don't have to be this blinding

#56

Post by yostrovs » Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC

yabones wrote: post #28

0x59 wrote: post #8

Blindzone Glare Elimination Method can help address some of this https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/blindzoneglaremi... It doesn't help at all with head on traffic, but glare via my side mirrors has been reduced greatly since I implemented this.

I do this on long drives, but always have to put it back to normal when it's time to park. It would be neat if cars would implement some sort of automatic switch between this configuration and the straight-back mode when reversing.

Many cars do this. Typically they point the mirrors in and down when the car is set into reverse, so you can see the curb.

Re: Car headlights don't have to be this blinding

#57

Post by retired » Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 4:54 PM UTC

mdp2021 wrote: post #2

Same in europe, since a few years. It should be illegal, but there you are. There is the possibility (as said by an apologetic driver) that it sometimes may be a badly functioning automation ("Too high? Oh but it's automatic").

As an EU citizen, I notice that our regulators tend to target industries that operate outside of the EU. There is a massive car lobby in Europe with dozens of big companies and regulation would have a big effect on them.

There are headlights that are illegal in the US but legal in Europe. Opposite world of what we normally have.

Re: Car headlights don't have to be this blinding

#58

Post by dnemmers » Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 4:54 PM UTC

calmbonsai wrote: post #18

This is largely poor regulation. The assumption that "more bright = more safe" and the lack of enough real-world testing. The only other product analogy that comes to mind is "thicker = better" for hiking socks. When they got too thick, they applied too much pressure to the heal and also provided additional moment distance making it far easier to roll an ankle.

Do you have any sources you can share about sock thickness and ankle injuries?

Re: Car headlights don't have to be this blinding

#59

Post by retired » Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 4:55 PM UTC

torginus wrote: post #17

mdp2021 wrote: post #2

Same in europe, since a few years. It should be illegal, but there you are. There is the possibility (as said by an apologetic driver) that it sometimes may be a badly functioning automation ("Too high? Oh but it's automatic").

The US is worse - an F150s headlights are at eye level if you're sitting in a Corolla. Nothing on European roads is quite as bad.

First generation Audi Matrix LED lights would have a word. Those blind oncoming traffic for a full second before dimming.

They were banned in the US, ironically.

Re: Car headlights don't have to be this blinding

#60

Post by jasonlotito » Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 4:55 PM UTC

logancbrown wrote: post #54

tristor wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You only see them higher because there is no enforcement of the rule. Unenforced rules effectively don't exist. Selectively enforced rules are a focal point for discrimination and corruption. I don't think you're making the argument you think you are.

If you are so knowledgeable, then what argument am I making?

It doesn't help your case when you state inflammatory comments like "If you are so knowledgeable, then what argument am I making?". This isn't reddit.