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Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright

bbc.com

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Re: Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright

#601

Post by potato3732842 »

alt227 wrote: post #533
potato3732842 wrote: post #432

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> All the things on your list are things that are fine if you're not stupid about them. Thats the point, people are stupid about them and so it needs regulation to stop those idiots and make it fair for everybody.

So let me get this straight, we need to regulate everybody more because some drug dealer had the front windshield of whatever Infiniti sedan those guys are driving these days tinted some stupid shade?

If you actually read the existing laws in most state they're pretty damn reasonable and amount to "don't put too much tint on the three front windows all vehicles have"

This is either a case of Karen doesn't know the law so Karen assumes there is none or Karen wants way more than the existing law but doesn't wanna come out and say it because Karen knows it's unreasonable.

(Reminder: Karen is a state of mind, not a name)

Re: Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright

#602

Post by jandrese »

crazygringo wrote: post #515
Y_Y wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Add to that rental bikes that have always-on flashing lights. My neurospice is relatively mild, but flashing lights and animations in my field of view really fuck up my ability to focus on other things. I can't be the only one with this issue, but it doesn't seem to garner much sympathy. I still drive when I have to, but I had to give up watching soccer on tv when they added animated ads to all the pitches. I'm hones…

To be fair, the flashing on bicycles is intentional, precisely to make sure you are aware of them, since they're so much smaller and vulnerable, and the light itself is so much smaller than the rear light on a vehicle. It's not just on rentals, it's a standard feature of bicycle rear lights that is there for safety.

Blinding and dazzling oncoming traffic in the name of safety is outright stupid.

If you are riding a bike and you're lighting up the heads of oncoming riders or pedestrians you are being dangerous and obnoxious. Never shine a flashlight above someone's shoulders at night if you can help it.

Re: Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright

#603

Post by fodkodrasz »

pwg wrote: post #537
fodkodrasz wrote: post #383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, the plastic headlight “lenses” on many cars tend to get cloudy and develop micro-scratches over time. This reduces the efficiency of the low beams, and instead of fixing the problem, many drivers of older cars simply drive with their high beams on, which creates even more glare for everyone else. Nothing is really repairable, of course, so replacing these parts is out of the question — it’s prohibitively expens…

> Nothing is really repairable, of course, so replacing these parts is out of the question As regards the cloudy/micro-scratched headlamps, if one is willing to do so there are numerous polish kits that can restore that "new from the factory" clarity for either an amount of elbow grease, or some time with a drill spinning a polish wheel (depending upon which kit is purchased).

Longevity can be problematic.

Re: Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright

#604

Post by potato3732842 »

toast0 wrote: post #407
thewebguyd wrote: post #328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've seen flashing third brake lights too. I don't get adding flashing lights to brake and tail lights. It's actually worse, flashing lights make it harder for us to judge distance as now there's no steady queue needed for depth perception. It's why when cycling I've always opted for a solid taillight instead of the flashing ones.

Flashing third brake light (in the US) is usually a dealer profit addon. Personally, I think these violate federal vehicle safety law. I'll add a link to a federal letter that I think agrees with me [1]... But no enforcement means dealers alter the wiring harness to add these on to all their inventory and add a line item on the bill. They'll remove it if you complain, but the wiring harness has been altered. I'm ok w…

They're not altering anything. This isn't a stereo shop in 1990. They're literally just getting paid to plug something in.

Re: Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright

#605

Post by thaumasiotes »

thewebguyd wrote: post #333
cpburns2009 wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many people are really getting after market headlights installed on their SUVs? There's too many vehicles with blindingly bright lights for that to be the cause.

I used to think it was a lot of people doing it. I drive an older car with what I call "normal" brightness headlights, and the warm color too instead of the annoying blue/white. But then I had to rent a newer car, and it came stock with super bright blue/white headlights. They were so bright to what I was used to I had to double check the high beams weren't on. The standard lights were as bright as my old car's high…

> Lights in newer cars are literally just that bright, and I think it's a result of car safety culture being a matter of "I only care of the car protects me" instead of "the car should also be safe for others on the road as well"

This theory can't work on its own terms. It'd be hard to make the car less safe for the driver than by automatically blinding oncoming traffic. Brighter headlights aren't a safety improvement for anyone.

They represent car manufacturers unilaterally making the product worse for the sake of having a worse product, just like the replacement of physical buttons with touchscreens.

Re: Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright

#606

Post by VBprogrammer »

japhyr wrote: post #579
VBprogrammer wrote: post #571

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dunno, maybe where you live is a lot flatter than the roads that I drive on, but the instant I see a car coming the other way (ideally before they come into direct view) is the time to turn off full beams. Though from a game theory point of view, leaving them on for a couple of seconds is probably ideal to remind anyone who forgets to dim their own headlights.

I live near mountains, rolling hills, and lots of farmland. There are many stretches where you can see a car coming from a mile away, long before anyone's high beams are noticeable. But in that darkness, my truck picks up those headlights and dims the high beams.

Hmm, I mostly drive in the English countryside where most often there are hills and bends, bushes and trees, houses and hedgerows. Seeing another car a mile away would probably mean both are heading into a wide valley, in which case the geometry makes it less important.

That said, I'm still not convinced your truck isn't doing the right thing. Even a mile a way you've got perhaps 30 seconds before you are passing each other. Is there much to be gained by leaving them on for a few more seconds? Seeing another car heading towards me is a much clearer and less likely to be forgotten trigger than "ok, about now my lights are probably getting annoying".

Re: Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright

#607

Post by 1718627440 »

lucianbr wrote: post #588
1718627440 wrote: post #408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lights of that Honda: > When I got my Honda van with stock LED headlights about a year ago, people started flashing me that my brights were on.

I didn't write that. Pay attention to usernames.

I was aware, I thought you are defending, that they can do nothing about it.

Re: Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright

#608

Post by [deleted] »

LeifCarrotson wrote: post #442
0xfeba wrote: post #380

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Lately, I see a lot of drivers who turn on their brights and just leave them on and this includes cars with the older halogen and even incandescents. This is a change in behavior. This is one of my pet peeves. I've categorized it into what I believe are the main causes: 1. People just don't know as well today that the blue indicator means you're blinding people 2. People with newer cars which will automatically tur…

My other pet peeve is the opposite - they've got LED daytime running lights, and use those instead of headlights. They're driving around at 11pm with no taillights and abysmal forward lighting, but there's enough of a glow from the DRLs that they assume their lights are on. Or worse, they're accustomed to "automatic" lights and don't even know where the switch is, so they're driving around at dusk or in fog, rain, or…

[deleted]

Re: Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright

#609

Post by teamonkey »

bArray wrote: post #295

I think most vehicles are operating with their headlamps adjusted too high. I think the majority are now completely out of spec [1]. My normal lights are very respectably adjusted and are the older dimmer type, but my full beams are blinding - I rarely ever use them. A few times a driver comes towards me with full beams on, I flash mine and light up the entire night. The quality of driver is also decreasing. One of o…

Government stats suggest that it is getting slightly less dangerous.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casua...

Re: Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright

#610

Post by scotty79 »

I remember reading about the idea of putting polarizer on the windshield and on the headlights at 45 deg angle so that the lights from oncomming car get blocked while yours are still visible to you. That was more than 30 years ago. It would have to be mandatory though.

I wonder why it didn't pan out. I know polarizers block some light either way, but with modern, strong headlights maybe it's time to revisit the idea?

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