I don’t know about you but I care not what issues DW divorced wife has.
Not free speech, my dad got a ticket for warning drivers in the opposite direction of a speed trap by flashing his lights. Don’t recall what the ticket actually was for.
If you don’t make it mandatory, human nature indicates few people will buy it. In 1975, GM made airbags optional on Olds 98, Buick Electra, and Cadillac for $250. Nobody bought them.
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Yes, free speech. Your dad got an unlawful ticket and could have challenged it.
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And they can’t seem to stay in their own lane on any kind of curve, also unsafe and disturbing.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a great beer from Lagunitas.
I have cataracts. Not bad enough to blind me, but bad enough to cause halos around bright lights, and make looking at very bright lights impossible. I deal with it on the road by looking away from the oncoming headlights while still keeping my eyes on the road. When that doesn’t quite do it, I close my left eye until I pass the extremely bright lights.
The blinding headlight thing on newer cars happens to me all the time. I actually don’t understand why the traffic safety authority (whoever that is) allows it. SUV and trucks are worse b/c their headlights are higher up to begin with. I’m not sure if it is only LED headlights, or if other technologies are also involved. Whatever the technology is, these new headlights have a really sharp up/down cutoff point, and that is a contributing factor, as the bouncing of their car causes the headlight glare to go from dim to ultra-bright in a flash, which really blinds the rest of us b/c the sensitivity of the eye to bright light can’t adapt quickly enough.
What I’m forced to do is slow way down and look away. So far, so good.
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YEP.
In Europe, HIDs were specifically mandated to have auto-leveling automated systems embedded or they are not legal, and police ENFORCES violations.
In USA I see total lenience to this on both lawmakers and enforcers side, thus we have this happening.
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Years of experience yet you are not sure which of your vehicles supports pulling the stalk back to flash? All of my GM cars and trucks have that feature. So does my Honda and Toyota. Of course, these are all from this century…
BTW, is is easier to turn your headlamps on/off than to switch from high/low? All of my vehicles with the exception of my older Toyota have automatic headlamps. Switching them on/off requires a bit more manipulation of the headlamp switch to restore them to the desired setting. Distracting my eyes from the road while I look at the switch setting. If you’re interested in which is safer, your method may not apply to everyone…
I am glad someone brought this up. As a senior citizen I am bothered more by this than when I was younger. In this area I see many vehicles with lights that remind me of looking at an arc welding light. Even worse are the ones on pickup trucks and suvs. To compound this, I often see badly aimed headlights that should never have passed inspection. Unless authorities are willing to address this issue, the accident rates will continue to climb and more lives will be needlessly lost. There are laws on the books for headlights but they are mostly being ignored.
Well one problem is that people put something heavy in the trunk or get two… Sizeable occupants in the back seats and that skews the headlight aim. And I doubt that anyone has ever done a headlight angle check when the balance of the car temporarily changes like that.
Auto-adjusting headlights should be standard equipment.
Auto-leveling headlights are nice (I have them) but usually part of an expensive package that also includes dynamic aiming to allow better vision on curves and while turning. I love it on my Mazda6, but replacement housings (should you need one) are about $700 because of the complexity of the mechanisms and all of the electronics. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t give it up now that I have it, but I haven’t had to replace any headlight housings either. In fact, after 150,000 miles and five years, I have not replaced even a headlight bulb.
In the '60’s I was going to college in Illinois 1800 miles from home in Seattle. Took 36 to 38 hours to drive one way. High beam idiots were always a problem. First attempt was Lucas PL’s in my '50 Chevy ( Illegal) . Later aircraft landing lights in a '65 Chevy ( which are still in my '69 Chevelle–only driven summers in daylight hours but still effective!). Nowadays with guns in the hands of high beam idiots I rarely ever even give a quick flash. Sorry, there is no answer except not driving at night much anymore.
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I’ve seen anti-glare visors on tv that attach to your visor. I don’t know how well
they work, but you might want to look into it.
I’m really surprised that the regulators haven’t taken a more active role in headlights, since they’ve seemed to mandate other safety features, many that I don’t see much benefit for me personally. Lights on emergency vehicles are the most blinding, a problem since you know you’ll have to see to navigate.
Looking to the right side of the lane helps some, but not as much as with older headlights. LEDs seem to be able to blind you even when you’re not looking. If I can’t see, then I slow down. I wish there were some other ways to deal with them.
I agree. There are nut-jobs driving around that are one tiny irritation away from road rage. Some see flashing brights as an act of aggression. I mentioned this point earlier about flashing brights at another motorist.
When I drive I try and maintain peace and harmony. I am a very polite driver. As stated earlier, that’s one reason (the other is temporarily blinding someone) that I click my headlights to the park position and back on (instantaneously) to try and alert a person that their brights are on or to check their lights, rather than flash brights at them. If it works, fine. If it doesn’t then I’ll deal with it myself.
I mentioned that above, too. I pointed out a situation where emergency lights put me at risk of a collision. Those lights are just too good in some areas at night. You can spot the vehicle from far away, but you can’t see ANYTHING else.
CSA
They ,IMHO make it more dangerous for emergency response personnel . If I can’t see what is ahead of me due to blinding blinking lights, it can’t be making people ahead of me on the ground safer. Just plain dumb.
I might also note that a fair portion of HID lamps are after market and not adequately aimed in the first place.
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my impression that this particular area is badly neglected by “regulators”
adding more nonsense: last few years US makers added a “convenience feature”, where backup lights are turned on when car is recently stopped or owner recently opened it with a remote. I’m not sure what “regulator” in a clear state of mind did not see it as a big security concern, but now we have drivers who pay no attention to these lights and likely more accidents on parking lots
It is as easy to turn the headlights off then back on as to flash the high beams on my 2010 Kia. Pulling the turn signal stalk back then releasing it flashes the high beams whether the light switch is on or off. The light switch is a rotary knob on the end of the stalk. It has 3 positions from top to bottom: Headlights on, other exterior (parking) lights only, and off. Rotating it back one position turns headlights off leaving parking lights on. Returning to on turns headlights back on. I don’t have to look at anything but the road.
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When we were younger these “arc welder” lights did not exist. Headlights did get brighter over the years from sealed beam to halogen. These current LED lights are dangerously bright. They blind oncoming drivers. My state has no safety inspection. We get headlights from barely visible to aftermarket off road only lights that are as bright as a nuclear blast! NHTSA needs to set standards.
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