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Headlights have become way too bright

My guess is that the established design rules are based on the brightness and spectrum of an incandescent filament, and are inappropriate for other kinds of emitters. Another issue is that it's fashionable for newer car headlights to have smaller lenses, which makes it harder to control the beam.
 
I am on the opposite side of the spectrum and think they are not bright enough.

There has been far too many times where I've almost ran over someone riding their bicycle in the middle of the road with no reflectors or lights (yes that is a law here - the reflectors & lights on bicycle, not riding in middle of road) while wearing dark clothing.

Like mentioned before, it is the aim of the lights that are important. If you think I am wrong, look directly into the sun the next time it is bright and sunny out.

Also, if someone has their brights on because they think my lights are too bright, I will keep my brights on until they turn them off. It is not like I am going to turn off my headlights and drive in their lane just to prove a point.
 
I am on the opposite side of the spectrum and think they are not bright enough.

There has been far too many times where I've almost ran over someone riding their bicycle in the middle of the road with no reflectors or lights (yes that is a law here - the reflectors & lights on bicycle, not riding in middle of road) while wearing dark clothing.

Like mentioned before, it is the aim of the lights that are important. If you think I am wrong, look directly into the sun the next time it is bright and sunny out.

Also, if someone has their brights on because they think my lights are too bright, I will keep my brights on until they turn them off. It is not like I am going to turn off my headlights and drive in their lane just to prove a point.
So what point are you trying to prove by running your brights like that?
If it caused an accident, you might find yourself on the wrong end if a citation, or worse.
What? Are you 17 playing a game of chicken with the other driver?
Instead of just one blinded driver in opposing traffic you have two.
What do your local laws say about running brights into oncoming traffic?
 
I'm fine with bright headlights, if that reassures you.
Well that's good. Sometimes I am and sometimes not. Kind of depends on the type of lights. But I deal with it.
I once tried one of those things that you clip to your visor. It was an orange piece of plastic and flipped down when needed. Was suppose to help with night glare.
You know, advertised on TV for $9.99 and we'll send you a second one just for extra shipping and handling.
Good idea, but not so much in practice. Cheap plastic in place of good optics is no bargain.
 
Many years ago I noticed the top runners in the NASCAR Daytona night race and the 600 mile one all had AMBER or YELLOW lenses in their goggles or glasses. Got a pair of darker yellow shooting glasses with UV protection that are also ANSI rated for use where I work.

They help a TON with glare for night and foggy driving. A pair lives in every vehicle here now.
They also are nice mowing glasses.
 
Many years ago I noticed the top runners in the NASCAR Daytona night race and the 600 mile one all had AMBER lenses in their goggles or glasses. Got a pair of amber shooting glasses with UV protection that are also ANSI rated for use where I work.

They help a TON with glare for night and foggy driving. A pair lives in every vehicle here now.
They also are nice mowing glasses.
Probably makes your grass look funny, but at least they offer some eye protection while mowing.
Good idea.:thumbsup:
 
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You might be able to open the hood and grab a screwdriver and make a minor adjustment aiming them Down
a hair. Maybe, maybe not.
See below. Legal requirement.

I expect a whole lot of the problem is headlight aim. They can be aimed, and they are supposed to be aimed a little down and to the right on low beams. They often are not aimed that way if the vehicle has had bodywork, had the headlight housing and lens changed somehow, or if aftermarket lights are installed. Lifting it, like people do with pickups, also screws up the aim. It's dangerous, but nobody does anything about it. Moral of this story: aim your headlights fer chrissakes!
+1.
 
Ha, that happens to me sometimes, but the memorable time was when a guy was making a left at a stoplight in front of me...
as the headlights came across our faces, they just seemed terribly bright, so I flashed mine
dude stops the car, backs up so he's aiming right at me & then turns on his even brighter lights :rollno:

for a couple of seconds I thought he was going to try and ram us, but he finally continued onto the interstate


Should have mooned him. ;)
 
The yellow shooting glasses "add light" so it's good. Out here I need to see better while mowing with rattlesnakes, cotton mouths, water moccassins, skunks, and other critters(coyotes and wild hogs) waiting to wreck your day(or night). We wear snake boots whenever outdoors and mostly keep a critter exterminator on-hand.
 
Me. That was my comment.
OK. I respect your opinion.
If it's not debilitating and you can deal with it then you just need to be cautious in those situations. If it does cause you problems seeing on the road, you might want to see what you eye doctor has to say about it. Perhaps it's something as simple as night driving lenses.
Cateracts, (and we all get them eventually) even in early onset, can affect night driving vision.
It usually comes on slowly, over years and you don't really notice it happening, until you do.

I presume there are standards in place for emergency lighting on responder vehicles and those standards dictate, in a lot if legalese, what is necessary.
 
I expect a whole lot of the problem is headlight aim. The can be aimed, and they are supposed to be aimed a little down and to the right on low beams. They often are not aimed that way if the vehicle has had bodywork, had the headlight housing and lens changed somehow, or if aftermarket lights are installed. Lifting it, like people do with pickups, also screws up the aim. It's dangerous, but nobody does anything about it. Moral of this story: aim your headlights fer chrissakes!

Gonna look into this, thanks to all who suggested it.
 
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So what point are you trying to prove by running your brights like that?
If it caused an accident, you might find yourself on the wrong end if a citation, or worse.
What? Are you 17 playing a game of chicken with the other driver?
Instead of just one blinded driver in opposing traffic you have two.
What do your local laws say about running brights into oncoming traffic?

Did you miss the part that I wouldn't turn my brights on unless the other driver turned their on?
Did you miss the part where I would turn my brights off after the other driver turned their off?
Where did you read that I would be playing chicken with the other driver?
I wouldn't be blinded because I know how to not look directly into a light source.
I've had police flash me because they thought I had brights on and I flashed them back to show them my brights were not on. Never been pulled over that.

Good luck doing that in here in L.A. You may get shot.

Are you offering to fly me across the pond and rent a car to test your theory? If so, I want a round trip, first class direct flight into LAX. I would like to be well rested.
 
Probably makes your grass look funny, but at least they offer some eye protection while mowing.
Good idea.:thumbsup:
Fred, when you get done with the yard, the kitchen needs mopping.
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQBBI5-mSG_BvxmvExY_h8i9Al44EGPLPF0-zfJpQW4MLX8lsPIBA.jpg
 
I suspect the vast majority of offenders are aftermarket upgrades, either accidentally or intentionally installed incorrectly (not aimed correctly/lawfully).

Just as a counterpoint:

Car Headlight Performance Found to Be Not So Bright

"A new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that among 31 vehicles tested for car headlight performance, only one earned IIHS's top Good rating: the Toyota Prius V with LED lamps. Mirroring Consumer Reports test results, this first-ever car headlight ratings evaluation by IIHS shines light on how lamps are underperforming.

In fact, 19 vehicles received Poor or Marginal scores for their disappointing performance. The worst performer in the IIHS tests was the BMW 3 Series equipped with halogen headlamps.

Our own ratings have found that while newer technologies such as high-intensity discharge (HID) and now LED headlights typically provide brighter and often more visibility to the sides of the road, they don’t necessarily provide added visibility straight ahead."

That ain't really a counterpoint.

They're testing how well the lights work for the driver - not how much they blind other drivers.

A light could work horrible for the driver and still be blinding for oncoming traffic - the two are only tangentially related.
 
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While I agree that new headlights are far too bright...

In many cases there is a very simple fix to this, it is located at the left hand side of the steering wheel (right in UK) which is a little dial that allows you to aim your lights down.

Many think that this is just for when you are towing etc. and leave it in position 0. However (if you read the manual, most manufacturers will tell you) that you should adjust this depending on the weight you have in the car, mainly in the backseats and trunk/boot.

When you have someone in the back, or stuff in the trunk, it should usually be set to around position 2 (-2), but depends on the weight of said items/persons.

Most people just ignore this (or it's existence) so we all get blinded.
 
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