Headlights have become way too bright

[JACink]

Probably a bit more than $3 if there is more than a switch on the dash involved, say, a couple of motors and associated wiring harness.

Which costs the manufacturer about $3

(maybe 3000$ on a German built car )

 

[catcauphonic]

If a vehicle is behind you with blinding lights, you can just dim your rear view mirror.
Mine has a little flip switch on the back of it that can let you dim it.

Are you talking about that little lever on the bottom of the rear view that flips it up or down?

If you keep your mirror in the up position and you flip that lever forward, it aims the mirror down. But i hear if you keep the mirror down and use the lever to flip it UP ... it reflects the light back at the vehicle behind you (however, i have not been in a position to verify this.)

 

[JACink]

Doesn't Europe also require wipers on the headlights?

Xenon lights must have autocleaning here, wipers aren't necessary.

 

[hondo4life]

The standard lights on my CR-V look like the brights on my old Chevy Celebrity wagon.

Do everyone a favor and only drive that Celebrity at night. If it's a Eurosport, you can drive it diring the day, too.

 

[Oddly]

I think one big reason it's become more of a problem is, as said above, there's a lot more SUV's on the road these days.
Bigger bodies, lights are set higher up.
The people driving them simply don't realise the problem they cause.
The only solutions here are for the designers to put the lights lower on them, or for everyone to buy an SUV!

 

[Alkali Ike]

NHTSA report on current investigation into headlights. Lots of words. Theories about why there may be actual or perceived problems.

Invalid Link Removed

"Although the agency has seen advertising and received many complaints claiming that the light produced by HIDs is twice or three times as bright as that which is produced by halogen lamps, laboratory measurement, made by various parties, do not support these claims."

 

[tlc1976]

The standard lights on my CR-V look like the brights on my old Chevy Celebrity wagon.

I have a Celebrity for my summer car and have driven several others. They've got some of the better headlights of GM cars of that era.

I too find it a huge problem when I encounter a cop having pulled someone over, and the lights completely blind you and you don't know if there's someone in the road or what.

We're not just getting old. Headlights HAVE become brighter. With the promise that they can be aimed more precisely, IIRC the LED/HID headlights are allowed roughly twice the lumens as halogen headlights used to be. But that's rarely the case. Especially here. Cars get beat all to hell by some of the worse roads in the USA. And headlights don't get realigned after a minor collision with deer or other roadkill. And being a tourist destination, a majority of the cars on the highway are on their way here or back, and have a trailer or full car aiming their headlights higher than they should be. And with anywhere, nothing you can do when there's oncoming traffic on a curve to the left. Or when the terrain is mildly rolling.

 

[Downunderwonder]

NHTSA report on current investigation into headlights. Lots of words. Theories about why there may be actual or perceived problems.

Invalid Link Removed

"Although the agency has seen advertising and received many complaints claiming that the light produced by HIDs is twice or three times as bright as that which is produced by halogen lamps, laboratory measurement, made by various parties, do not support these claims."

I'd like to give those authors a lesson in gravity by stringing them up by the ankles for twenty minutes. All the blood to the brain might give them a sudden attack of common sense.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Are you talking about that little lever on the bottom of the rear view that flips it up or down?

If you keep your mirror in the up position and you flip that lever forward, it aims the mirror down. But i hear if you keep the mirror down and use the lever to flip it UP ... it reflects the light back at the vehicle behind you (however, i have not been in a position to verify this.)

If you "keep the mirror down" and flip the lever up.....you see a ricochet reflection that is significantly less bright than the direct view. It is, in no way, intended to reflect light back to the offending motorist.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Unlike you, I'm not playing any games while I am driving.

Ah! The Rubber and Glue response.

 

[FunkHead]

just do this to the front of your vehicle

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Apparently not, at least as recently as 2009, according to FEMA.: "...there is currently no evidence of a U.S. industry standard for the visibility/conspicuity of law enforcement vehicles." [p.15]. See also p.22, "The Moth Effect" and "Overdoing It". https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...3kBgABYgKl88PcLCw&sig2=1vKd_yGUl0v7HXSmJRQnCg

That's quite surprising to hear. We are nothing if not steeped, often overly so, in regulation.
I wonder if OSHA has anything on this? I would expect them to weigh in on this more so than FEMA.
FEMA handles the S41T after it hits the fan. OSHA tries to prevent the S41T from happening.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

 

[Fat Freddy]

Blinded by the light....Woke up with contusions must have gotten in a fight.....

 

[SirMjac28]

I wear my sun glasses at night,
So I can see,
I know I can see right.

I see what you did there.....

 

[catcauphonic]

If you "keep the mirror down" and flip the lever up.....you see a ricochet reflection that is significantly less bright than the direct view. It is, in no way, intended to reflect light back to the offending motorist.

Yea, i thought at most it was wishful thinking
Sure does help reduce the headlight glare without completely hindering rear vis, tho

 

[hbarcat]

Fear not fellow bass players!! As we speak (or type), there is technology in THE WORKS that will allow headlights on vehicles to become "adaptive"---sensors will detect oncoming vehicles and/or pedestrians and adjust the angle of the beam ever so slightly so as not to appear so bright. This technology is already installed on a few production vehicles---soon to become industry standard.

Oh, sure. Next you'll be telling us that they're developing new technology that will sense when your car is involved in a collision and a computer will trigger an air filled bag to instantly pop up out of the steering wheel and cushion your body from the impact.

 

[PWRL]

Do everyone a favor and only drive that Celebrity at night. If it's a Eurosport, you can drive it diring the day, too.

I don't have it, anymore. I should have specified. But I wish I could find another. This time with a tape deck, dang it.

 

[PortlandBass77]

yeah... I have a friend who gets flashed all of the time because people think he has his brights on, but then he flashes them back....

 

[fdeck]

"Although the agency has seen advertising and received many complaints claiming that the light produced by HIDs is twice or three times as bright as that which is produced by halogen lamps, laboratory measurement, made by various parties, do not support these claims."

I suspect there's something we don't understand about the perception of light. The measurements and standards are based on assumptions about perception. I experience a similar thing when bicycling -- some headlights on bikes are blinding. I've actually modified my light to direct less glare to oncoming cyclists.