Blinded by the light.

[ron17571]

Many vehicles coming at me seem to have their high beams and fog lights on in clear weather. Is everyone blind or just doesn't care about blinding oncoming traffic? Do you do this? I just use my low beams and see just fine. and most of these vehicles have very bright lights to start with.

 

[Zee09]

New Subaru's are bright with low beams

 

[DriveHard]

If the low beams and fogs are adjusted properly, they should not blind you if on level ground.

I do this...run with low beams and fogs...as I live in Iowa. Deer have to be the top cause of night time accidents, and they come directly from your side. Fogs do a MUCH better job of illuminating the immediate shoulder, and helping me ID hazards.

Today's cars won't let you run with high beams and fogs...so you must be talking about older cars, or just not happy with the brightness of today's modern lights.

 

[Highboy]

New Subaru's are bright with low beams

Subaru drivers replace the high beams with LEDs problem is they don’t do dim on the lower voltage, so looks like the high beams are on all the time. They use the high beams for the DRL lights.

 

[Jimmy_Russells]

I genuinely believe a lot of people think the blue light on the dash means their headlights are on.

The fog lights in clear weather thing is just dumb. It's terrible when the road is wet because the lights reflect off the wet road too.

 

[skyactiv]

Subaru drivers replace the high beams with LEDs problem is they don’t do dim on the lower voltage, so looks like the high beams are on all the time.

And many times, the morons that mod their headlights are young, still have good night vison and have zero need to mess with their headlights.

EDIT: spelling

 

[JHZR2]

Many cars have horrendously glary lights. New Acura cars with those multi led seem the worst, but many others too. Often new cars so it set some sham Amazon led retrofit…

 

[vavavroom]

Properly adjusted low beams should not blind anybody. Properly adjusted front fog lights should not blind anybody unless the road is wet and if there's no fog, heavy rain, or smoke. The always-on smart high beams should also not blind anyone if the system is set up and operating properly. Since most states don't require regular safety inspections it comes down to driver and mechanic diligence or lack if the lighting is within specs.

I will use my fog lights as DRLs unless the road is wet. Foglights aim low and have a short range and they cause glare in the presence of a shiny-wet road. Under those conditions, I switch to the low beams. At night, I often use the fog lights in addition to the low beams because the fog lights illuminate corners better on a winding road and I can potentially see a deer at the side of the road. Again, I don't use the front fog lights if the road is wet unless visibility is below 150 feet.

 

[Allaneddie]

So many pickup trucks with lights up high flashing in my review mirror.

 

[CharBaby]

The LED lights on new vehicles, especially pick up trucks is completely blinding and retina piercing

 

[brianl703]

Today's cars won't let you run with high beams and fogs

That's been a Federal regulation for decades.

 

[Hermann]

The LED headlights on the Maverick are excellent. No fog lights but the low and high beams both illuminate the sides of the road well, helping with the deer searching. The high beams are the best I have experienced. Better than the Venza's (my 1st car with LED"s) for distance and whiteness. The auto high beams which works well let folks know my lights have been dimmed. It's the big pickups that are taller than the average vehicle, that are horribly misaligned

 

[MParr]

Pickup trucks that are still set at factory ride height don’t bother me. It’s the ones that have had lift kits installed that bother me. I regularly drive my truck at night and never get flashed for having my low beams on. I sometimes drive with my fogs and low beams on. I usually do this when the deer are in rut. I have not modified my headlights or added a lift kit.

 

[Luftmasse]

Agreed.

Toyota Highlanders, Teslas, Subarus, Hondas, Acuras and driver's that intentionally turns on the high beam.

Very annoying.

 

[JohnnyG]

The Mercedes has active headlights, completely automatic and governed by the forward looking cameras. Not only do they switch to high automatically, but steer the lighting away from oncoming traffic. Actually pretty amazing to see the transitions. Cornering lighting included as a bonus.
I know, you get what you pay for. At least with MB.

Fog lights, maybe not so much, but I hardly ever use them and am always concerned about blinding other drivers.

 

[Warstud]

Get some night driving glasses or the yellow polarized fishing glasses

 

[brianl703]

It’s the ones that have had lift kits installed that bother me.

Or even worse, the "Carolina Squat". Where it looks like a dog with a worm problem dragging it's butt across the carpet.

 

[SubLGT]

Not just a US problem. Also a problem in the UK, according to this 2024 report:

A glaring problem: RAC calls for action on headlight glare as eight-in-10 drivers affected say problem is getting worse

RAC calls on the Government to commission an independent study into the issue after new research finds 85% of those affected believe the problem is getting...

media.rac.co.uk

An RAC survey of 2,000 drivers found a huge nine-in-10 (89%) think at least some headlights on cars on the road today are too bright, of which three-in-10 (28%) – a higher proportion than ever – think most are. Of the all these drivers who complain about the brightness of car headlights, some 91% say they get dazzled when driving with three-quarters (74%) saying this happens regularly.

While the RAC has been surveying drivers on dazzling headlights since 2018, these new findings show more drivers than ever appear to be suffering from them, with 85% of those affected stating they believe the problem is getting worse.

 

[SubLGT]

An interesting, informative 2023 article about headlight glare from 2 genuine experts on automotive lighting in the US:

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS | Unnecessary evil: Glare in driver visibility

Light and Health Research Center scientists MARK REA and JOHN BULLOUGH explain why contemporary LED headlights often cause glare discomfort and how the technology can be standardized...

www.ledsmagazine.com

some excerpts:

....complaints about glare have increased considerably within the past 25 years, most of them due to the new light source technology itself.
....photometric standards have not evolved with changes in the spectral power distribution of LED technology.

....The light emitted by LEDs has become bluer, brighter, sharper, and more focused — all of which help a driver see better at night. A bluer LED light in fact is brighter to the human eye than the same measured level of yellower light emitted by halogen headlights. In effect, the conventional photometry underlying all lighting standards simply does not capture this enhanced LED brightness, which, in fact, also increases real glare from oncoming headlights.

....Exacerbating the photometric insensitivity to brightness and glare in standards, most state governments no longer require drivers to have properly aimed headlights. A recent study from the Light and Health Research Center laboratory found that nearly two-thirds of licensed automobiles had one or both headlights misaimed. With a greater proportion of sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks with high-mounted headlights on the road, those misaimed and highly focused headlights are even more likely to direct greater amounts of light into drivers’ eyes.

 

[SubLGT]

New Subaru's are bright with low beams

The 2024 Outback performed well in IIHS testing.

2024 Subaru Outback 4-door wagon

2024 Subaru Outback 4-door wagon - midsize car

www.iihs.org