Blinding Bright Headlights

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Does anyone know or understand the justification for the ultra bright headlights that some new cars are equipped with? When they get behind you on a dark road, that's it... game over... you are effectively blinded. A car pulled behind me at night at an intersection where I intended to turn. Half way thru the turn, I had to come to a near stop because I simply could not see the road in front of me. I was driving a Tacoma and the vehicle behind me was a new passenger vehicle.

When is the DOT going to figure out that 50% brighter headlights help the driver of that car but also glare-out everyone around them 50% more? This trend has been going for about 5 years now.


Ray

PS: -And no, I don't have cataracts and my car windows are kept clean inside and out.
 
Are you sure it's a new car and not someone who just replaced their halogen bulbs with some brighter HID bulb? That's really where the blinding lights come from.
 
I feel your pain. I'm also noticing that the percentage of the vehicles with blinding headlights is increasing. Including those with improperly "upgraded" headlights.

I was looking at the regulations for the headlights not long ago and my impression is that if the headlights have good cutoff and not much light leaking above it - they pass. Also those extra bright lights are very homogeneous in the lit area, i.e. no brighter spots structure, which probably helps them to pass the regulation for max intensity in the lit area.

As a contrast - my DD with projectors and halogens has intentional brighter spots with comparable intensity to the modern HID and LED there, but they are relatively narrow and pointed in front of me and almost never get in the eyes of the other drivers. I.e. mine are more like a spotlight while the HID/LEDs are like a flood lights. Thus at many more situation (over-hills, bumps, etc) we are getting the "best" out of the HID/LEDs from the oncoming traffic perspective.

What I also find annoying is how some people use their daytime running lights at dusk(they are with highbeam-like aiming) and also the fog lights in clear weather
 
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Are you sure it's a new car and not someone who just replaced their halogen bulbs with some brighter HID bulb? That's really where the blinding lights come from.


Well, honestly... I don't know. Most recently, this happened a few days ago but, it's quite common and happens fairly regularly.

Going forward, when someone with blinding headlights is behind me and causes me to struggle to see while executing a turn, I simply slow down as needed so I can proceed cautiously. If that vehicle behind me gets stuck in the intersection and broadsided by someone.... Oh well... Maybe the DOT will take note. Where I live, there are many curvy roads and turning onto an intersection is not always a 90 degree turn. Many streets and intersections are not brightly lit yet, it is a residential area and the likelihood of pedestrians crossing is high. I'll be darned if I'm the one who rolls someone over on a rainy night because someone behind me installed dangerous modified headlights.

Ray
 
In many cases I've run into, the other driver just isn't switching to low beams. The fogs in clear weather can be a pain as well. It seems they've always got front end damage and the lights are now aimed to find squirrels.

Here we have a safety inspection. They check for tinted windows but not how your headlights are aimed or color. Makes perfect sense.
 
I too have noticed that many new headlights are eye piercing. It almost hurts!

I've always thought that there was a maximum headlight wattage of 55 watts in the U.S. and maybe there still is, IDK!

However, these new headlight are glowing with a brighter light and may in fact(correct me if I am wrong) still be at 55 watts but, there is a gray area in the laws that, with the different gases used in these lights, it many not matter if they're brighter as long as they are still rated at those 55 watts???
IDK!

Kinda like the bulbs we can buy for our home lighting where the package say e.g... 47 total watts with the light output of a 75 watts bulb??? Correct me if I am wrong!
 
Originally Posted by Wheel
In many cases I've run into, the other driver just isn't switching to low beams. The fogs in clear weather can be a pain as well. It seems they've always got front end damage and the lights are now aimed to find squirrels.

Here we have a safety inspection. They check for tinted windows but not how your headlights are aimed or color. Makes perfect sense.


In my State, safety inspections are only done when a vehicle changes ownership. Emissions testing is done every 2 years but no safety inspection done at that time -which is unfortunate.


Ray
 
I've noticed this also, most people just driving around with their hi-beams on. My wife's 2018 Corolla has LED headlights with the auto hi-beam function which is really nice and the LED are amazing especially living upstate ny.

I purchased LED bulbs for my scion and I took them out they were very bright which was great but too blinding for on coming traffic. if the headlamp housing doesn't use a projector lens the beam pattern is not focused and all over the place.
 
I think the problem is people are putting aftermarket LED bulbs into a headlight assembly that is not designed for them. The result is a dangerous beam pattern that the owner/operator is not aware of or simply doesn't care about. They should be pulled off the road and fined.
 
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Are you sure it's a new car and not someone who just replaced their halogen bulbs with some brighter HID bulb? That's really where the blinding lights come from.


Exactly
 
The new well-focused beams look great until the driver hits a slight bump, lifting the front end and immediately transiting through the sharp cutoff so now I've got piercing light in my face. The old halogens had a softer cutoff and were easier on the eyes.

Add a few years and the lenses get foggy, and scatter light everywhere.

There are still some good lights out there. Chevy HHRs somehow got "armored" plastic lenses that don't go bad, and a modified e-code halogen with a pleasant cutoff.

There's no reason for audis or nissans to have those C-shaped LED DRLs, aside from "look at me" narcissism, which is huge. Regulators are asleep at the switch.

The best defense, IMO, would be a mirrored finish vertical "bumper sticker" on the rear package shelf area, at the bottom of the rear window, where headlight light theoretically shouldn't be getting in. A mirror would be too blatantly passive-aggressive but you could get some stainless steel and engrave/ paint "Class of 2014" or something else stupid. Anyone who's been behind one of those shiny refrigerated tractor trailers knows where I'm going with this.
 
Originally Posted by RayCJ

Does anyone know or understand the justification for the ultra bright headlights that some new cars are equipped with? When they get behind you on a dark road, that's it... game over... you are effectively blinded. A car pulled behind me at night at an intersection where I intended to turn. Half way thru the turn, I had to come to a near stop because I simply could not see the road in front of me. I was driving a Tacoma and the vehicle behind me was a new passenger vehicle.

When is the DOT going to figure out that 50% brighter headlights help the driver of that car but also glare-out everyone around them 50% more? This trend has been going for about 5 years now.


PS: -And no, I don't have cataracts and my car windows are kept clean inside and out.


Too many vehicles with improperly pointed headlights
Too many people using the headlight brights-option on city roads.
Too many middle-aged and elderly with cataracts driving these days.
Too many scared of driving in the dark.
Essentially, too many people on the road that should not be driving at night.

If an approaching vehicle is blinding your view in the opposite direction, pull over or stop suddenly (if possible) to await their passing-by.
If a rear view vehicle is blinding you, move the direction of your rear-view mirror or side-view mirrors (or) change lanes immediately (or) pull over and let them pass.
 
Some sometimes many drive with fog lights on at all times don't know any better. Neighbor's pickup with lift kit facing me with fog lights on was blinding. Don't know how to talk to the guy about it. Should I? I like him. Where's Ann Landers these days?
 
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Too many vehicles with improperly pointed headlights
Too many people using the headlight brights-option on city roads.


NHTSA allows, through a lack of enforcement and information, for uninformed people to purchase and install HIDs or LEDs into a halogen headlight optically designed around a filament.

USA regulations allow more low beam glare than European regulations.
European regulations allow greater high beam intensity than USA regulations.
 
Originally Posted by SLO_Town
Brand new Ford trucks are the worst with respect to blindingly bright headlights.

Scott


I call them Friday Night Lights as in football stadium
 
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