Are car headlights too bright nowadays.......

[Mugshot]

..........or are they all just badly adjusted?

I've driven today and one stretch of my commute is a narrow 2 lane country road, no pavement, no lighting nor verge before the fences and hedges start & 2 cars passing one another is literally tarmac edge to tarmac edge. It is however a convenient cut through that negates a several mile detour that lots of people walk & a few of us cycle.

I have driven at less than 10mph & come to a stop while one big 4x4 thing came by as I simply could not see past the end of the bonnet for much of it because of the absolute dazzling I've had from vehicles coming the other way, not simply the wet road but dipped beam lights shining directly into my eyes

It has made me feel exceptionally vulnerable and seriously consider if I want to be cycling it anymore as I have never yet seen anyone else brake nor slow to such a degree as I do but I have realised how utterly blinded motorists along there are by bad alignment and the arms race in headlight intensity.

I'm not one to be frightened but coming home that way tonight has really got me thinking and it annoys the hell out of me. Why should I be scared off my usual route because some silly sod with excessive headlights will blind some other silly sod who won't slow down even as he drives over me and another bunch of silly sods in silly wigs will let him away with it because it was unavoidable like low sun & I'm just an unfortunate consequence.

I've noticed it too, in what sounds like very similar situations over the past couple of weeks. Dark country roads, raining and on coming cars make it exceptionally hard to see much further than the front of the vehicle approaching and it has struck me that that could/would/does make anything in the road ahead very hard to spot. The experience does give you a jolt as it dawns on you that when you're out there on your bike it's potentially you that's difficult to see, despite your best efforts.
I'm not trying to make a comment about how people should be driving, or driving according to the conditions we all know what should be happening, it's a simple statement that my recent observations suggest to me that something has changed or certainly become more prevalent, whether it's the brightness, the adjustment, the colour or a combination of things the light just seem to scatter, and it isn't making things easier.

 

[Ganymede]

There is an arms race among some drivers to get brighter and brighter lights.

There is also an arms race among some cyclists to get brighter and brighter lights.

Taking part in either competition is irresponsible.

Whereas actually wearing lots and lots of reflective gear should (in theory) work better if headlights are brighter.

 

[Keith Oates]

IMO the answer to the OP is simple, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Levo-Lon]

Another thing people do ,I am talking young spotty types in lowered moddified cars...
They like to fit cheap shitty HID lights you get off ebay "illegal of course" and fit them to da mota.

these lights dont work properly due to not being designed for the light there being fitted too so they fire light everywhere and of course there about 6-8000k and stupid bright,.but as they cost about 15quid its cheaper than new bulbs in a lot of casese..


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/35W-55W-H...Vehicles_CarParts_SM&var=&hash=item27ea3ca8f6

 

[Smokin Joe]

I hate those stupid "Eyebrow" lights fitted to Audis, and those rear lights that extend across the whole of the tailgates of many cars now. All the different arrangements and sizes make approach speeds and closing distances harder to judge, we need to go back to everyone having sensibly sized rears, one on each corner and headlights with a restriction on output.

The best idea during my motoring years were the dim-dip headlights that came about for a few years in the eighties, perfect for illuminated urban roads as they were bright enough to be clearly seen and didn't throw out a dazzling beam. I think that was actually one idea that fell foul of EU regulations?

 

[Tin Pot]

Pricing of lighting has become extremely cheap and will become cheaper.

We'll have LEDs on toilet roll soon.

 

[Crackle]

The problem is that modern car headlights are tiny compared to the incandescent light clusters of the past. They are a "point source" of absolutely blinding and dazzling light. They probably don't actually illuminate the road that much more than the older ones, but they make it blooming unpleasant for the driver/rider of an oncoming vehicle.

I think.

I think you could have something. I notice the different colour of lights but it's on bends at certain angles that some are more blinding than others, so that could be why.

 

[Moodyman]

a lot of drivers are just unaware of the different functions on a car.

my wife passed her driving test but is a very poor driver. one of the many gripes I have is her inadvertently turning on the full beam when switching on lights at dusk.

She just doesn't notice the blue icon on her dashboard telling her that the full beam is on.

It's only when I drive in the dark that I see it and turn it off.

 

[Smokin Joe]

my wife passed her driving test but is a very poor driver. one of the many gripes I have is her inadvertently turning on the full beam when switching on lights at dusk.

Mrs Moodyman doesn't use the PC then, or do you like sleeping in the shed?

 

[400bhp]

Yes, they are. And, actually it is worse when driving than cycling. I think it's the height and the rear view mirror.

The worst are definitely Mercedes. Utterly way over the top. Closely followed by some newer 4x4.s perpetuated by the height of my sitting position vs the height of their lights.

 

[Dave the Smeghead]

I thought it was just me becoming more sensitive to light, but I had noticed it to be far worse on Mercs, Range Rovers and Bentleys (there are a few of them around my way - too much money and no bleeding clue).

Glad it isn't just me, but as they are blinding all of us from drivers, lorry drivers and cyclists, surely there must be something we can all do? A campaign to all of our MPs perhaps?

 

[totallyfixed]

In a nutshell "boys and their toys" goes a long way I believe in explaining the increase in light output. Add to that there is probably an instinct for humans to drive back the dark which goes back to the early discovery of fire. all this is well and good but without enforceable regulations, and the keyword here is enforceable, no action will be taken. The government has long been fond of passing laws with one hand while at the same time reducing the number of police to administer those laws.
As @Pale Rider has alluded to, it is not only motorists who are guilty, at least they have regulations whereas cyclists have an outdated minimum legal requirement for front lights but no maximum and this is plainly ridiculous. Many cyclists like to brag about how powerful their lights are with little or no thought to the effect on fellow road users. About the only sensible standard available to cycle light manufacturers is the German standard. Even this is not perfect but at least it prohibits the use of lights that are symmetrical or non directional which should only be used for off road.

 

[Crankarm]

Yes they are but then no approaching vehicle dazzles me now as if they do they get my Max D on full beam which makes them dip immediately and I then dip mine and switch it back to low setting, just like dipping main beam headlights in a car. I find a bright light manages to counteract the brightness of modern car headlights being bright itself. If I had a minnow of a bike light like I used to as when I was knocked down, then yes I too would still be feeling dazzled, but no longer. I aim it well down but if anyone wants to dazzle me I am able to respond in kind and they immediately dip or they dip before as they see a strong light coming e.g. approaching a bend. Unfortunately on the roads might is right.