Campaign against HID car lights

[tyred]

A row is developing among car enthusiasts and road users about the potential risks of super-bright headlights.

The headlamps - called HIDs and commonly referred to as bi-xenon - are much brighter than traditional headlights and are sold as a safety feature. But some road-users claim they are often dazzled by the lights, making pedestrians and cyclists difficult to see....


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13143206

I can only agree as I find these things dazzling to the extreme. What makes it even worse are the bastards who supplement them with spotlights below the bumper (even though it's illegal). I don't think this issue is taken seriously enough.




http://www.lightmare.org/

 

[XmisterIS]

I completely agree that dazzling HID lights are a pain in the arse. It does depend on the angle though, and the factory-fitted ones seem OK. The ones I hate are those who have after-market HID lights, plus they drive around with HID front fogs on too. It just screams out, "so long as I can see where I'm going, I don't give a sh*t about anyone else".

 

[totallyfixed]

Completely agree, pain in the ass whether you are in a car or on a bike and it's all getting worse with all new cars having their lights on constantly, it's absolutely bonkers. Mind you there are plenty of cyclists that run lights that blind other users because there are no regulations for front cycle lights.

 

[Globalti]

Motorcyclists tried daytime running lights many years ago and dropped them and I believe Volvo have dropped them too so why have they become a fashion accessory?

 

[tyred]

I don't know how true but I read somewhere that DRL are compulsory on new cars from Feb of this year.

 

[XmisterIS]

DRL have been compulsory on motorbikes for some years now. I have a standard halogen bulb on my bike and I've only occasionally get people flashing their headlights at me to tell me to turn my headlight off (which, of course, I can't!). I think it's a bit nanny-state. It does make us bikers more visible on an overcast day, but it can make us invisible when there's a bright sun behind.

 

[Norm]

Motorcyclists tried daytime running lights many years ago and dropped them...

This is wrong, as they haven't been dropped.

I completely agree that dazzling HID lights are a pain in the arse. It does depend on the angle though, and the factory-fitted ones seem OK. The ones I hate are those who have after-market HID lights...

After-market HID's are illegal, they are only allowed where the vehicle is fitted with either self-levelling suspension or self-levelling light units. There is no campaign required about this, it's already the law.

 

[GrasB]

After-market HID's are illegal, they are only allowed where the vehicle is fitted with either self-levelling suspension or self-levelling light units. There is no campaign required about this, it's already the law.

Plenty of aftermarket fit HIDs about though . Another problem problem is they are much more sensitive to adjustment than normal lights & a number of manufactures are aiming the HID lights as high as they're legally allowed to.

 

[Furkz]

HID are only illegal if their fitting to a non self levelling projector headlights and yes they are dangerous. a normal H4 bulbed car running HID will just flood the road without any direct point of light.

 

[Black Sheep]

Motorcyclists tried daytime running lights many years ago and dropped them and I believe Volvo have dropped them too so why have they become a fashion accessory?

Motorbikes still have daytime running lights as standard, Volvo haven't dropped them, just made it an option hidden in a sub menu of some system on the car to be able to turn them off.

It's going to become an EU regulation to have some sort of running lights hence the small rows of LED lights appearing on new cars.

Personally I'm not fond of them, I've occasionally been struggling to see properly due to too much light from other cars canceling out my own headlights!

 

[mangaman]

HIDs are a nightmare for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists IMHO.

On small country roads around here, that twist and turn, to be temporarily blinded (which is what happens effectively to an extent) is a recipe for disaster.

The advantages of HIDs are - what exactly - I've driven for 28 years with normal headlights and never had a crash. The only time I felt unsafe was when approached by a car with HIDs on a difficult road. They tend to momentarily blind you - and, of course, that moment could result in you driving into a brick wall / a group of cyclists / a pedestrian on their way home.

I'd be interested if anyone genuinely thinks they improve overall road safety (clearly that includes all vehicles including bikes and pedestrians)?

Personally I can't think of a single advantage over normal headlights.

 

[GrasB]

HID have 2 advantages as main beam lights;
1) an increase in long range & wide angle illumination - this can't be applied to dipped beam else you get the problems we have with dipped HID lights we have now.
2) for low eye level/ground clearance cars as they cast much deeper shadows to allow you to see significant road abnormalities earlier, no sudden swerving around a raised drain cover you've not had time to evaluate if you can clear or not - this can be applied to dipped beam to some extent but the sight advantage you gain is much less when dipped beam is aligned properly (I maintain that VAG & Fiat + associated marks don't aim their lights properly from the factory, although they are legally aligned)

My personal preference would be for HID main beam & Halogen/LED dipped beam. However then you'd need motorist to act more responsibly with regard to main beam using e.g. not driving through the middle of a village with main beam on (there shouldn't be any need for this anyway). This would also eliminate the issue with dipped beam that a lot of manufactures have introduced by simply changing the reflector alignment between main & dipped beam rather than having 2 discrete reflector (alignments) to shape the beam properly.

I have this setup on one of my cars, I didn't actually want the HID option but it was part of the engine package with my car, & the dipped beam pattern is radically different to the main beam pattern, when aimed towards the low end of the pattern band you still get, needlessly, phenomenal illumination with very little dazzling problems for others, it's no worse than a halogen dipped beam aimed on the higher side of the legal requirements.

 

[Night Train]

After-market HID's are illegal, they are only allowed where the vehicle is fitted with either self-levelling suspension or self-levelling light units. There is no campaign required about this, it's already the law.

+1

However, HIDs are still being fitted and illegally and not a lot seems to be done about it.

Also there is a requirement not to dazzle other road users regardless of lighting type and that isn't acted on either. A number of years ago I pulled over a traffic police car for dazzling me rom behind. His response was to check my car and on not finding anything wrong told me that I just wasn't used to modern bright headlights. He didn't seem at all bothered that he was dazzling other road users. I was driving a Land Rover so to dazzle at that height was unacceptable in my book.

 

[davefb]

The EU directive is in isnt it ?

Its getting really stupid, on some cars, they're really bright ( audi's, though possibly LED?) and now we have automatic lights, so theres a tunnel I drive through ( bottom of m61 joining m60) where these auto lights coming on drags your attention away for a splitsecond..

Really is stupid trying to blind other drivers though, I can understand the idea of using HID to get same light at lower power, but to be lit up like a special stage rally driver is insanity.

*and* I agree with the websight,, it will only be worse in wet winter conditions for non lit peds/road users...

 

[Over The Hill]

I seem to remember this being the same as when halogen lights came out about 30 years ago.


I simply go by the rule that if they are dazzling me then they get my full beams back (if it is otherwise safe and I do not dazzle others).

This may be them on full beam, fog lights, or dazzling dipped lights.

It is also dangerous with someone behind you with dazzling lights. They must know they are doing it as they are lighting up the inside of my car!
They make me want to carry some stones in the ash tray to drop out the window at them .