To dip or not to dip, that is the question.

[Orange]

My ride is 80% unlit country roads and almost all drivers seem to dip for me - maybe one or two a week don't until almost upon me but I don't think I've had any that have not dipped at all. It can be fairly busy with traffic travelling the same way as me at times but at others there is no traffic in view. The roads are quite narrow and winding, with plenty of ups and downs though, so perhaps they are naturally cautious?

 

[byegad]

In County Durham they hardly ever use main beam. As I drive home around 10pm every Thursday I follow numpties driving on a pitch black road on dips at 30mph. If I get to that road and it's clear I can drive at 60mph, using my main beam.

 

[G-Zero]

I don't know whether I've just been lucky so far, but I've never been blinded by inconsiderate drivers yet.

I'm now using a 1600 lumen front light on its lowest setting and keep the peak of my helmet just positioned, so that if someone approached with their main beam on, or flicked it on at the last minute, a tiny drop of my head would prevent retinal burn and preserve night vision.

It will be interesting tomorrow night when I set off for my first nightshift in many years, with my new 'Nightvision' jacket and winter tights. I don't think approaching motorists catching me in their lights, could be left in any doubt that a cyclist is approaching them.

I appreciate that the effectiveness will diminish as the jacket and tights age and get dirty, but for now.... http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/altura-nightvision-jackets.91969/

 

[HLaB]

I've found a strategically aimed head torch does wonders.

 

[tyred]

If you can be sure everything is clear behind, you can drift towards the middle of the road as if mesmerised by the lights, they usually dip before you cross the middle of the road. That has worked for me......................up to now.

I do that all the time. They can see me, they just choose to ignore my presence. Even when driving, a worrying amount of drivers don't dip or don't dip until the last minute.

 

[Amanda P]

I've had much less trouble with this since I started using a B&M Cyo headlight. Apart from the brightness, there's something very penetrating and piercing about the light from it.

There are still those that can't be bothered to dip, though.

And then there are the ones who do dip, but then switch back to full beam when they're about 20 or 30 yards away, so that it's too late for me to do anything about it, and when they're close enough to do the maximum possible damage to my vision. Why!?

 

[CamPhil]

I tried a test with a photographic flashgun mounted to handlebars with the capacitor charged.
They give me their high beam, I hit the "test" button, they dip.

They seem to slow down as well, for some reason

 

[ComedyPilot]

Is that not a bit of a high risk strategy?

It's just part of a frustrated cyclist's 'general **** you attitude being expressed in one of the few areas where they can'

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I tried a test with a photographic flashgun mounted to handlebars with the capacitor charged.
They give me their high beam, I hit the "test" button, they dip.

They seem to slow down as well, for some reason

I've tried similar albeit with a pair of helmet mounted AyUps. Look straight at the oncoming dazzler, punch the on switch for the helmet lights, and, kapow, driver dips, hits the anchors hard, winds down window and starts shouting at me!

I'd really like a reliable handlebar mounted switch for the AyUps.......

 

[fimm]

Round here, some drivers are so considerate that they dip when they're coming up behind me... 1) I have no rear view mirror, so you can't dazzle me; 2) I was enjoying "borrowing" the nice light form your headlights that you've now turned off...

 

[Amanda P]

Beware of retaliatory measures.

It's one thing to have a driver bowling towards you at 60mph, well able to see you in his barrage of floodlights (even if you can't see a thing)

It's quite another to have him bowling towards you at 60mph unable to see anything much. Being unable to see doesn't usually seem to slow drivers down much in my experience.

 

[Davidc]

I've had much less trouble with this since I started using a B&M Cyo headlight. Apart from the brightness, there's something very penetrating and piercing about the light from it.

There are still those that can't be bothered to dip, though.

I've noticed that too.

There are still some who don't, so I keep my Hope V1 (usually have that on the handlebars too) loose enough to point at them. nerly 100% compliance with that and I can angle it back down quickly as well.

Round here I don't think there's much in it between bike and car for numbers of non-dippers.

 

[tmcd35]

Unfortunately I get this quiet a lot on my commute, 15mi 90% unlit country roads. I've taken up using certain hand gestures as the offender passes. I'm sure if they didn't see me to dip their lights they almost certainly didn't notice might little "wave" (well no ones turned their car around to, er, complain at least). Still it makes me feel a little better while I slowly learn to see again.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Even among car drivers it's becoming an arms race. Fog lights are now used by many in the dark, even though they have no real benefit.
Many take their time dipping for other cars.
The reason - they're just bloody ignorant!!

 

[Mad at urage]

One of my pet hates is the light wars we seem to have got into! With most car headlights even on dip, it's impossible to see past them now. Many are so poorly adjusted that even approaching around a (for them) right-hand bend, the lights still dazzle. Flash them to let them know they're dazzling, they flash back - which points their lights to the sky (momentarily taking them away from my eyes); then (as Nigel says) there's the idiots with fog lights... Just add DRLs and there's the perfect excuse for not seeing a (lit) cyclist let alone an unlit pedestrian! "I was looking for headlights and there were none" Oh that's all right then...