What's up with the blinding white headlights?

[Redleg]

Do these things actually make driving safer? I doubt it. They might help the driver see better but they seem to make driving less safe for other drivers.

[Raven123]

1. Nope. LED lights. I've seen reports that affirm what you are saying. I agree with you

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

2. LED or HID headlights

LED are becoming the standard. Great for the driver. Sucks for the other drivers of the lights aren't aimed correctly or you are in a small car with a full size truck or suv behind you.

[global1]

6. You Get Blinded From These Bright Lights From The....

front and from behind. Heaven forbid both happen at the same time. They are contributing to unsafe conditions on the roads. They are dangerous.

I was driving in a construction zone the other day. One lane in each direction with concrete barriers on each side. An overpass that was being widened. An oncoming car blinded me with those lights at the same time I had a new and big Ford 150 behind me - higher then my small Kia Soul. He was tailgating me and those lights blasted directly in my rearview mirror. I lost all visual contact with the road in that precarious enviroment. It scared the hell out of me. These new lights should be outlawed.

Some of these people in these huge pickup trucks are reckless to begin with and these lights contribute to their recklessness.

I'm wondering how many accidents can be attributed to these lights?

[getagrip_already]

8. some aren't even wreckless.....

They are wreckful. They delight in intimidating and bullying smaller cars.

Slightly different than aggressive driving. It's more passive aggressive.

[Wicked Blue]

23. I call these headlights Hostility Lights

for people who thrive on hate and aggression

[I_UndergroundPanther]

56. Tell me about it

They love bullying pedestrians like me too. Driving that huge suv at me onto the shoulder of the road forcing me to dive in a ditch. Nobody needs those kinds of vehicles really. Hard to park my sister says since parking lot spaces were designed for cars not assault vehicles.

It shows how shitty some drivers are when they think having a huge vehicle gives them power.

[Tommymac]

26. I propose it wasn't just the lights - it was the pickup tailgating & breaking the law behind you.

Uncaring selfish drivers in environmentally unsound vehicles who think the law does not apply to them, or they only pay lip service to it when it''s convenient to their needs...

hmmm, now who does that remind me of?

[KS Toronado]

52. Lots of rearview mirrors have a day/night switch

either at the very bottom or on the backside of mirror, switching to night mode lessens the impact
of tailgaters headlights. Owner's manual should show this information.

[jmowreader]

57. Newer cars do that automatically

[Coventina]

15. I was painfully blinded by the headlights of an oncoming Porshe a few nights ago.

So it isn't just elevated vehicles.

It took over 10 minutes for my eyes to return to normal.

[Major Nikon]

16. The aiming part becomes more critical with higher intensity lights

Dipshits that put lift kits on their vehicles, but are too stupid to adjust their lights should be a priority for the police. I guess they are just too busy beating and killing people to be bothered with it.

[Beachnutt]

3. I often wonder

If it's smart to blind the driver of a loaded 18 wheeler grossing 80,000 pounds coming at you on a two lane road...

[AllaN01Bear]

4. neon lights. agree. very annoying.

[Blues Heron]

5. Part of the lighting madness that we seem to be in the grip of

right when we need to use less juice every neighborhood around here is lit up like a prison yard with horizontally pointing, non-shaded ultra bright security LEDs.

Every new streetscape has 4 times the previous lighting.

And the car headlights like you mentioned

[Chakaconcarne]

7. We could always adopt the yellow street lights like they use in central and S. America...

Personally, I would rather have white...even if it's led.

[GenXer47]

24. this is why I wear sunglasses at night

not all those other weird reasons of Corey Hart.

[patphil]

28. I wear glare reducing night driving glasses. They help.

[TheRickles]

9. Agree with this, plus why do so many people have headlights on in broad daylight? Seems ridiculous.

[lambchopp59]

11. Safety feature bulit in to most late model cars.

Daytime headlights come on automatically on my last 3 vehicles unless I physically shut them off.

[MicaelS]

14. DRL - Daytime Running Lights.

https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/daytime-running-lights/

[TheRickles]

32. Thanks, but there's only marginal data given to support its use.

They're required in Scandinavia, where the days are short and driving in dusk is therefore common.

[Rebl2]

31. The newer cars

have had this for years. Think my husband 2002 car has headlights that automatically come on. In my state and think a neighboring state it’s a law if it’s raining or snowing you must have headlights on.

[TheRickles]

33. Makes sense while raining or snowing, but in broad daylight?

[2naSalit]

47. It makes a difference where I live.

Illuminated headlights make the vehicle visible from a longer distance, which means you can also see what's in between you and the lights, helps in judging distance too.

Also, they catch your eye faster, even in daylight. I willfully drive with headlights on day and night.

[Random Boomer]

50. I always turn on my lights

Just to be clear, I have regular headlights, not the horrible neon lights, which I dread on the few occasions I drive at night.

I turn on my lights for a combination of reasons. It becomes an ingrained habit, rather than a decision making process every time I start the car, so I'm less likely to forget when I really need them at dusk or night. Cars with lights -- even in broad daylight -- are easier to see, and especially true of dark/grey cars that blend into the roadway. (I have a red car, which for a color-blind person probably shows as dark gray on a dark gray street backdrop.)

[Diamond_Dog]

10. I hate driving at night for this reason.

Blinding lights in the oncoming lane and blinding lights from a too close pickup truck behind my Corolla.

[dchill]

35. They're no fun in the rearview mirror, either.

I feel like I'm being assaulted when one comes up behind me.

[halfulglas]

12. It's even worse if you have eye conditions that sometimes make it worse.

The glare refracts differently. It's not the darkness that stops me from most night driving, it's the glare of the other headlights.

[BigmanPigman]

25. Ditto

[Rebl2]

34. Same here

I can’t even tolerate the brightness of the sun anymore let alone bright headlights. I thought several years ago the government came out with a study that said certain car headlights did very poorly at night—that they were to dim for night driving. Guess the car companies changed the brightness of their headlights for that reason.

[lambchopp59]

13. It's not just the headlights.

It's that in combination with so many more wrecklessly aggressive drivers on the roads everywhere these days.

[judesedit]

17. I'm with you. They are blinding. I do not drive at night because of it.

I read somewhere they were coming out with better headlights that don't do that. Of course, they will be on new cars, though. I wonder if those yellow glasses help with that at all. Might be worth a try

[DownriverDem]

18. Had to

flip my rear view mirror because of blinding headlights behind me.

Proud Dem from Michigan

[IronLionZion]

19. The Weeknd - Blinding Lights (Official Video)

[robbob]

20. The new headlight do seem much brighter, but I'm also seeing

a lot of distracted drivers who can’t even be bothered switching to low beams when approaching another car at night.

I use my high beams at night for better visibility, but also so that I can remind oncoming cars to switch to low beams. I wait until my high beams are clearly apparent to them, then switch to low, hoping they will reciprocate. Over the years I’ve seen more and more people totally oblivious to the fact that they are bearing down on you with high beams blazing.

[dchill]

38. They're not distracted - they just don't give a shit if you can't see.

They'd rather you didn't. It's part of the "fun" of aggressive driving.

[global1]

39. They Probably Aren't Switching To Low Beams Because....

what you're experiencing is their low beams. These new high intensity lights are as bright as the high beams of traditional headlights. They don't have their bright lights on.

That's the problem with these newer lights.

[robbob]

54. Sometimes, but with repeated flashing at them one of two things happen:

Either they flash their highs back at me, and MAN, are those things bright, or more often than not I’ve made the right call, and they finally switch to low. One time a car was bearing down on me and I was pretty sure they had the brights on. So I flicked my highs at them, and nothing. I flicked again, and held it longer. Nothing. So finally with the car no more then 50 yards away and absolutely blinding me I just put my high beams on. Finally, and keep in mind this is after FOUR reminders, they switched to low beams.

[cab67]

21. I commute 3.5 hours twice a week.

Long story.

But this means I'm often driving into urban freeway traffic at night.

More than once, I've had to shift my rear-view and side-view mirrors so the high-intensity lights of a car right behind me don't impair my vision.

[doc03]

22. It's the blue ones, whatever they are, that blind me. nt

[dickthegrouch]

55. Those blue ones can cause me eye pain

There’s so much energy coming out of them that I feel as if my eyeballs are being boiled. Luckily it goes away quickly but it did motivate me to complain to the NHTSA and one manufacturer. They can’t say it’s a new problem or one they don’t know about.

[TexLaProgressive]

27. I hate the bluish or greenish ones the most

When I drive at night I always where yellow clip on lenses on my glasses. It really helps without decreasing vision.

[Pobeka]

29. If you blind the other drivers, you make it less safe for yourself too.

There is a balance to be met. We used to have reasonable traffic/auto engineering standards that were reasonably well met.

Another tip -- headlight bulbs, even not burnt out, will dim over time, so you may need some new bulbs in your vehicle if they haven't been replaced in a couple of years.

[geardaddy]

30. Yep, I hate them. I have mild cataracts and it is almost painful with those lights

[peppertree]

46. Revved up like a DOUCHE, another runner in the night...

[geardaddy]

48. LOL

[peppertree]

49. Thanks.

That's them alright.

I can tell some of them love it.

[Ford_Prefect]

36. I live in the valley of the SUV and the 4 story Pickup.

I'd have to say about 1/2 don't have them adjusted correctly, or have added auxiliary lights, light bars or others which aren't meant for road use.

I drive a 1995 Camry because it fits my stature at 6'2", it does everything I need as a car, it is simple to work on, it is paid for, and gets reasonable mileage. I have been many times tempted to mount a roof rack and add auxiliary lights front and rear so the bloody fools in the 4 story pickups can see me be fore they run me over. They every bit as bad in town as they are on the highway. Tailgating when your headlights are 5 feet off the ground is dangerous.

[Old Crank]

37. Is it the lights or the aim of the lights

Or are people using high beams? That you can't do much about. I've blinked my HB to let them know but it doesn't seem to bother them.

Hard to tell from a driver's view point when they are in front of you or behind.
I loved my HID in the Prius and noticed that the light pattern had a very sharp cut off on low beams so as not to intrude into another lane. I had my wife drive it to me while I was in another vehicle and it wasn't bad. YMMV.

Now the new SUV/Pickups have lights positioned higher and they should be pointed further down. But then the driver won't see the road becasue the front ends are so high up and square. Then they jack them up so when they are behind you the lights blast into your cabin.
I would write to National highway safety org. to complain.

[Prairie_Seagull]

40. These lights are dangerous.

If you don't have to, don't drive at night. It's hard this time of year due to getting dark earlier. Regardless, safety first.

I notice in my more rural area, pick-ups having them probably along the line of 3:1, over passenger cars, and due to them being a taller rig these blinding lights hit passenger car drivers straight in the eyes. On a 2 lane rural road traveling 50 to 60mph, 10 seconds of not being able to see shit. It's dangerous.

In addition this time of year, more often, roads are slick. Possibly even snowy or ICY. I read, in a magazine at a tire shop, that there are 50 percent more accidents at night, with more injuries and death (to early for that word) than during daylight.

Unfortunately, "hostility lights" sounds about right (in my area anyway)

This is the holiday season but even if not, please be safe. Selfishly, I want to continue having discussions with my DU friends

[Martin Eden]

41. Rear turn signals on some new cars are way too bright

When stopped at a red light behind those blinkers, I have to avert my eyes.

I know this is at least in part due to the brightness of LED's, but I thought it might have something to do with my age (mid-60's now).

[LisaM]

42. And it's awful for pedestrians.

They are always trying to get us out of our cars. I try to walk everywhere. It's always a challenge (no crosswalks for a mile, cars turning right on red, you name it) and those lights make it far worse.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

43. I know what you mean!

They are bad news for some of us. Can't see when they are coming at me and bothering me via the rear view and side mirrors when behind.

[Cassidy]

44. I flip my rear view mirror down when an aggressive, too bright, tailgater follows me.

I don't know if newer cars have anything like this, but I can flip it down and back up again easily. It works to get the glare out of my eyes and I can't see what is going on behind me anyway.
If they are following me for a distance, I also adjust my review mirrors away from their usual position. That prevents them from blinding me with those and I think it might affect their view because sometimes they back off.
When they are gone, so I can see again, I put everything back in order.

[seta1950]

45. Agreed

Worst thing in headlights

[LuckyCharms]

51. It's the re-engineering of a reliable and safe solution...

into something that fucks everybody up and has unintended negative consequences.

You know, like everything else in this world.

It's "fixing" something to make it work worse.

[global1]

53. Here Is A Link To Another Thread About This Very Thing - The Bright Headlights On Cars....

It was posted back on Nov 26th.

Here's the link that will provide you with some additional info and comments about this very same problem: https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181738906

Maybe it's time we contact our Senators and Representatives about this problem and maybe get them interested in coming up with some solutions to this problem.

I don't think they realize that this situation is a problem. Maybe they could come up with some guidance to the car manufacturers on this bright headlight problem.

[NowsTheTime]

58. The more cars are replaced with newer cars...the worse it will get.

...a bunch of opposing traffic makes it quite worse.