Safety issue, full beam during the day

delly

Hey folks, as a full-time car driver I would like to know your view on the above.

I understand that daylight running lights are a recognised way of reducing your chances of having an accident, regardless of what you drive. I keep them on all day while in the car and nearly every biker I see does the same. Obviously the implications for me as a car driver not been seen is nowhere near the same as a biker, but I would like to know why some bikers feel it necessary to use full beam as well. It can be very sore on the eyes while facing a full beam bike as well as watching one coming from behind on the M50.

I just wonder do bikers feel justified to use full beam due to the risk element of being hit, and do they realise how dangerous it can be to blind other drivers?

Tree

are you talking about using highbeams? or just standard dipped headlights (not parks)

delly

Tree wrote: »

are you talking about using highbeams? or just standard dipped headlights (not parks)

Highbeams, as in the ones that blind you during the night as well as the day.

Run_to_da_hills

delly wrote: »

Highbeams, as in the ones that blind you during the night as well as the day.

Its technically illegal to be using high beams in a built up area day or night whether its a bike or car. It also annoys me as a Van driver. (I am also a regular biker around the city)

Hotblack Desiato

Using full beams in the daytime on a bike is illegal and totally stupid. Unfortunately, it seems to be on the increase.

On a bike, with no anti-dazzle mirrors, there are few things more annoying than being followed by some stupid git with their full beams on. It's very rarely a car will do this, but it happens to me about once a week with some eejit on a bike behind me. The next one is going to get a stern lecture at the next red light :mad:

Full beams on a bike are dangerous (1) it is never a good idea to annoy other road users unnecessarily, some of them do unpredictable things as a result. (2) because a main beam runs parallel to the road, it gives no indication of distance, so any car driver waiting to pull out will find it harder to estimate how far away you are. If they get it wrong, THUMP.

So do yourselves and everyone else a favour and DIP YOUR F**KING LIGHTS. :mad:

BlueBandit

Its a good way of pissing off van drivers though:D:D

cantdecide

I think bikers are simply being sensible- a single headlamp in daylight is grand, once you choose to ignore it, it doesn't bother you any more. I've never been bothered by a biker trying to be seen. I think it's responsible, actually.

KTRIC

The majority of new bikes these days have always on lights. I can't turn the headlamp off on my bike.

I read before that a bike with full beams on during the day makes the bike less visable because of the glare.

Tree

i've had problems with my lamp being bent up a bit, so even when dipped it looked like a highbeam, took me ages to spot that it had moved.

Run_to_da_hills

Also a lot of grey imported bikes and even new bikes shipped in from the continent have their lights focused for LHD continental roads. I knew someone who bought a brand new SV650 from a known bike dealer in Galway. The bike was shipped in directly in from Italy to be sold cheaper than the RRP. (By passing Priory Motors). The head lights were never set right on this bike for Irish roads thus making this new bike an illegal sale to an Irish customer. The reflectors in both headlamps should have been changed and focused to suit right hand drive conditions. This is an issue that Irish dealers importing new bikes from Europe tend to avoid. If this was in the UK it would probably be an MOT failure.

delly

Well at least it seems other bikers find it an irritation as well and its not widely accepted.

@cantdecide

Normal dips are fine, but full beams are enough to blind other drivers for an instance.

Hotblack Desiato

cantdecide wrote: »

I think bikers are simply being sensible- a single headlamp in daylight is grand, once you choose to ignore it, it doesn't bother you any more. I've never been bothered by a biker trying to be seen. I think it's responsible, actually.

WTF? It's dangerous, stupid and illegal.

Unless by "full beam" you actually mean "dipped beam", which is legal and a good idea.

arybvtcw0eolkf

BlueBandit wrote: »

Its a good way of pissing off van drivers though:D:D

Yea, nothing pisses off a van driver more than a motorbike stuck into his side :rolleyes:

Highbeam's are dangerous in so far as they reduce whats called 'the diminishing background', thereby making it harder for the car driver (or van!) to accurately judge the speed and distance of the bike and may pullout beliving the biker is travelling slower and further away than it (the bike) is.

anonymousjunkie

I use a bike everyday on the M50, and have my headlight on, but not full beam, thats stupid and unnecessary.

bitemybanger

Yeah, its just silly and will only pi$$ other drivers off more and we would get even less respect on the roads which is one thing we cant afford to loose, its hard enough to come by as it is.

Dark-Mavis

It's usually just a case of the lights being poorly setup imo!
Cagers regularly think i have the "Fulls" on when im behind just because the lights of my bike are very high off the ground (Varadero); similar to large jeeps!

art

Well fix 'em.

I'm on a Triumph Tiger and I don't go around dazzling other drivers/riders, being up high isn't an excuse.

lukester

This doesn't bother me at all if it's on a bright day. Have only really noticed it if I'm in a car, and it doesn't dazzle. I ain't saying it's legal, just that it don't get on my wick.

What annoys me far more is car drivers driving with front fogs on... :rolleyes:

a_ominous

The way I look at it is the headlight has 2 purposes: to help you see and to be seen. Driving on full beams leaves you with no facility for flashing your lights to get someone's attention, e.g. someone drifting across a lane on the M50 which happens every day (phones, reading newspaper, writing notes, etc.)

So long story short, at most, use dipped headlight in normal use.

As someone else alluded to, driving with headlights on all the time can have negative effects. A bike with dipped headlight on can be more difficult to see if the sun is behind it. A dark silhouette can be easier to see in those instances.

craichoe

Unless you have an overweight pillion passenger ... That can make it look like it s full rather than dipped