Blinding headlights on new cars

lanciadub

was wondering is it just me or is anyone else noticing that newer cars and especially SUVs have absolutely blinding headlights and even tail lights on some models.
They might be a great advantage for the drivers of these cars but its like driving at an oncoming lighthouse.
Range rovers seem to be the biggest culprits . It could be a case of drivers not bothering to adjust the headlight beams from the dash.
It could also be the fact that the SUV headlights are higher than say a standard saloon car and so they are right at eye level on approach.
As i said it may just be me and my aging eyes but i cant believe that some of these are actually legal on the roads .

loyatemu

It's not just you - they're way too bright. It's not just the brightness, but they're whiter too (colour temp I guess).

goat2

I find them dangerously bright when approaching them, blinding, some of these cars now have automatic dimming, but I wonder if they actually do dim, or if there is also manual dim on them and that the drivers think they are dimming automatically

Kevin Finnerty

If they're outside of 30 yards away or taking off they can glare, but I usually find they get easier on the eye the nearer they get.

Voodoomelon

This is typically only an issue in rural/hilly areas where the the road levels result in the cars beams shining above the oncoming cars bonnet level, or navigating bends and entering into the cars nearside beam.

On a flat surface, a car's beam should not be intruding on oncoming traffic at all and it shouldn't make the slightest bit of difference what the light output of a headlight is if the beam is correctly adjusted. Self leveling can only do so much on xenons/leds/lasers, if the lay of the land is uneven then people will get dazzled occasionally. If all cars had decent headlights, there would be a net benefit to road safety, worth the hindrance IMO.

lanciadub wrote: »

i cant believe that some of these are actually legal on the roads .

This is absolutely the case with many older cars with HIDs retrofitted to halogen housings and are the real pests on the road.

Kintarō Hattori

Can't agree with you more OP, I find a lot of them fairly blinding alright. I think someone here mentioned before that they are set up very specifically and if you're at an off angle to them then they are overly harsh. I travel the back road into work in the mornings and it can be really irritating.

bigroad

I find that too.some of them would cut the eyes out of yea.
And then we have the clowns fitting after market bulbs which are way too bright and not legal.
The worst for me are the fools who drive around with their fog lights on when no fog about.
Look at me I have fog lights on my car so I must be cool.

Doctors room ghost

Every Nissan juke made should be taken outside and shot.fcukin lights on them passing you are like being assaulted by a Christmas tree.fcuks of things.

Henry Ford III

They are probably merely cleaner.

fancy pigeon

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

Every Nissan juke made should be taken outside and shot.fcukin lights on them passing you are like being assaulted by a Christmas tree.fcuks of things.

Along with every sh*thead who retrofits a cheap Chinese HID kit in their dipped beams on their neglected scrapbox to fit in with the cool kids, often fitted in crooked and blinding all round them just to be seen

lanciadub

Voodoomelon wrote: »

This is typically only an issue in rural/hilly areas where the the road levels result in the cars beams shining above the oncoming cars bonnet level, or navigating bends and entering into the cars nearside beam.

On a flat surface, a car's beam should not be intruding on oncoming traffic at all and it shouldn't make the slightest bit of difference what the light output of a headlight is if the beam is correctly adjusted. Self leveling can only do so much on xenons/leds/lasers, if the lay of the land is uneven then people will get dazzled occasionally. If all cars had decent headlights, there would be a net benefit to road safety, worth the hindrance IMO.



This is absolutely the case with many older cars with HIDs retrofitted to halogen housings and are the real pests on the road.

100% on retrofit HIDS , they are a disaster .
Unfortunately the lay of the land is rarely even in this country so its always going to be a hindrance.
I agree that if all cars had decent headlights and they were set properly it would be better all round , but when everybody has these lights (which will happen as old cars get phased out) and nobody bothers to set them up we will all be driving blind .
A note on the tail lights i mentioned, i was stopped at traffic lights behind a faily new merc recently and i had to lower my visor his tail lights were that bright , it was pure overkill.

beauf

Find them blinding also, especially on SUV's. Some bicycles have them now and just blind you. Which is kind self defeating.

lanciadub

beauf wrote: »

Find them blinding also, especially on SUV's. Some bicycles have them now and just blind you. Which is kind self defeating.

Ha ha , I wasnt going to mention the bikes and go full victor meldrew but youre right . I pass 2 bikes every morning with blinding lights . I'm all for cyclists having proper safety and i wish more would do it, but do they not realise all they have to do is tilt it a small bit towards the ground and everyones a winner.

Ginger83

Fog lights also

w211

New cars means the brand new cars or just the new cars where owner installed the bling-bling LED lights? These days you can buy any kind of led lights but most of them are pure garbage. It is not funny to see the cars on the road and some of light pointing to the sky. Just the beam pattern are so wrong, because the bulb.It must imitate the HID/halogen bulb and it must locate so center as possible. If the bulb have led chips all over the place, it is garbage. The brand new cars are properly designed and these does not have any problem.

MrCostington

Wow, could not agree more as well!

Was thinking of starting this topic myself many times, but afraid it was just me and i'd be tracked down and license revoked!

I take it OP you drive a saloon, like me? I just drive in the city, but it's like looking at the sun.

And what about cyclists, some are even brighter (perhaps because not aimed down, instead right at you), and other have them on their helmets - what are you, a f****ing miner lol

That rant felt good!

mickdw

I drive on poor roads which makes for the oncoming light beam jumping around a bit however I'd have no complaints about new stuff unless they are not dimming.
A full beam xenon will nearly blind you for sure .

lanciadub

w211 wrote: »

New cars means the brand new cars or just the new cars where owner installed the bling-bling LED lights? These days you can buy any kind of led lights but most of them are pure garbage. It is not funny to see the cars on the road and some of light pointing to the sky. Just the beam pattern are so wrong, because the bulb.It must imitate the HID/halogen bulb and it must locate so center as possible. If the bulb have led chips all over the place, it is garbage. The brand new cars are properly designed and these does not have any problem.

No , these are on brand new cars with no modification, as a previous poster said if you approach them and the road is any way uneven you are still blinded , ive also cant help but notice the amount of fairly new cars that the owners never bother to turn on their lights , i dont know how this is possible in this day and age, but i see at least one a day that has no tailights whatssover,
and they just seem to have daytime running lights on at the front ..

boomshakalaka

Ughhh this has been an annoyance for me for a long time, but I also have mild night blindness which makes it worse. I actually avoid driving in the dark now cause with the extra bright lights, it's downright dangerous.

Also agree with some cyclists having odd lights. Like why do you have a white light behind you? Should it not be res? Sometimes k think they're coming towards me on the wrong side of the road when they're actually not. Anyone know what the law says for lights for cyclists?

Probably what people with the gas lamps said when the first electric lights came about, then incandecent vs. halogen etc. etc. Most of the new cars have option for better headlamps but people are too cheap to opt in for better light for themselves and instead complain that they can't see using their gas lights equivalents when more enligtened (pun intended) people do.

MrCostington

samih wrote: »

Probably what people with the gas lamps said when the first electric lights came about, then incandecent vs. halogen etc. etc. Most of the new cars have option for better headlamps but people are too cheap to opt in for better light for themselves and instead complain that they can't see using their gas lights equivalents when more enligtened (pun intended) people do.

I don't think this is the point of the thread. We are not saying we cannot see the road, but we are blinded by oncoming cars (and bikes).


Personally I drive an old car (no idea what lights but way less then newer cars) and if I'm driving in a low traffic area have no problem seeing the road, or I drive to a speed I feel safe at.


But at 6.00pm just stuck in traffic i'd be blinded, and even from behind

lanciadub

samih wrote: »

Probably what people with the gas lamps said when the first electric lights came about, then incandecent vs. halogen etc. etc. Most of the new cars have option for better headlamps but people are too cheap to opt in for better light for themselves and instead complain that they can't see using their gas lights equivalents when more enligtened (pun intended) people do.

Mmm don't know about that . My gas lamps are fairly adequate and i can see quite well with them , its only when i encounter some clown who doesn't know who to use a headlight adjustment switch thats when the problems start .

What I'm saying is that if your car had better lights you would not be blinded by other cars that have better lights.

For a country with largely very dark driving conditions better lights would be an useful extra that very few buyers opt in. The HIDs have been in market for over 20 years but still many 191 cars sport weak halogen lights. I had a displeasure to have a downgrade from LED to halogen last time I changed cars and it's a grim situation to be.

lanciadub

lanciadub wrote: »

Mmm don't know about that . My gas lamps are fairly adequate and i can see quite well with them , its only when i encounter some clown who doesn't know who to use a headlight adjustment switch thats when the problems start .

Not using the manual adjustment on basic lamps is a different topic. Any upgraded lights don't have any adjustments.

turbbo

samih wrote: »

What I'm saying is that if your car had better lights you would not be blinded by other cars that have better lights.

For a country with largely very dark driving conditions better lights would be an useful extra that very few buyers opt in. The HIDs have been in market for over 20 years but still many 191 cars sport weak halogen lights. I had a displeasure to have a downgrade from LED to halogen last time I changed cars and it's a grim situation to be.

Think the new cars aren't the problem it's all the boy racer types retro fitting cars with junk they bought online. Wonder do the garda do anything about it? Surely it's illegal?

lanciadub

samih wrote: »

What I'm saying is that if your car had better lights you would not be blinded by other cars that have better lights.

I dont see the logic in this whatsoever .

freddieot

Are there special glasses that you can get to help with this for night driving ? That stop the glare without stopping you from seeing everything else clearly ?

I see some ads on the internet but has anyone any real world experience of buying any particular brands that have actually made a good difference or are they just glorified sunglasses that do more harm than good ?

R.O.R

I was driving a 3 Series up until recently, that had LED lights but also had level adjustment. Driving back roads in the dark, if I came up behind anything you could see the lights quite often catching the rear view mirror so I'd adjust the level from 0 to 2 and that lowered the beam down to the back of the car.

I'm currently in an X1 that also has LED lights, but this doesn't have any level adjustment. Driving behind someone on the main road the other night, the top of my light beam was at the bottom of their rear window - thankfully, it's a smooth road so the light didn't bounce up to blind them, but it wouldn't take much.

Haven't had to drive the back road alternate route yet, but if I do, I suspect I'm really going to pee off whoever I come up behind with really bright shiny lights, and there's nothing I can do except go to side lights, and that's not a great option on unlit back roads.

BTW - these are new model cars with the factory headlights.

_Brian

You know.
I think it was the 50’s or 60’s but there was a huge push back against tungsten and halogen lights when they were introduced.
Drivers said they were blinding, amd yet they are what people consider reasonable now.

fancy pigeon

boomshakalaka wrote: »

Ughhh this has been an annoyance for me for a long time, but I also have mild night blindness which makes it worse. I actually avoid driving in the dark now cause with the extra bright lights, it's downright dangerous.

How did I forget to give a special mention to anyone who drives round with crooked misaligned headlamps, blinding all round them. Focus mk2 are a usual serial offender wherein the lamps are taken out to change a bulb and fired back into the car any old way, sure it's grand

Whilst a lot of LED/HID equipped cars are bright, they don't blind anywhere near as much as the aforementioned muppets

arsebiscuits82

Ah but it's great having them. Mine has dynamic leds with auto dimming. Find it hard driving the work van after being out in the car at night.

I do get flashed sometimes but I put on the full beam and that softens their cough a bit.

_Brian

_Brian wrote: »

You know.
I think it was the 50’s or 60’s but there was a huge push back against tungsten and halogen lights when they were introduced.
Drivers said they were blinding, amd yet they are what people consider reasonable now.

That's exactly it. Some of the halogen lights on modern cars are really bad. Luckily you can always opt for better ones.

And don't look into lights of oncoming traffic ("another bloody Range Rover") and if you are continuously blinded and approaching middle age (guilty and past that myself) it might be a good time to see an optician too.

I personally find that the biggest offenders on the road are cars with incorrectly fitted halogen bulbs. You know the ones that one light appears brighter that the other. It's an easy mistake to do changing bulbs.

fancy pigeon

samih wrote: »

I personally find that the biggest offenders on the road are cars with incorrectly fitted halogen bulbs. You know the ones that one light appears brighter that the other. It's an easy mistake to do changing bulbs.

I'd be putting it down to pure incompetence of whomever is fitting the bulb and sheer laziness of not checking it's pointing in the right direction. Even with the car pointing against a wall it really isn't hard to notice if the beam is completely off but I suppose a lot of people are too thick to realise this, wondering why everyone else is flashing them

There really is no excuse when the bulbs are easy to access and change (lets not start on Megannes and C5s etc as they can be a bastard if you're not used to them)

MrCostington

samih wrote: »

What I'm saying is that if your car had better lights you would not be blinded by other cars that have better lights.

Apologies for taking you up wrong then. But, is that really true, does not compute! How so, especially for saloon driver Vs SUVs?

MrCostington

freddieot wrote: »

Are there special glasses that you can get to help with this for night driving ? That stop the glare without stopping you from seeing everything else clearly ?

I see some ads on the internet but has anyone any real world experience of buying any particular brands that have actually made a good difference or are they just glorified sunglasses that do more harm than good ?

Coincidentally I was getting a checkup on Tues. I wear contacts for short sight. I told the optition about the dazzel issue, she said she would make me up some glasses with zero (or near zero) correction but with a coating. I had an pair of reading glasses in the car (the €3 kind you get in Mr Price etc) she can put lenses in them just to pop over my contacts at night. Not got them yet.

I'd steer clear (lol) of internet ads, just in case you buy something, and then miss a cyclist etc

And, totally unscientific, the last 18 months I've been making my lunch at home, a salad. I'm getting my 10 a day (literally, 9 or 10 items in it, all fresh veg) including a whole carrot, and some courgette. I really feel les affected by the dazzle this winter than the last few. The internet suggests that courgette is beneficial to eyesight.

beauf

samih wrote: »

What I'm saying is that if your car had better lights you would not be blinded by other cars that have better lights..

That makes no sense.

samih wrote: »

of a a country with largely very dark driving conditions better lights would be an useful extra that very few buyers opt in. The HIDs have been in market for over 20 years but still many 191 cars sport weak halogen lights. I had a displeasure to have a downgrade from LED to halogen last time I changed cars and it's a grim situation to be.

Driving in the dark is why you have full beams which you can turn off and have dims for driving in traffic.

The issue is blinding other traffic.

beauf

freddieot wrote: »

Are there special glasses that you can get to help with this for night driving ? That stop the glare without stopping you from seeing everything else clearly ?

I ...

My Dad's had a pair of yellow night driving glasses which cut down glare and flares. If you were doing a long drive at night in traffic they did help.

beauf

_Brian wrote: »

You know.
I think it was the 50’s or 60’s but there was a huge push back against tungsten and halogen lights when they were introduced.
Drivers said they were blinding, amd yet they are what people consider reasonable now.

Did they not introduce patterns in the lenses to diffuse the beam and introduce checks for alignment in mot. Also there are different patterns for left and right and right side driving.

I'll bet they did that because they were blinding aswell.

These days the dims are blinding.

TheRiverman

I think LED lights are fine,it's the thousands of idiots out there who drive with front and back fog lights on all the time that annoys me.

Doctors room ghost

TheRiverman wrote: »

I think LED lights are fine,it's the thousands of idiots out there who drive with front and back fog lights on all the time that annoys me.

Johnny 4 pots I do call lads driving with front fogs on when there’s no fog.
I reckon a law should be passed that any lad caught with front fogs on and no need for them should be pulled over and have them pulled clean out of the bumper with the point of a pick axe.
Optional pick axe holes could also be provided for a panel displaying a Nurburgring sticker ðŸ˜

mickdw

A lot of newer cars have drl at the fog light position with an additional bulb beside that that gives the fog light.
Be careful that you don't mistake a law abiding driver for a fog light offender!

Renegade Mechanic

The best thing about the new "fog light on cornering" feature on new cars is the sheer, teeth gnashing rage they induce, as they're legal, part of the car, and there's nothing the anti fog light brigade can do about it.

I've consistently found DRL LEDs to be far sharper against the eyes than both dips and fog lights during the day.
During the night, never once has an oncoming fog light even registered to me unless some moron installed the bulb upside down..

But the newer generation of drivers are to blame mostly for the "brighter" lights.
Every. ****ing. Week. Without fail. We get drivers in bitching about how bad their lights are until we fit (legal) 30% Hella/Osram/Philips/Whatever bulbs.
Then they come back and continue bitching until we focus the lights upwards a little above the level.

It's basically I can't see enough and it's illegal to drive with my heads on all the time so this is the next best thing. Loads of garages are doing it just to shut them up. Loads of garages will lie about not doing it....

They're to blame for the vast amount of this. Selfish millennial gits with no cojones who break into a cold sweat if they can't see into the middle of next week :mad:

Avatar MIA

I'm coming at this from a different angle.

It happens about once or twice on average on my motor way commute where someone will put on their halogen full beams after I've passed. I've LEDs. I presume they think I've full beams on. I will brake until they turn them off. Also, my car is low down and not an SUV. Invariably the person that flashes will have fogs lights on. :rolleyes:

jimmynokia

Agree with this and them cyclists lights. Plenty of new cars on road with these annoying lights and especially when they are up your hole sticking their head in ans out trying to get past..

EPAndlee

Ginger83 wrote: »

Fog lights also

Every car I've owned has had front fog lights and everytime I drove with the headlights on, the front fog lights have been on also

wonski

I also recommend checking wipers and clean the windows outside and inside regularly. These are often not looked at properly, especially this time of the year.

Not saying that the case as most if not all posters here probably do that, but worth pointing out.

I get slightly blinded on jumpy back roads at night sometimes, but nothing major. Happened to me before xenons and leds era.

beauf

Avatar MIA wrote: »

I'm coming at this from a different angle.

It happens about once or twice on average on my motor way commute where someone will put on their halogen full beams after I've passed. I've LEDs. I presume they think I've full beams on. I will brake until they turn them off. Also, my car is low down and not an SUV. Invariably the person that flashes will have fogs lights on. :rolleyes:

Just shows they are too bright...

wonski

beauf wrote: »

Just shows they are too bright...

The opposite really. Bright is the last word that comes to mind

Vowel Movement

It's always the fecking Suzuki SUV's that blind me. Hatefull things

worded

I’m noticing this a lot too

No nct to sort then out as they are new

Could a mini NCT be introduced for younger cars where only lights and tyres were checked from 2 years old?

Anyone any ideas on how to police this ?

NSAman

I have to say, I have both types of lighting on two different vehicles. The SUV has the LEDs and I have to say from a safety point of view, they are superb. The other vehicle has the older type lights (despite being only two years old) and when driving it does not pick up the sides of the roads as well. Both have automatic dimming , which only works if the car is clean... country roads and dirt do not work with automatic dimming.

Have always had some reservations about the LEDs personally, but mine are set correctly (yes a Range Rover) and have never had an issue with other drivers. I have had issues personally with Toyota’s and some Audi’s here... it seems as if their setting/set-up is a little too high.