Blinded by brakelights

Pythagorean

I find that most drivers, when stopped, say at traffic lights for several minutes, keep their foot on the brake pedal, rather than use the handbrake. Being behind them is very hard on the eyes, as many cars have super bright LED brake lights, I find German makes the worst for this. Their brake lights appear to be designed for the autobahn rather than stop start Dublin traffic. I figure the drivers are probably quite unaware of this blinding of the driver behind, but it is just one more stress factor in a very stressful driving environment.

al2009

Is a lot of it due to the rise in auto gear boxes, with a manual i find it easier to put it in neutral and use hand brake.

Atlantic Dawn

It's only going to get worse with the spread of auto's...all hybrids, all electrics and your old school engines.

wonski

Never an issue for me. Look elsewhere.

It's not like you have to stare at them.

CPTM

Pythagorean wrote: »

I find that most drivers, when stopped, say at traffic lights for several minutes, keep their foot on the brake pedal, rather than use the handbrake. Being behind them is very hard on the eyes, as many cars have super bright LED brake lights, I find German makes the worst for this. Their brake lights appear to be designed for the autobahn rather than stop start Dublin traffic. I figure the drivers are probably quite unaware of this blinding of the driver behind, but it is just one more stress factor in a very stressful driving environment.

Never thought about it before. You've changed me at least! One less car on the road doing it!

bazz26

It's the auto/hill hold function on modern cars rather than people keeping their foot on the brake pedal. Doesn't bother me to be honest, I just don't stare at the lights.

BDI

Why you stressing? Just look at their roof. When it starts moving away from you it’s safe to look at the break lights again.

wonski

I would add, not pointing at the op here, that keeping your windscreen clean inside and outside does help sometimes.

Annoying glare can often be caused by dirty windscreen and worn wipers, too.

I drive a lot at night and that's the last of my worries on the road.

rosmoke

bazz26 wrote: »

It's the auto/hill hold function on modern cars rather than people keeping their foot on the brake pedal. Doesn't bother me to be honest, I just don't stare at the lights.

Hill hold on my Golf (doesn't activate brake lights) just keeps the car from moving for 3 seconds after you press brake, think it's more or less the same with others.

You can always keep at least 3-4 meters (which is actually recommended) behind the car in front of you and it's all good, I always do this when there's a dirty smokey diesel in front.

bazz26

rosmoke wrote: »

Hill hold on my Golf (doesn't activate brake lights) just keeps the car from moving for 3 seconds after you press brake, think it's the same with others, it would be dangerous otherwise.

You can always keep at least 3-4 meters (which is actually recommended) behind the car in front of you and it's all good.

My car engages the auto hold function after it is stationery for a few seconds to prevent it rolling, the brake lights definitely stay on. I don't need to keep my foot on the brake pedal. Mine is an auto though so maybe it's different with manual cars.

heroics

bazz26 wrote: »

My car engages the auto hold function after it is stationery for a few seconds to prevent it rolling, the brake lights definitely stay on. I don't need to keep my foot on the brake pedal. Mine is an auto though so maybe it's different with manual cars.

Same with mine

greasepalm

Rear fog lights on as i got side by side with owner and said switch off your rear fog light as its blinding drivers behind, " oh i have a side light bulb gone so switched them on ".
From glaring lights to no lights how stupid are people as they cant see no light on road as got close up to a leaf that pulled in front of me,switched to high beam " oooops no lights on noticed and switched on then "
You cant win blinding lights or no lights at night.

Pythagorean

Pythagorean wrote: »

I find that most drivers, when stopped, say at traffic lights for several minutes, keep their foot on the brake pedal, rather than use the handbrake. Being behind them is very hard on the eyes, as many cars have super bright LED brake lights, I find German makes the worst for this. Their brake lights appear to be designed for the autobahn rather than stop start Dublin traffic. I figure the drivers are probably quite unaware of this blinding of the driver behind, but it is just one more stress factor in a very stressful driving environment.

The brake lights stay on with hill hold/auto handbrake in VW, Audi etc anyway so it’s not people keeping their foot on the brake it’s the car keeping the lights on.

rosmoke wrote: »

Hill hold on my Golf (doesn't activate brake lights) just keeps the car from moving for 3 seconds after you press brake, think it's more or less the same with others..

Hill hold holds the car indefinitely on VW, Audi, skoda etc, once you stop you will see the green “P” illuminated indicating the car is being held and you can remove your foot from the brake. The car is being held by the brakes so the brake lights are on. When you turn off the car, open the door or actually press the handbrake button you will see a red “P” this means the handbrake has activated and in this case no brake lights. Generally you only activate the handbrake when parking it’s hillhold for all other usage.

mrcheez

I usually stop about 2-3 metres behind cars with exceedingly bright tail lights, seems to solve the blinding issue

Del2005

wonski wrote: »

I would add, not pointing at the op here, that keeping your windscreen clean inside and outside does help sometimes.

Annoying glare can often be caused by dirty windscreen and worn wipers, too.

And if that doesn't work then get an eye test. How many people are driving for years after getting their eyes tested in their late teens or early 20s and still think they can see the same.

beauf

Its not the people who find them too bright that need an eye test....

DaveyDave

Bright LED rear lights isn't that big of an issue, it's cúnts driving everywhere with their fog lights on that is.

colm_mcm

rosmoke wrote: »

Hill hold on my Golf (doesn't activate brake lights) just keeps the car from moving for 3 seconds after you press brake, think it's more or less the same with others.

You can always keep at least 3-4 meters (which is actually recommended) behind the car in front of you and it's all good, I always do this when there's a dirty smokey diesel in front.

My Octavia is like that too, but on the Mk7 Golf which has the electric handbrake it has the proper hill hold/autohold which stops the car indefinitely and keeps the brake lights on till you move off.

andekwarhola

mrcheez wrote: »

I usually stop about 2-3 metres behind cars with exceedingly bright tail lights, seems to solve the blinding issue

Always do this anyway, or at least on hills in case somebody rolls back a bit when trying to take off.

barneygumble99

There’s new traffic lights installed in my city and I find the green lights very blinding. More than any other traffic lights. In general, I don’t find brake lights too bad but some HID’s are hard on the eyes.

Wishbone Ash

barneygumble99 wrote: »

... I find the green lights very blinding...

Generally you shouldn't be stopped looking at green lights.

Pythagorean

Interesting to hear your comments; I drive a 92 Corolla, so I am not up to speed with a lot of this modern technology!! If you look back at older cars you will see that the brake lights are positioned much lower down, so out of your immediate line of sight. It's these modern monster SUVs lit up like star wars, with high level brake lights that cause me the problem. Often it is not really feasible to stay 2 or 3 metres behind them if you are stuck in stop/start traffic

barneygumble99

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Generally you shouldn't be stopped looking at green lights.

So you’ve never been stopped at traffic lights when they turned from red to green no??

Vic_08

If you think the glare is annoying now there was some gimp on here a while back wanting to set up his high level brake light to strobe "for safety".

Del2005

Pythagorean wrote: »

Interesting to hear your comments; I drive a 92 Corolla, so I am not up to speed with a lot of this modern technology!! If you look back at older cars you will see that the brake lights are positioned much lower down, so out of your immediate line of sight. It's these modern monster SUVs lit up like star wars, with high level brake lights that cause me the problem. Often it is not really feasible to stay 2 or 3 metres behind them if you are stuck in stop/start traffic

High level brake lights are safer than low level ones. It's easier to see the higher brake light from a distance, which is why the EU mandated a 3rd higher level brake light.

Monster SUVs you're having a laugh. The majority of SUVs driven on our roads are far from monsters. They are all based on cars with a bit more suspension and a huge profit for the manufacturer.

As others have said don't look at them if they are causing you issues. I've only ever had a problem with 1 car which had cheap LED aftermarket lights fitted, I just looked at something else.

terrydel

Whatever about tailights, so many modern headlights are a danger in my opinion.
Even on dipped they are blinding. Cant stand them.

Wibbs

Pythagorean wrote: »

If you look back at older cars you will see that the brake lights are positioned much lower down, so out of your immediate line of sight.

True enough and one reason why higher third brake lights came in and were made a requirement.

It's these modern monster SUVs lit up like star wars, with high level brake lights that cause me the problem.

Brake lights don't trouble me tbh as I'm generally low enough to be out of direct line of sight. Rear fogs yes, but more of an irritant, like an indicator stuck on(can you not hear the bloody ticking/see the light blinking on the dash you oaf? Firing squad offence ). Oncoming traffic with HID's on country roads would be much more an issue where there is one.

Wibbs

Del2005 wrote: »

Monster SUVs you're having a laugh. The majority of SUVs driven on our roads are far from monsters. They are all based on cars with a bit more suspension and a huge profit for the manufacturer.

True D. I suppose it's a case of perspective too. Pythagorean's in a 92 Corolla and back then cars were much smaller and generally lower than the last few years. To him an SUV can look like a "monster", to someone driving an old original Mini they'd look like an imminent threat to life.

As others have said don't look at them if they are causing you issues. I've only ever had a problem with 1 car which had cheap LED aftermarket lights fitted, I just looked at something else.

This.

terrydel

Wibbs wrote: »

True enough and one reason why higher third brake lights came in and were made a requirement. Brake lights don't trouble me tbh as I'm generally low enough to be out of direct line of sight. Rear fogs yes, but more of an irritant, like an indicator stuck on(can you not hear the bloody ticking/see the light blinking on the dash you oaf? Firing squad offence ). Oncoming traffic with HID's on country roads would be much more an issue where there is one.

Thats the ones, the HIDs are a a real pain, I'm actually suprised they are legal.

Pythagorean

terrydel wrote: »

Whatever about tailights, so many modern headlights are a danger in my opinion.
Even on dipped they are blinding. Cant stand them.

Agreed, and I get the distinct impression that this has become more and more prevalent over recent years. There seems to be a belief that you can't see, or be seen, unless you're blinding another driver. :mad:

Vittu

Pythagorean wrote: »

I find that most drivers, when stopped, say at traffic lights for several minutes, keep their foot on the brake pedal, rather than use the handbrake. Being behind them is very hard on the eyes, as many cars have super bright LED brake lights, I find German makes the worst for this. Their brake lights appear to be designed for the autobahn rather than stop start Dublin traffic. I figure the drivers are probably quite unaware of this blinding of the driver behind, but it is just one more stress factor in a very stressful driving environment.

Use your sun visor when stationary to block the glare of it's that brjght

zilog_jones

I'm usually pretty sensitive to light - I always wear sunglasses when driving and the sun is actually out, and unnecessary rear fog lights annoy me - but brake lights don't really bother me. Just don't stare at them.

Del2005 wrote: »

Monster SUVs you're having a laugh. The majority of SUVs driven on our roads are far from monsters. They are all based on cars with a bit more suspension and a huge profit for the manufacturer.

But when you're driving a car from the '90s like the OP, you're so low down that the lights of these things are right in your face. When I had a Mk4 Fiesta, the huge rear windscreen (comparative to modern cars) meant that anyone in a crossover tailgating me or with slightly misaligned headlights would light up the entire cabin :mad:

terrydel wrote: »

Thats the ones, the HIDs are a a real pain, I'm actually suprised they are legal.

A lot of them aren't legal - many are aftermarket kits fitted to reflector-style lights which are not allowed at all and cause masses of glare. There are lots of aftermarket LED headlights which are muck too.

Wildly Boaring

Is this one of those things that you can allow bug you?

I saw this mentioned in a thread about a year ago. Brake lights on stationary vehicles then annoyed me for about a week.

Forgot about them till today.

Just look elsewhere

adocholiday

I'm actually quite conscious of this in my car. It has an electric parking brake rather than a handbrake and the car has no hill hold function so I have to keep my foot on the brake pedal when at lights etc. Always drove me mad sitting behind really bright brake lights but now I'm guilty of it!

zilog_jones

What's stopping you from using the parking brake while stopped in traffic?

kirving

The annoyance of brake lights in front I find depends on a lot of things, make sure your own windscreen is perfectly clean and decontaminated, inside and out.

Good wipers and windscreen wash go a long way to limiting glare if it's raining too.

It can depend on the car too, some windscreens have no coatings, while others have multiple coatings that can reduce glare.

https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/innovation/let-there-be-light-the-led-headlamps-of-the-future-e-class/ wrote:

The new E-Class will again feature tail lights with the familiar Mercedes-Benz multi-level functionality - functionality that remains unique in the car industry. The brake lights and indicators are operated with varying light intensity, depending on the driving situation and ambient lighting (day/night).

If the Mercedes driver presses the brake pedal while stopped at traffic lights at night, for instance, the brightness of the brake lights will be automatically dimmed to avoid dazzling anyone behind. It goes without saying that the lights still comply with all statutory requirements.

TheRiverman

Drivers using fog lights when there is no fog is much worse than brake lights.There is an epidemic of it out there with both front and back fog lights.I would say easily 35-40% of drivers are using them all the time during darkness hours when the is no fog or poor visibility.

Del2005

zilog_jones wrote: »

What's stopping you from using the parking brake while stopped in traffic?

If you are having issues with brake lights, while the vast majority of people don't, get your eyes tested and spotlessly clean your windscreen. If you are still having issues then look elsewhere.

zilog_jones

Del2005 wrote: »

If you are having issues with brake lights, while the vast majority of people don't, get your eyes tested and spotlessly clean your windscreen. If you are still having issues then look elsewhere.

I never said I had a problem - in fact in a previous post I specifically said I do not have a problem.

I was replying to adocholiday's post where they said they couldn't use the parking brake while stopped because it was electronic - I don't understand why not.

heroics

TheRiverman wrote: »

Drivers using fog lights when there is no fog is much worse than brake lights.There is an epidemic of it out there with both front and back fog lights.I would say easily 35-40% of drivers are using them all the time during darkness hours when the is no fog or poor visibility.

I have to agree this is way worse. TBH front fogs have never bothered me. but the rear ones drive me nuts.

Half the time I bet they don't know the rear fogs are on.

creedp

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

Is this one of those things that you can allow bug you?

I saw this mentioned in a thread about a year ago. Brake lights on stationary vehicles then annoyed me for about a week.

Forgot about them till today.

Just look elsewhere

There are many issues arising during the day that can bug you and sometimes you just have to develop coping mechanisms. My pet hate at present is having to listen to a colleague slurping his tea and very audibly burping throughout the day - coping mechanism = good quality headphones which are deployed each time I see him carrying a cup!

Wishbone Ash

adocholiday wrote: »

.... It has an electric parking brake rather than a handbrake and the car has no hill hold function so I have to keep my foot on the brake pedal when at lights etc.!..

What's to stop you from engaging the electric parking brake?