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Modern Car Lights - Far too bright

theguzman

Only returned home driving a short while ago and was absolutely blinded several times, the worst offender was a Tesla. These super bright white HID and LED lights on new cars and aftermarket bulbs I would say are the number 1 hazard on the road now. SUV and Trucks literally scorching the retina's off you and Automatic dimming which dims too late to ensure you are seeing stars. Bloody ridiculous and they should be banned.

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saabsaab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121494537#Comment_121494537

The low winter Sun is a menace. Whatever happened to the tinted glass on the windscreen with a heavy tint at the top gradually fading as you went down the screen? Was great as you could adjust your head to filter it out. An old Volvo had it..

ChickenDish

I agree, some of the lights are way to bright.

What's even worse is numpties driving around with their spot/fog lights on as well (nothing lets the world know just how cool you are like having your fog lights on for no reason what so ever) or DIY eejits who make a dog's dinner and put the bulb in arse ways when changing it, its like having one full beam on constantly.

Packrat

This thread is makes a strong case for more Clause 61 licenses, - like I suggested and got abused for up further.

How many of those abusing me even know what clause 61 on a license is without googling.

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121642994#Comment_121642994

It's license Code 61, not clause seems you don't know either.

Also seems your saying people have vision problems when blinded by poorly implemented manufacturers HID , no **** they'd get blinded by a lash of LED right into your face on a dark road. They're meant to be lighting the road not another driver.

Packrat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121643689#Comment_121643689

So no comment on the substance then?

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121644020#Comment_121644020

That people should all get banned from night driving because a bunch of manufacturers are blinding them with extremely poor LED lighting fitted to new vehicles ?

Seems a bit of a stupid argument on the face of it, I'm Intrigued.

Packrat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121644030#Comment_121644030

So you've single handedly tested and condemned the lights on all newer cars then?

You really should tell the manufacturing engineers, I'm sure they'll see the error of their ways and consult you before they release any further lights.

There have been issues for SOME people with bright car lights for decades before LEDs even existed.

HID Zenons, and indeed Halogens when they first began to replace normal filament bulbs have all been described as "too bright" by people used to the previous types.

Let's all go back to carbine lamps and doing 20mph shall we?

Should we provide public lighting on every single km of road in the land?

No, a more sensible solution is what I suggested; that those who have a problem with night driving aren't licensed to drive at night.

Inviere

For me, the overly bright headlights are compounded by the new/modern LED streetlights. The older street lighting (while less efficient/environmentally friendly) had a far better ambient spread of light, illuminating not only the road but also the path/kerbs etc. The modern LED lights, being much more akin to directional spotlights, to my eye have absolutely terrible 'light spread', and I really struggle to see potential dangers on and off the road with them (eg, driving in the dark there's even a glare off traffic lights, and it's a struggle to even see if there's people standing at the traffic light as you approach it/go through it.) I accept the older sodium based lighting had to go for environmental reasons, but these white/blue LED based lights are beyond awful in terms of visibility and safety (for me anyway, others will disagree.) Then when they start going faulty, you get entire estates that look like the Blue Lagoon.

Annoyingly, there are warmer kelvin temperature LED lights available for street lighting which we didn't invest in (I imagine they cost more.)

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121646673#Comment_121646673

Ah yes, all the reports of bad lights inside and outside ireland from brand new vehicles fitted with leds are entirely wrong, let me guess you drive one and continually get flushed at but blame everyone else. ..

Packrat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121646754#Comment_121646754

It's about as ludicrous as the other way round.

The truth probably lies in the middle.

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121647128#Comment_121647128

It really doesn't. Seems range rover are one of the manufactures that got this right. Good engineers , large vehicle LED great driver visibility with lights but they are setup to hit the road not other road users. Alot of the newer German marques have borked it. Surprisingly

Packrat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121647171#Comment_121647171

For work I drive MB and BMW, and both of those seem to have also got it right.

People don't flash us so clearly they're not being blinded.

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121646706#Comment_121646706

I don't know about that. I live in a town that has almost all of its lighting replaced by LEDs (certainly on all the main routes) and it's FAR better IMO.

The older amber lights were terrible, especially in bad/overcast weather or where the road markings were worn away.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121493159#Comment_121493159

I did think LED lights were illegal but I must have been wrong

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121651021#Comment_121651021

Yeah I've read contrasting options like yours before. I remember reading a whole debate about it somewhere a few years back, and there were people arguing both sides of it.

It's a strange one, and I wish I was on your side of the view!

There's still some streets on the old lighting here left, and the moment I'm on one of those I feel like the ambient light level is much higher and the light penetrates distance so much better while being soft and easy on the eye. Then, I turn a corner onto a street with new lighting, and it's wall to wall harsh glaring spotlights, so much harder to see people on the path, oncoming cars causing higher glare, even traffic lights have a glare to them.

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121652466#Comment_121652466

It's probably an individual/eyesight thing but for me I always found a dark urban street in the rain to be a lot harder to navigate with the older orange lights or as I say, if you're in an unfamiliar area in that bad weather with poor/worn road markings.

The LEDs light everything up within their range and I see all those things you mention much easier and quicker.

What I DO disagree with though is the idiocy in recent years of turning off lights at motorway junctions - fine if you know the junction but given that every one is different (differing lengths of slip roads etc) it's just more dangerous IMO. Supposedly it's to prevent drivers eyes having to adjust ... in reality I suspect it's a bean-counting exercise somewhere.

1123heavy

Another winter, same problem. It's great that these muppets can see miles ahead but have they stopped for one second to consider how far ahead they'd be seeing following a head on collision? Narrow country roads,, sharp bends, uphill etc and you've to grasp the steering wheel and hope for the best sometimes.

Given how careless or ignorant these people are to the risks they're creating on the road, it is definitely time the RSA got a grip on this.

Galwayguy35

Don't have LEDs on my car but I meet plenty of cars every morning who have them and I'm not getting what all the high drama is about.

Cluedo Monopoly

I agree but I think we could be getting old lads.