Dazzling lights in oncoming traffic

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Ceist Beag

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Interesting article on the impact of dazzling lights on drivers at night on the BBC. Is there any highlighting (pardon the pun!) of this issue here? It is definitely something I have noticed much more in recent years, to the point where I cannot distinguish between some oncoming traffic as to whether they have full beams on or just poor aligned dipped lights. I see no difference. I sometimes end up having to look down at the road markings instead.
 
Most cars have an adjuster for the height of the dips. Most people don't take care to adjust them appropriately. On occasion I have accidentally moved this adjustment wheel while cleaning the car and didn't notice until weeks later. Usually I noticed it quickly when the dips were too low. Rarely when they were too high. And car lights these days appear to be much stronger than years ago.
 
It has come up a lot, the newer cars are taller and beam into the smaller older cars badly dazzling the occupants badly and the led lights are brighter. My car auto dims if it notes the light levels are over a certain level. It is slow to respond, probably a second slower than other drivers would like and he never notices trucks in the opposite lane of motorways.

Regulations that place all lights on cars etc no higher than a set point would be very helpful in making it more equitable for all road users. But those cabs with lights on the tops and sides are also very bright.

I have no solution, just observations
 
Modern cars are fitted with LEDs which generate a much whiter and more powerful light beam than older bulbs, even those neons beloved of upgraders and HALFORDS* modifiers :rolleyes:. The LEDs plus the taller bodies of SUVs make the lights more prone to the dazzle-effect. One suggestion is to look straight ahead rather than do the literal "rabbit in the headlights" thing of staring into them.

If your car doesn't have an auto-dimming rearview mirror, reach up and click the rearview to the manual dim position. If the clown behind you is driving too close to your rear bumper, give them a blast of rear fogs and/or tap the brakes. The sister, of all people, complained that some eejit was trying to overtake her recently and there wasn't enough room between her car and the car she was following to permit the manoeuvre (person oeuvre?). She wanted to report the driver for dangerous driving. I suggested to her that she refer to the Rules of the Road online instead.

Another problem is the HALFORDS* crews are fitting LEDs into old headlights, where the reflectors aren't designed for them and they may scatter the beams unevenly; old scratched or damaged headlight lenses with LEDs shining through them will also have the scatter-effect, rather than focussing the beams down the road or down and to the driver's left for near-side lights.

Personally I don't mind the cars with bright lights, its the idiots with no lights or blown bulbs that get my goat, that plus as I mentioned before the utter clowns who forget the their cars have DRLs and never hit the switch for side-lights or rears at night or in conditions where visibility is poor.

*other motor factors may sell products similar to HALFORDS.

[crossed with a couple of previous posts - phone call in the middle of composing, sorry]
 
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Yes it's a pain, train your eyes to go to the left. Some of the cars must be trying to light up a whole village.
 
People that drive with their headlights on blinding you from behind and continue to stay right behind you is a real pain.You try to speed up to lose them but they just don’t get it.
Be great to find a way to give them the message.- in a nice way so no road rage
 
One thing I found interesting on the BBC article that one person said they were sometimes often unable to see properly for several minutes after experiencing glare. This suggests an eyesight issue, as with an otherwise healthy eye, someone in their 60's would be expected to recover normal vision within seconds. Perhaps a case for mandatory eyesight tests at a younger age.
 
Anyone complaining of glare at night should clean the inside of their windscreen. While it doesn't stop the issues with Halford headlight kits, overly large clown cars or dozy non-dippers, it does help a little in stopping a little extra glare
 
Purple said:
A few short on-off flashes of the rear fog lights usually does the trick.
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mathepac said:
If the clown behind you is driving too close to your rear bumper, give them a blast of rear fogs and/or tap the brakes.
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While we may all be tempted at times, brake checking aka punishment braking is dangerous and illegal. It can also result in retaliation.

mathepac said:
I suggested to her that she refer to the Rules of the Road online instead.
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Rules of the road (motorcycle section but I expect similar must be written somewhere for car drivers):
"4. Do not surprise others.Never do anything on the road that could cause another road user to slowdown, brake or swerve .."
 
patfert1 said:
Do not surprise others.Never do anything on the road that could cause another road user to slowdown, brake or swerve .."
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Well that's definitely not enforced.. Vehicles overtaking with oncoming traffic, forcing them to both slow and change direction, or cutting corners, or overtaking parked cars on their side of the road without regard for the right of way of the traffic on the other side etc. Even Garda vehicles do it, when they don't have any blue lights /justification for doing so. The centre line means nothing for many drivers anymore.

For tailgaters I just gradually slow down without braking to reward the impatient /discourteous driver, and I put my hazards on to warn them I am slowing. If they want to overtake me, that's fine and totally on them to do so safely. I definitely will not speed up as that just rewards their bullying tactics.
 
Cataracts problems with your eyes can be a huge problem especially when driving at night where there are faded white lines and also possibly impaired vision to where footpaths are not to mention oncoming traffic. Many people don't realize that they have cataracts problems and some are even fearful of the simple operation which will clear matters (pun intended) and put off on the test. Eye tests for cataracts are not overly expensive and if an operation is necessary it can make driving more safe.
 
Luternau said:
Well that's definitely not enforced..
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Two wrongs don't make a right, etc, etc. Anyhow, retaliation is a big risk if you tap your brakes or use the fog lights on a tailgater. Remember the tailgater is already an agressive driver, likely to be angered by such actions. Who knows, they might be mentally unstable or high. I've been on the receiving end of retaliation (I was brake checked) despite not doing anything wrong (I couldn't safely pull into the slower lane). After that I installed forward and rear facing dashcams. No incidents since then but I have captured lots of footage of dangerous overtaking, breaking the lights, dangerous (to themselves) cyclists, and almost everything imaginable.
 
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