RAC says new headlights 'blinding drivers'

[robinessex]

RAC says new headlights 'blinding drivers'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43525525

Drivers are being temporarily blinded by modern vehicle headlights, according to an RAC survey.
Two-thirds of drivers say they are "regularly dazzled" by oncoming headlights even though they are dipped, the survey of 2,061 motorists suggests.
One in 10 of those drivers said that it was five to 10 seconds before their eyesight then adjusted and they could see clearly again.
The RAC said advances in headlight technology were causing the problem.
About 15% of those drivers polled said they had nearly suffered a collision as a result of being dazzled by other drivers using full-beam headlights................continues

A country lane near me is absolutely awful at night because of this. The bends and dips mean you often get hit with a headlamp beam straight in the eyes. I now avoid it nights times whenever I can.

[Loyly]

It's getting worse, particularly with all the SUV and faux by four type cars around. Over-bright headlights now typically mounted higher than ever. I do a lot of driving on unlit B roads at night (I probably do the majority of my driving during the hours of darkness) and there, the problem is even more noticeable. I've long lamented the arms race of lighting that has resulted in this state of affairs. We don't want candle powered headlights but the modern systems are unbelievably powerful.

[A900ss]

I do accept that lights are getting brighter and I think that auto-dipping systems from main beam should be mandatory on high power lights (easily added to the rule that any headlights over 2000 lumens must have a wash system?) but I also question how often some of these drivers being dazzled have their eyes tested?

I regularly drive at night and am often shocked at how some people drive (slow speed and braking any time they see an oncoming car) and I truly believe a visit to the opticians is in order to ensure that they get correction for both vision and glare.

Edited by A900ss on Saturday 24th March 13:19

[shotta287]

I think the culprits are mainly the 4x4s and SUVs where the headlights are mounted at eye level more or less.
Combine that with the advancement in light technology i.e. LED , I can understand the complaints.

[TonyRPH]

A900ss said:

I do accept that lights are getting brighter and I think that auto-dipping systems from main beam should be mandatory on high power lights (easily added to the rule that any headlights over 2000 lumens must have a wash system?) but I also question how often some of these drivers being dazzled have their eyes tested?

I regularly drive at night and am often shocked at how some people drive (slow speed and braking any time they see an oncoming car) and I truly believe a visit to the opticians is in order to ensure that they get correction for both vision and glare.

Edited by A900ss on Saturday 24th March 13:19

I have my eyes tested annually and I still suffer from the effects of dazzle, and my eyes can take a second or two (but it feels like 10 seconds!) to re-adjust after being dazzled.

I even tried anti dazzle night time driving glasses (prescription) however they are no match for modern headlights.

I'm not so bad when the road is very flat - but my route to and from work a couple of years back was very hilly, and even dipped headlights would almost totally blind me momentarily, from cars cresting the brow of a hill for example.

And even the brightest of headlights are useless to anyone when the vehicle is going over the brow of a hill, and they are lighting up the sky.

What's needed IMHO is a rapid adjustment system, so that when a vehicle is cresting the brow of a hill, the lights are either dimmed significantly, or the beam directed as low as physically possible for that short duration.

The other issue is also the sharp cut off of modern headlamps - halogen lamps tended to have quite a soft light at the beam extremes, but modern lights are just suddenly sharply in your face.

[warch]

I thought all road vehicles had lights adjusted to the same height, otherwise lorry headlight etc would be dazzling even when dipped.
Your eyes lose their ability to deal with changes in light as you age, there isn't really any remedial cure for this, glasses or whatever won't make any difference. This is why I no longer ride my bike in the winter, dazzle from other peoples headlights makes it hard for me to position myself on the road.

[AlexHat]

TonyRPH said:

A900ss said:

I do accept that lights are getting brighter and I think that auto-dipping systems from main beam should be mandatory on high power lights (easily added to the rule that any headlights over 2000 lumens must have a wash system?) but I also question how often some of these drivers being dazzled have their eyes tested?

I regularly drive at night and am often shocked at how some people drive (slow speed and braking any time they see an oncoming car) and I truly believe a visit to the opticians is in order to ensure that they get correction for both vision and glare.

Edited by A900ss on Saturday 24th March 13:19

I have my eyes tested annually and I still suffer from the effects of dazzle, and my eyes can take a second or two (but it feels like 10 seconds!) to re-adjust after being dazzled.

I even tried anti dazzle night time driving glasses (prescription) however they are no match for modern headlights.

I'm not so bad when the road is very flat - but my route to and from work a couple of years back was very hilly, and even dipped headlights would almost totally blind me momentarily, from cars cresting the brow of a hill for example.

And even the brightest of headlights are useless to anyone when the vehicle is going over the brow of a hill, and they are lighting up the sky.

What's needed IMHO is a rapid adjustment system, so that when a vehicle is cresting the brow of a hill, the lights are either dimmed significantly, or the beam directed as low as physically possible for that short duration.

The other issue is also the sharp cut off of modern headlamps - halogen lamps tended to have quite a soft light at the beam extremes, but modern lights are just suddenly sharply in your face.

I have the same issue with the anti-glare lenses. I've now gone back to standard lenses and can't tell the difference.

It's the popularity of Xenon/HID headlights that makes this a problem IMO

[ecsrobin]

Even more annoying is people who like to keep their foot on the brakes at junctions, traffic lights and in traffic!

Most cars are fine but modern Audi’s (discussed here before) seem to be the worst offenders.

[Boosted LS1]

Head lights, brake lights, it's just manufacturers trying to be the brightest out there and with a big dose of bling thrown into the mix. Lets also include those stupid indicators stuck inside or so close to the head light that you can't actually see them unless you look for them. I've no idea how all this stuff passes legislation but it clearly does. Something is clearly amiss though.

[mholt1995]

ecsrobin said:

Even more annoying is people who like to keep their foot on the brakes at junctions, traffic lights and in traffic!

Most cars are fine but modern Audi’s (discussed here before) seem to be the worst offenders.

I have an A4 and it could well be due to when auto handbrake/hill hold assist is turned on and you've come to a stop, the brake lights remain on until you start moving again, regardless of foot being on the brake.

[anonymous-user]

I think some car manufacturers deliberately put increasingly poor non xenon headlamps on cars to make buyers specify xenons as an option. My previous car, a 2005 Clio 182, had xenons. I can't say I noticed them being any better than any of the lights on my previous cars without xenons. Before that I had a 2004 Seat Toledo, and before that a 1997 BMW 328i. Can't say I ever noticed anything lacking on those cars' lights. Now I've got a 2005 BMW 130i, I've noticed the standard non xenons are dismal. I've read many other E87 1 Series owners saying the same thing. The E87, inexplicably, seems to have much worse non xenon lights than any other car I've ever driven. I've responded by fitting Philips Racing Vision bulbs and these have improved things slightly but not nearly enough, indicating a design bias towards xenons in the way they are set up to operate rather than there being anything wrong with non xenon bulbs.

Could it be that most of the dazzling going on is xenons? Could it also be, that manufacturers have deliberately designed in poor operating standards for non xenons to push the market towards xenons? In the three years I owned my 182, it cost me £300 on xenon light issues. A bulb went taking the ballast unit with it, which they often do, I couldn't change it myself so had to take it in to be done, and the washer pump failed - needed, uniquely, on a xenon equipped car in order to pass MOT.

Could it also be that xenons don't provide the driver with any advantage over (correctly designed) non xenons before the marketing drive, and yet dazzle oncoming drivers worse than non xenons?

I think the answer to every one of these questions is yes. But the industry won't listen, because they're not interested in listening. I wonder why.

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 24th March 14:49

[Alucidnation]

Yay!

The good old weekly headlight bashing thread!

[mac96]

Could auto dipping headlights be part of the problem? On a windy road I always try to dip just before the oncoming car is facing me, taking cues from the glow coming over hedges/ rises etc- autodippers presumably wait until your lights are shining straight at them, so will always be slightly too late?

This combined with fact that the cars with autodippers will be those with very bright lights.

[eldar]

mac96 said:

Could auto dipping headlights be part of the problem? On a windy road I always try to dip just before the oncoming car is facing me, taking cues from the glow coming over hedges/ rises etc- autodippers presumably wait until your lights are shining straight at them, so will always be slightly too late?

This combined with fact that the cars with autodippers will be those with very bright lights.

My car has auto dip, it is useless, dip/main switching ar inappropriate times. Awful system, happily it can be turned off, which it is.

[untakenname]

There should be a maximum height limit for headlamps imo, cars have got too tall recently.

[loose cannon]

They really should start looking into the distractions of huge great screens with apps that should have no place within the reach of somebody behind the wheel of a car
But as with all of this stuff like using a mobile
They will do nothing until it’s so rife and a major problem then it’s to late, they new full well the impending problems with mobile phone use
And did nothing about it, now it’s such a huge problem
They can’t even scratch the surface of it and the likely end game will be to ban phone calls altogether whilst in a car,
Same old story in this country do nothing until epidemic levels then just ban it

[zygalski]

The modern car dipped headlamp blinding issue has definitely got worse over the last 5-10 years or so.
Anyone who says it hasn't needs their eyes testing, pronto.

[tannhauser]

TonyRPH said:

A900ss said:

I also question how often some of these drivers being dazzled have their eyes tested?

Edited by A900ss on Saturday 24th March 13:19

I have my eyes tested annually and I still suffer from the effects of dazzle, and my eyes can take a second or two (but it feels like 10 seconds!) to re-adjust after being dazzled.

@ A900ss just stop it with this bks! My eyes are bang on, and this has only been a phenomenon (problem) in the last couple years - furthermore it's specifically vehicles with LED headlights that are too bright - halogens are fine. Xenons were bright enough FFS and distracting over undulations, but LEDs are a whole new world of pain! As are adaptive lights, that aren't fking adaptive/quick enough!!

s!

[carlingofblack]

The police strobes and flashers are also far too bright.
I nearly drove straight into a police car rather than around it due to the confusion. Felt like a moth mesmerised by light. Far too busy and chaotic.

[tannhauser]

untakenname said:

There should be a maximum height limit for headlamps imo, cars have got too tall recently.

Maximum brightness too - I don't think this is mandated (only power?), therefore we get this stupid "arms race" of lights getting brighter and brighter.