Full Beam

Author
Discussion

OSGrooves

Original Poster:

38 posts

218 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
Is it advisable to drive around in built up areas with your full beam on?

Obviously you would not do it when there is no one around.

I looked in the Highway code last night and it recommends not driving in lit urban areas with the full beam on. In Dom Palmers driving handbook he recommends leaving the car on full beam.

What do people think? Would be particularly interested in what the BIB think.

TonyHetherington

32,091 posts

249 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
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My opinion of it is this;

What's the purpose of full beam over dipped headlights? It's purely to light the road ahead. However, in urban areas it is lit by street lights and as such, does not need to be additionally lit; therefore, no need.

jeremyc

23,335 posts

283 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
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Surely like all advanced driving it is a case of good observation and anticipation.

If you can't see very well without your main beam on, and you won't dazzle anyone by doing so, put them on!

It makes no sense to have a hard rule of "lit area = no main beam" - the street lights could be inadequate.

xiphias

5,888 posts

226 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
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However, full beams should be turned off when pedestrians are around. I'm sick and tired of the number of times I've been blinded walking home. You literally have to stop, as headlights are the only source of light around, if you keep walking you'd probably walk into the road or the hedge!

7db

6,058 posts

229 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
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By built-up areas, do you mean those with steet-lights?

I usually find these provide so much more light than my full beam that I switch back to headlights only. It can be easy to forget you have full beam on if there is good alternative lighting.

Presumably the best all-round combination is sidelights and fogs as I see so many cars with these on these days.

ripton

429 posts

231 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
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My feeling is that full beams should not be used in built up areas regardless of whether the area is lit or not. Not only it is it a pain for residents but the extra light make life alot less pleasant for people living close to the road.

Flat in Fifth

43,960 posts

250 months

Wednesday 18th January 2006
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I'd go with jeremyc I think it was he.

If main beam will improve visibility and won't dazzle anyone then main beam it is. So pedestrians and if lights would shine directly into people's homes then dip.

Sadly it does mean that occasionally one gives some grief to someone in dark clothes creeping about on a bike with no lights, but in that case they can horlicks.

mk1fan

10,507 posts

224 months

Thursday 19th January 2006
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I suppose it depends on the quality of street lighting - and if it's working. I find that in most urban areas I get no additional benifit from having my dipped beams on over just using sidelights. Let alone using full beam.

Where there's no street lighting then I will use full beam.

The only thing you need to be conscience about is dazelling other road users.

Seems a bit weird that someone is promoting the use of full beams for driving around urban areas. Do they mean dipped rather than full?

>> Edited by mk1fan on Thursday 19th January 12:45

henrycrun

2,448 posts

239 months

Thursday 19th January 2006
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Using modern headlights when driving under streetlights is just unecessary. No purpose other than to dazzle. Urban Dirtboxes with their lights at the level of car drivers eyes are especially annoying. Sidelights are all thats required.

>> Edited by henrycrun on Thursday 19th January 23:27

Philbes

4,337 posts

233 months

Monday 23rd January 2006
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Isn't driving on side-lights only illegal?

StressedDave

839 posts

261 months

Monday 23rd January 2006
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Not in areas with street lights...

mefoster

9,973 posts

230 months

Monday 23rd January 2006
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StressedDave said:
Not in areas with street lights...


There is a little more to it than that. There are exceptions (e.g. fog lamps when allowed etc.) but, in general, if the speed limit is over 30 you need dipped leadlamps streelights or not.

TripleS

4,294 posts

241 months

Monday 23rd January 2006
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mefoster said:

...if the speed limit is over 30 you need dipped leadlamps streelights or not.


That's bad news for your power to weight ratio Mark.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

tvr keith

1,333 posts

221 months

Thursday 26th January 2006
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I would never drive in the dark in a built up area using parking lights.
Firstly, although you may have checked their operation at the start of the journey, bulbs do fail so you have one 5W bulb alight. If you use dipped headlights, it's much more obvious to the driver when a bulb has failed, and if it does, at least you have the parking light on that side alight.
Secondly we should remember that not everyone who may be using the highway as either a pedestrian or as a driver, has good vision. Driving around with two pinpricks of light will hardly help you to be seen. I can drive without headlamps and I can see, but can I be SEEN?
Thirdly, in winter time especially, although you will without doubt have cleaned your lamp lenses before setting out, with all the muck that lands on them, the two pinpricks of light from a parking light will be greatly obscurred.
Those that have been driving for a few years will remember that in the early ninties cars were fitted with a dim dip arrangement. This meant that if parking light only were selected, when the engine was started the headlamp bulbs came on with reduced power, to stop people driving on parking lamps.
It's time that we got away from calling these "side lights". They are "parking" lights and that is what they should be used for.
I think that the tradition of all this started many years ago when cars had dynamos rather than alternators and sometimes it was necessary to use "sidelights" in order to save on battery power. It may be also that some elderly drivers have forgotten that world war two actually finished some time ago, and there is no blackout.
In addition, when driving at night on very quiet lit and restricted roads I will often briefly use main beam when approaching a junction where I have priority in order to warn of my approach.
Unfortunately, not everyone seems to stop when the roads are quiet to see if the way is clear before pulling out.
Of course if there are pedesrians facing me I would not dazzle them by using main beam.
All I can say that this method of driving has done me for the last 35 years (and well over a million miles).
So if you should be one of those who insist on driving on parking lights please don't be offended when I flash you, I's only to save those poor soles that you are about to drive into.
Keith

henrycrun

2,448 posts

239 months

Saturday 4th February 2006
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Another problem with the brightness of some headlights in modern cars is that the indicators (mounted in the same housing with the headlights) are rendered invisible until you are about 10ft away

TripleS

4,294 posts

241 months

Sunday 5th February 2006
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henrycrun said:
Another problem with the brightness of some headlights in modern cars is that the indicators (mounted in the same housing with the headlights) are rendered invisible until you are about 10ft away


Yes I've noticed some of that problem. Some of the 'progress' in car design does seem to be backwards at times.

BTW Henry, how is Minnie B these days?

Best wishes all,
Dave.

CombeMarshal

2,030 posts

225 months

Sunday 5th February 2006
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You would have to be pretty stupid to drive round with just side ligths on anywhere in the dark, Your headlight are not just for you to see other people but for other people to see you.
I will also use main beam if I feel in helpfull, Dipped beam does not light up the left hand pavement, If it's a biult up area there is a very good chance of children runnig about.

I have to agree on the stupid design of car indicators lately (most notably German cars), I wonder if they were to be banned if they would make manufacturers change all existing units?!

TripleS

4,294 posts

241 months

Sunday 5th February 2006
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CombeMarshal said:
You would have to be pretty stupid to drive round with just side ligths on anywhere in the dark, Your headlight are not just for you to see other people but for other people to see you.
I will also use main beam if I feel in helpfull, Dipped beam does not light up the left hand pavement, If it's a biult up area there is a very good chance of children runnig about.


If you find dipped beams do not light up the LH pavement, is there a mis-alignment problem, as I think they should be covering that area reasonably. Front fog lights would probably do it, albeit at short range, but we don't want to encourage any more misuse of fog lights do we!

Best wishes all,
Dave.

tvr keith

1,333 posts

221 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
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Modern cars for several years have been fitted with asymetric headlights which do not dip to one side, they dip down, giving an even beam to both sides.
Perhaps somebody ought to tell Halfords, The AA etc: about this, because they still advise people that beam deflectors are a legal requirement in many European countries. Whilst this is true for the old type lights, if you have asymetric ones this action is unnecessary.
It's not surprising that a lot of people are taken in by this and fit the deflector tape to asymetric fitted cars. I'd love to know how they know where to fit these as these lamps don't have (or need) the markings on them.
Keith

agent006

12,029 posts

263 months

Thursday 9th February 2006
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tvr keith said:
Modern cars for several years have been fitted with asymetric headlights which do not dip to one side, they dip down, giving an even beam to both sides.


on the continet, yes. UK cars still have a left focus beam.