Driving at night

[CaptainSensib1e]

Dr Interceptor said:

Last night was the worst night so far by far...

Relentless drizzle coated the screen as fast as the wipers on the Mustang could clear it, every oncoming car seemed to be blinding...

Fellow Mustang driver here, the lights are truly awful. I believe they are only 25kw, the max allowed due to them not having built in washers. In the States they are fitted with 35kw headlights as standard, which are probably a lot better.

[kambites]

I've found it difficult ever since the popularisation of HiD lights. Driving a very low car doesn't help, although I do struggle a bit in the wife's Skoda as well. Curiously wearing glasses helps, even though my eyesight is good enough to legally drive without them. I don't know if this is because they have an inherant anti-glare property or because of the slight improvement in my long-distance vision due to the perscription.

[Dr Interceptor]

CaptainSensib1e said:

Dr Interceptor said:

Last night was the worst night so far by far...

Relentless drizzle coated the screen as fast as the wipers on the Mustang could clear it, every oncoming car seemed to be blinding...

Fellow Mustang driver here, the lights are truly awful. I believe they are only 25kw, the max allowed due to them not having built in washers. In the States they are fitted with 35kw headlights as standard, which are probably a lot better.

Mine is a 2019 so has LED headlights - they're still not the best though!

[Teddy Lop]

Glosphil said:

Mr Pointy said:

Depending on your age you could be developing cataracts so maybe get your optician to check. You wouldn't believe how much brighter & whiter the world is after a cataract operation - it can literally be painful in bright sunlight.

Two things that have greatly improved my resistance to glare were having the op for cataracts and a decent pair of Zeiss anti-glare (NOT yellow) driving glasses. Surely yellow lens just reduce the amount of light reaching the eyes under all conditions?

is that regular scrip glasses with antiglare coating or non scrip? Its been a few years since I had an eye exam and then I was on the periphery of having to consider glasses and I don't think my eyes have degraded since then, but I can't stand glare in any form (even have indirect lighting everywhere at home) so night drivings a PITA.

Tried a (cheap) pair of the yellow glasses but found they shaded too much - probably okay on motorways but with the number of darkly clad imbeciles on unlit cycles or generally ttting around in the road that you barely see as it is I'd be leaving a trail in my wake. Loath to buy anything more expensive without trying it out first.

Some talk of polarized windscreens/headlamps but that'd take legislation and co-operation - I wonder if instead you could make the windscreen of power-tinting glass that's addressable pixels like a tv set, controlled by cameras tracking light sources and the drivers head and dimming the eyeline?

[ericmcn]

CaptainSensib1e said:

Dr Interceptor said:

Last night was the worst night so far by far...

Relentless drizzle coated the screen as fast as the wipers on the Mustang could clear it, every oncoming car seemed to be blinding...

Fellow Mustang driver here, the lights are truly awful. I believe they are only 25kw, the max allowed due to them not having built in washers. In the States they are fitted with 35kw headlights as standard, which are probably a lot better.

Watts i think you meant, my osram xenarc are 35W and about as good as you can get legally on dipped beam from a HID bulb.

[shinjuku]

The issue is the power and colour of the lights, and their height. Cars are so tall now, it’s a nightmare.

I’m sat in my stupidly low sportscar, and a modern SUV or CUV will simply blind anyone from that height. I am about the height of a living room sofa off the ground—it’s like having a helicopter search light or a football stadium floodlight in your face.

Partly my problem/fault for a stupid low sports car, but I am positive that 15 years ago due to the colouring and power of lights, plus the average vehicle height being much lower, it wasn’t a problem.

[Dont like rolls]

shinjuku said:

The issue is the power and colour of the lights, and their height. Cars are so tall now, it’s a nightmare.

I’m sat in my stupidly low sportscar, and a modern SUV or CUV will simply blind anyone from that height. I am about the height of a living room sofa off the ground—it’s like having a helicopter search light or a football stadium floodlight in your face.

Partly my problem/fault for a stupid low sports car, but I am positive that 15 years ago due to the colouring and power of lights, plus the average vehicle height being much lower, it wasn’t a problem.

15 years ago cars were not so big and not shaped/sized like the side of a house.

[Hackney2]

Drive @ night? Nope I will give that a miss!To many Roo’s around!