Dipped beam only Drivers
Discussion
Had it twice tonight - come up behind someone on a B-road, look to get past and can't see a thing - the driver in front isn't using their main beams at all. Not only does this make it hard to see ahead for a safe pass, naturally it also means they're driving slowly and erratically, as they can't see where the road goes.
Using your headlights properly isn't just for your benefit, it also allows a following driver to see ahead and make a safe pass if possible, and gives oncoming drivers or pedestrians advance warning of your approach.
It's a fundamental practice of driving at night on unlit roads, and if some people are truly too dim to operate a simple switch, maybe they should stay at home after dark.
(rant over).
samoht said:
Had it twice tonight - come up behind someone on a B-road, look to get past and can't see a thing - the driver in front isn't using their main beams at all. Not only does this make it hard to see ahead for a safe pass, naturally it also means they're driving slowly and erratically, as they can't see where the road goes.
Using your headlights properly isn't just for your benefit, it also allows a following driver to see ahead and make a safe pass if possible, and gives oncoming drivers or pedestrians advance warning of your approach.
It's a fundamental practice of driving at night on unlit roads, and if some people are truly too dim to operate a simple switch, maybe they should stay at home after dark.
(rant over).
If they are comfortable doing what they are why do you expect them to illuminate your path for you? Using your headlights properly isn't just for your benefit, it also allows a following driver to see ahead and make a safe pass if possible, and gives oncoming drivers or pedestrians advance warning of your approach.
It's a fundamental practice of driving at night on unlit roads, and if some people are truly too dim to operate a simple switch, maybe they should stay at home after dark.
(rant over).
Can't you tell it is clear if there are no blinding lights on an SUV heading towards you? And without them you ought to be able to see which way the road goes without the glare!
TBH I think your problem is visual impairment - when did you last have an eye test?
I had no problem in my late teens riding motorbikes with a 35W headlamp bulb on unlit roads. But the Xenons on my current car were fine last night on unlit roads with no need for main-beam because living in Surrey they'd only be on for a couple of seconds at a time anyway!
Mr Tidy said:
Can't you tell it is clear if there are no blinding lights on an SUV heading towards you? And without them you ought to be able to see which way the road goes without the glare!
TBH I think your problem is visual impairment - when did you last have an eye test?
OP, I totally agree with you. It's very poor driving IMO. I suspect the HC suggests their use, but not sure.
Edited by nickfrog on Monday 1st December 06:42
I’m with the OP, although mainly for different reasons. If you drive at any decent speed at night on dipped beams, how do you see far enough ahead to be able to stop short of or safely avoid an obstruction? You can’t.
As for overtaking, pull out and put on main beam for a decent look.
As for overtaking, pull out and put on main beam for a decent look.
Maxym said:
I m with the OP, although mainly for different reasons. If you drive at any decent speed at night on dipped beams, how do you see far enough ahead to be able to stop short of or safely avoid an obstruction? You can t.
As for overtaking, pull out and put on main beam for a decent look.
I'm not so sure. Modern dipped beams are amazingly effective and I can totally understand if oncoming traffic is frequent enough to make it tiresome. I very, veryuch doubt your average always dipped driver is pushing on ;-)As for overtaking, pull out and put on main beam for a decent look.
samoht said:
Had it twice tonight - come up behind someone on a B-road, look to get past and can't see a thing - the driver in front isn't using their main beams at all. Not only does this make it hard to see ahead for a safe pass, naturally it also means they're driving slowly and erratically, as they can't see where the road goes.
Using your headlights properly isn't just for your benefit, it also allows a following driver to see ahead and make a safe pass if possible, and gives oncoming drivers or pedestrians advance warning of your approach.
It's a fundamental practice of driving at night on unlit roads, and if some people are truly too dim to operate a simple switch, maybe they should stay at home after dark.
(rant over).
Patiently waits for someone to link the ancient thread where some unhinged PH'er claimed the use of main beam headlights marked you out as an incompetent driver and deserved to be flogged and stoned to death.Using your headlights properly isn't just for your benefit, it also allows a following driver to see ahead and make a safe pass if possible, and gives oncoming drivers or pedestrians advance warning of your approach.
It's a fundamental practice of driving at night on unlit roads, and if some people are truly too dim to operate a simple switch, maybe they should stay at home after dark.
(rant over).
Followed a Punto on a dark B road once, can still visualise it 20 years later, driver didn't use main beam once and the dipped beam was as low setting as i've ever seen, even at 30mph max they were struggling to keep out of the ditch, how do you get to be so incompetent.
As a truck driver i make full use of main beams, not only for my benefit but also to light the road ahead for others...keep in mind i usually leave the yard around 4am and most other people are going about their honest days work so why not help each other out, safer for everyone concerned.
The lack of sensible main beam usage might be one of the reasons so many deer and badgers are being killed.
As a truck driver i make full use of main beams, not only for my benefit but also to light the road ahead for others...keep in mind i usually leave the yard around 4am and most other people are going about their honest days work so why not help each other out, safer for everyone concerned.
The lack of sensible main beam usage might be one of the reasons so many deer and badgers are being killed.
Mr Tidy said:
If they are comfortable doing what they are why do you expect them to illuminate your path for you?
You don't drive in a vacuum, it's not about what any individual driver is comfortable with as that would lead to utter chaos, so much so that they wrote a book about what you should, must and cannot do...Look it up!
50-50 with the OP on this one. I used to drive 50 miles a day cross country B roads, the number of drivers who bimbled along on dipped beams bouncing off the hedgerows was shocking. But it didn't affect my ability to overtake as I knew the roads and knew which places were safe to pass.
I guess it's more inconvenient if you aren't so familiar with the roads, but if that's the case I'd probably drive a bit more cautiously anyway.
I guess it's more inconvenient if you aren't so familiar with the roads, but if that's the case I'd probably drive a bit more cautiously anyway.
Huzzah said:
A conundrum, what would you do.
10 miles from home unlit roads, mix of A, B & Dual carriageway, quietish traffic, dark but dry clear weather, 90s merc on halogens.
Dip beams fail, so only side lights or main beam. How would you tackle it.
I take my learned friend back some 40 years, i'm driving a Daf 2800 artic tipper on an unlit A road in the dark, coming the other way is a Cortina mk5 on sidelight only and he loses control, probably hit the verge, and ends up stopped sideways across the road, i'm braking hard now with trailer tyres smoking (very little in load sensing or truck abs systems in those days) and stop violently some 6ft from his passenger door, hitch hiker beside me wishing at this point he'd found another lift.10 miles from home unlit roads, mix of A, B & Dual carriageway, quietish traffic, dark but dry clear weather, 90s merc on halogens.
Dip beams fail, so only side lights or main beam. How would you tackle it.
Turns out dipped beam has failed so its either mains or side lights and he chose side, being a competent home mechanic i offered to turn down his beams so he could safely run on mains, nope, off he trundled on sides.
That was on the A510 between Finedon and Woodford/Cranford Northants decades before the A14 was poorly designed as dual darriagway only.
For your case you should have fogs built into the headlight units, assuming W124.
WPA said:
POIDH said:
OP, you want someone to illuminate the road for you, second guessing that you want to overtake? That's some serious entitlement.
If you can't see in the dark, slow down.
If you can't see in the dark, slow down.
+1
What is the point of high beams and why would the HC say that you should use them? Can't you see the shape, projection and size of the beam pattern being significantly different?
Even at the same slow speed you are massively reducing your reaction time and therefore everyone else's safety too. The overtaking convenience is just a by product of this fundamental and elementary driving requirement.
Zetec-S said:
50-50 with the OP on this one. I used to drive 50 miles a day cross country B roads, the number of drivers who bimbled along on dipped beams bouncing off the hedgerows was shocking. But it didn't affect my ability to overtake as I knew the roads and knew which places were safe to pass.
I guess it's more inconvenient if you aren't so familiar with the roads, but if that's the case I'd probably drive a bit more cautiously anyway.
Likewise. While on occasion it can be annoying to come up behind someone and for them to not illuminate the road ahead for you, it's just one of those things. I don't drive on mainbeam just because it's dark, dip is better as you get far more warning of oncoming vehicles, don't get dazzled by signage etc. and you can then use a flash of mainbeam when necessary such as when someone is heading towards you but still hidden from view. I guess it's more inconvenient if you aren't so familiar with the roads, but if that's the case I'd probably drive a bit more cautiously anyway.
Driving everywhere vaguely dark and permanently on mainbeam is a relatively new phenomena and with auto dip mildly annoying as no one comes off mainbeam before they dazzle oncoming vehicles any more as the auto systems are line of sight.
All I do is go onto mainbeam if someone appears behind me and clearly looks like they wish to pass although these days that's incredibly uncommon as everyone seems to be driving so much more slowly these days.
nickfrog said:
You guys can't be serious, right? Or never drive at night.
What is the point of high beams and why would the HC say that you should use them? Can't you see the shape, projection and size of the beam pattern being significantly different?
Even at the same slow speed you are massively reducing your reaction time and therefore everyone else's safety too. The overtaking convenience is just a by product of this fundamental and elementary driving requirement.
Absolutely 100% correct. What is the point of high beams and why would the HC say that you should use them? Can't you see the shape, projection and size of the beam pattern being significantly different?
Even at the same slow speed you are massively reducing your reaction time and therefore everyone else's safety too. The overtaking convenience is just a by product of this fundamental and elementary driving requirement.
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