Full Beam - How hard can it be?

[Jasandjules]

Perhaps I am just becoming more intolerant in my old age, but I seem to be finding that more and more drivers take ages to switch to main beam when they are driving right at you with full beam on...... I am getting more and more blinded whilst driving at night these days, the fellow tonight had them on for a good 4-5 seconds and then he managed to switch them back on before he'd got past me again...........

[Blue Meanie]

I had this driving from 4 hours to get to the airport in Sofia. You can see someone approaching, before you see their lights, so I dip mine. For some reason, they feel the need to see my lights, wait a few seconds, THEN turn them off. Does my nut in.

[Conian]

taking the middle road here....

i sometimes see cars in the distance that are not coming right at me, you can just see them far awaym, perhaps a bend or 2 in the way, perhaps you're both coming down a hill into a valley so therefore neither lights are blinding each other, and these people dip right away even though they are not blinding me

i dont dip right away, but i do dip before my lights will affect them

most people are ok with this (it seems, maybe they complain inside their car)
others put their lights back on, usually about the time i'm dipping mine

some people get arsey just because youre on full beam and stare at yuor lights rather than the illuminated bit of road in front of them

this said.... there are many dilberts who dip very late, probably jiving to their rock and roll music or whatever it is these youngsters do these days.

[Flintstone]

I want great big rally lights that need a frankenstein style blade switch so that when they don't dip their lights I can fry their eyeballs (and hopefully not swerve toward me).

[Blue Meanie]

Conian said:

t
some people get arsey just because youre on full beam and stare at yuor lights rather than the illuminated bit of road in front of them

this said.... there are many dilberts who dip very late, probably jiving to their rock and roll music or whatever it is these youngsters do these days.

Those two statements seem a little contradictory.

[vit4]

Flintstone said:

I want great big rally lights that need a frankenstein style blade switch so that when they don't dip their lights I can fry their eyeballs (and hopefully not swerve toward me).

You need those fkers When me mum first got the car she thought they were just for show, first time had to use full beam though... safe to say they work Not sure if they've got some sort of high-power type bulb in them but not seen any standard lights as bright. Rather comical given the car they're attached to.

[Silent1]

The worse thing is with the advent of xenons on shopping trolleys numpties are now able to blind anyone in a mile radius around them. The sooner I get my xenon spotlights on my pickup the better, laser eye surgery from 2 miles. No problem sir

[Conian]

Blue Meanie said:

Conian said:

t
some people get arsey just because youre on full beam and stare at yuor lights rather than the illuminated bit of road in front of them

this said.... there are many dilberts who dip very late, probably jiving to their rock and roll music or whatever it is these youngsters do these days.

Those two statements seem a little contradictory.

the difference is the distance
1st example you're a fair distance apart and the latter are pointing right at ya up close n just late dipping either cos theyre thick or on brain auto pilot

[isee]

What gets my nut more than this is the use of full beam if the car that was alongside you has an obstruction ahead and indiciates to move to your lane. you then have the OPTION of letting them through or basically carry on as you were as it is their responsibility to execute the lane change maneuvre. When you decide agains tslowing down and letting htem through, they then get behind you and flash you...

I am sorry, but I had the right of way and I chose to take advantage of it. Simple as that, all you can do is either plan further ahead next time or accept that you will not always be let through just because it suits YOU. Afterall, you wouldn't flash someone who didn't slow down to let you turn into the main road either, so why here?

P.S. someone closing the GAP next to you as soon as you have indicated your intention is another matter and those who instantly accelerate to get within an inch of the car ahead of them so that you cannot change lane should be shot.

[davepoth]

One thing that gets my goat these days is people driving in the countryside who don't put their main beam on. And then drive at 35mph because they can't see anything.

[shirt]

worse is when [as last night] some follows you for 10miles with them on full beam. pillock.

[Cost Captain]

As soon as i can see the lights of the oncoming car (or of the car you are following) I switch off main beam.

However, if you don't extend me the same courtesy, I will switch main beam back on before I'm passed them. Some people may have a problem with me doing that, but its so blatantly obvious when a car switches off main beam that it should make you think "oh I need to switch off main beam". If you don't have the awareness to react to the situation, you deserve it!

[Dr Derek Doctors]

Why? Because most learners never drive at night and if they do it's usually in the city where you never need main beams.

Yes they are spackers, but it might help if driving tuition actually taught them things like this.... and M-Way lane rules!

[Crusoe]

Almost always switch the main beam off on mine before the other car comes into view round bends, dips etc. as I know my lights are quite bright. A few times on every night journey this then leads the other driver to assume I haven't dipped when they get into view and I end up with flashing main beam coming towards me. Once flash it all it takes to blind/quite them down, still annoying when you are being courteous.

[Maxus]

The problem could get worse with "High Beam Assist" becoming increasingly popular in cars. Although in general the system is very good it does dip slightly later than you would naturally. This is particularly the case if you are catching someone up along an unlit country road.

[Jefftav]

I agree main beam should be switched off the avoid dazzling other road users and most people I am sure do this very efficiently.

What twists my melon is drivers with dipped beam headlights out of alignment that blind you anyway, drivers with only 1 headlight working - I don't mean when it has just happened but a few days later you see the same car with 1 headlight and they usually drive around on main beam to compensate. I also find some drivers at the head of a line of moving vehicles are reluctant to use main beam which can make overtaking tricky as it is difficult to see the road far enough ahead is clear.

[Crusoe]

To anyone using high beam assist (optional on medium to higher spec mercs, bmws and lexus I think?) Does it put main beam back on shortly after someone overtakes you?

[troc]

I bought high-beam assist on the new car for one reason only - my wife's inability to remember she has switched main-beam on

[Maxus]

Crusoe said:

To anyone using high beam assist (optional on medium to higher spec mercs, bmws and lexus I think?) Does it put main beam back on shortly after someone overtakes you?

If someone overtakes you it will remain dipped until the rear lights of the passing car have fadded into the distance.

[ManOpener]

I must admit I'm rather prone to doing this- however that's because I find the "dip" switch on my Focus to be a pain in the arse compared to any other car I've driven or owned.