Headlight glare

[Mr Moofo]

I am guessing my 5000 lm MTB one won't be too popular

[v8-powered]

I am guessing my 5000 lm MTB one won't be too popular

Not if you wear it on your cycling helmet like half the bellends around here do and then look straight at drivers!

Few doddery dogwalkers too - big bastard LED lamp on their bobble hat, aimed directly at oncoming traffic. They wonder why they get a face full of mainbeam back.....

[The Spin Doctor]

Our last 5 cars have all had adaptive LED headlights and have never been flashed.

Mostly because people like me driving a car with the last generation of halogen bulbs don't bother to flash... I won't win that light war if you retaliate!

A lot of the LED systems now are pixel / adaptive technology - on my old Merc the LEDs would come on and off in stages, effectively wrapping around oncoming vehicles or those you follow. Our current Volvo, the LED headlights almost appear dim when seeing them in the rear view mirror of a car in front or when approaching but lay a nice amount of light on the ground

And they work great... right up to the moment the road surface is wet.

[The Spin Doctor]

I am guessing my 5000 lm MTB one won't be too popular

Not if you wear it on your cycling helmet like half the bellends around here do and then look straight at drivers!

I got a mouthful of abuse from a MTBer doing just that a few years back.. on an awkward left-hand bend where there's an awkward hedge jutting out into the road halfway round the corner... to protect the hedge from being flattened, the council saw fit to build a small chunk of kerb out a foot or so from the hedge. Of course, you've just left the street light area of the village, so it's hard to see at the best of times...

...and when I meet the MTBer with the head-mounted superbright light who looks straight at me, the entire road vanishes. I must have got a bit closer to him than he liked, in avoiding kerbing the car.

[Pirahna]

The mighty Duster has LED low beam, conventional halogen high beam. Dacia probably did it because it was cheap, it works well enough though.

[The Spin Doctor]

A car found another way to dazzle me with lights last night, and it wasn't even in the opposite direction... nope, I was approaching a junction where I wanted to turn right. It was about 50 metres away when an SUV approached the end of the side road and slowed down, with what I initially thought was a weirdly adjusted headlight shining straight in my eyes. It was bright enough that I had difficulty making out if anything was coming from the opposite direction.

Obviously there wasn't anything, because the car pulled out and turned towards me...

...at which point the light suddenly went out.

I realised it was a cornering assist light.

Maybe it did that job for the driver, but it certainly made mine harder. For starters it totally wiped out his indicator!

[Horse]

On my car, it's just the fog light that side.

Was it part of the main light cluster?

[The Spin Doctor]

Nope, it was a discreet little fish-eye light about 7-8cm across below the main headlight. The fish eye lens probably explains the poor beam pattern.

It did cross my mind that it might be an add-on but it seemed to be part of the vehicle from what I could see... the street's not exactly well illuminated.

[Noggin]

The corner lights are just weird. Despite driving up 21 hairpins to get home I can honestly say I can see the point in them. By the time they come on I've already decided the line and committed to it, which also means I'm pretty damned sure that I've had a look at the turn and worked out that it's clear at road level. So the weird little light that comes on doesn't really help me with cornering.

Or am I doing something wrong?!!

[Horse]

I've switched fogs on before turning, to get a look into tight turns before committing.

[Mussels]

The corner lights are just weird. Despite driving up 21 hairpins to get home I can honestly say I can see the point in them. By the time they come on I've already decided the line and committed to it, which also means I'm pretty damned sure that I've had a look at the turn and worked out that it's clear at road level. So the weird little light that comes on doesn't really help me with cornering.

Or am I doing something wrong?!!

When I had them I remember one long curve where they were useful, unfortunately they only worked under 40mph so not much good.
Otherwise I don't miss them apart from the very rare occasion I'm travelling slowly down an unlit track.

[v8-powered]

Interesting you've mentioned that - active / high beam assist doesn't always pick up on vehicles on side roads, so you can inadvertently dazzle someone trying to join the road...

[Noggin]

Interesting you've mentioned that - active / high beam assist doesn't always pick up on vehicles on side roads, so you can inadvertently dazzle someone trying to join the road...

On the other hand, I have had that pick up the reflection from roadsigns and go down to dipped Usually in a small road with no other lighting where I'd REALLY like my full beam back pleasethankyou!!

[Horse]

Coincidence? Hmmm...

https://www.driving.org/new-eyesight-te ... gulations/

Motorists have been told to prepare for law changes requiring extensive eyesight tests to drive on Britain’s roads.

As the DVSA tightens driving regulations, experts from LeaseCar.uk have cautioned that drivers who have poor night vision risk having their licences withdrawn.

With 17 million drivers in the UK having night vision problems, the new tests may result in more licences being revoked than ever before. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has released its business strategy for 2023–2024, which includes a review of the way that eye tests are now conducted.

[Mussels]

Someone wants to put spin on that saying a meaningless number is staggering. Nothing about why they have trouble.

“A staggering 17 million drivers in the UK admit to having trouble seeing in the dark, which could be a huge problem if this new eyesight test is introduced. We expect they could also take a toll on the number of eligible elderly drivers, who are more likely to have eye conditions and fading night vision.

[Jody]

On this subject, can we normalise dipping your lights to say thank you, rather than flashing them

"wow, so glad I pulled in to let that car by, I'm now half blind for the next 10 minutes"

[Horse]

On this subject, can we normalise dipping your lights to say thank you, rather than flashing them

Used to do that with halogen lamps. But LEDs don't react immediately.

So either take more time if possible, or flash the hazards.

And squint / look away when letting someone else through.

[Wossname]

Your lights are already dipped, hopefully - all you can do is switch them off, momentarily. Usually easily done, without (too much) risk.

[Horse]

Your lights are already dipped, hopefully - all you can do is switch them off, momentarily. Usually easily done, without (too much) risk.

As above:

Used to do that with halogen lamps. But LEDs don't react immediately.

[MrLongbeard]

I just stick my arm out the window.