I generally always switch my headlights on, or atleast sidelights when i get onto motorways if its atall rainy or dark or dull or anything other than perfect sunshine, i personally find it a bit easier to spot a car with its headlights on in my mirrors that on without. Same as spotting rear lights in the distance.
Dipped Headlights on Motorways and dual carriageways
- Thread starter shrek2
- Start date
Standard stopping sight distance @ 70mph is 295m
For properly lit roads the visibility of the markings is 160-200m with objects in the road just about discernible at about 250m and there is no difference in visibility whether you have headlights on or not.
For unlit roads normal visibility of offside markings is 60m due to the headlight cut off; a nearside hard shoulder marking is going to give about 90m for the average driver (about 25% greater for a 20 year old). Road studs are likely to be seen for 125m depending on type, objects in the carriageways will become visible from a similar distance.
On unlit dual carriageways unless the markings and studs are new anything over 75-80mph means that you will have problems keeping in the lane on anything other than minor curves, however, even then your stopping distance is roughly twice the visible distance to an unlit (and non-reflective) object in the road.
For properly lit roads the visibility of the markings is 160-200m with objects in the road just about discernible at about 250m and there is no difference in visibility whether you have headlights on or not.
For unlit roads normal visibility of offside markings is 60m due to the headlight cut off; a nearside hard shoulder marking is going to give about 90m for the average driver (about 25% greater for a 20 year old). Road studs are likely to be seen for 125m depending on type, objects in the carriageways will become visible from a similar distance.
On unlit dual carriageways unless the markings and studs are new anything over 75-80mph means that you will have problems keeping in the lane on anything other than minor curves, however, even then your stopping distance is roughly twice the visible distance to an unlit (and non-reflective) object in the road.
Soldato
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That actually sounds quite scary! I hate the patch of unlit dual carriageway(M74) between hamilton and lanark i think it is. Really quite dodgy.
In the past I have came across a lorry's huge tyre and an already mowed down pheasant but still a rather large thing to run over at 70. I know of someone that had 2 *dogs* run out onto the motorway and his car was written off when hitting them at 70.
Also when its been raining you might come across a large enough pool of water that you could aquaplane.
Soldato
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Rain was never in the original question. I drive slow enough that I don't aquaplane in the track ruts in lane 1 when it's raining.
Around 1997 I remember the mother saying "oh is that a tyre?!" when we were on the motorway coming back from some place at night, luckily the other lane was clear and we didn't all die. Huge lorry tyre also.
Most of the ones i can think of aren't lit except around junctions
Some people are pretty damn arrogant with their usage of main beams as well.
Driving a wagon our line of vision is way over the armco. some people refuse to dip knowing your own headlights don't affect them.
Oh for a 25mw Laser
Driving a wagon our line of vision is way over the armco. some people refuse to dip knowing your own headlights don't affect them.
Oh for a 25mw Laser
Where do you get this from? The highway code suggests that 96 meters (315 ft) is the stopping distance from 70 including the thinking distance. While the thinking distances havent changed much, modern cars with high performance brakes/tyres can often reduce brakeing distance considerably.
Various different sights on the net seem to offer a dozen different "forumlas" for Sight stopping distance compared to emergency stopping distance, and those seem to range from 150-240meters @ 70mpg.
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No
Step 1 = Sidelights
Step 2 = Dipped Beam
Step 3 = Main/Full/High (call it what you will) Beam
Main beam is not dipped beam.
Standard fitment on most cars up to about 1965 until they discovered stalks work quite well
Soldato
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LMAO, The OcUK uber-inportant, what we shall hence fourth call headlight settings thread.
I don't think it matters, calling dipped beams main beams is wrong tho.
I don't think it matters, calling dipped beams main beams is wrong tho.
ocht shoosht you, i drive it almost every day, quite a lot of the time in darkness and its fine, probably better that i know it pretty well now though. But still
Soldato
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TD9/93 Table 3
At 31.111 m/s it is the distance which most drivers can:-
1. See something on the road.
2. Identify it as something dangerous.
3. Deicide if you need to avoid it or brake.
4. Move foot to brake peddle.
5. Brake, while maintaining control on a wet-ish surface.
6. Stop before you hit the object.
Soldato
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ocht shoosht you, i drive it almost every day, quite a lot of the time in darkness and its fine, probably better that i know it pretty well now though. But still
Gay tbh. Drive the backroads,it's much more fun!
No
Step 1 = Sidelights
Step 2 = Dipped Beam
Step 3 = Main/Full/High (call it what you will) Beam
Main beam is not dipped beam.
Finally, someone talking sense