Those bright white headlights

ScarySquirrel

ScarySquirrel

ScarySquirrel

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Please forgive my naivety on this subject.

I find myself getting blinded quite often by people with ridiculously bright white headlights on their cars. I have heard of 'Xenon' lights (or something like that), is that possibly what I am referring to?

They are bloody annoying. I drive home down a lot of country lanes with no street lighting, if someone comes round the corner with those kind of lights, I am blinded beyond belief, more so than if some 'normal' headlights were on full beam.

Does anyone else find they have the same problem? Is there a legal limit on how bright a car's headlights can be?
 
They could well be xenon or Rear projection lights..

My X-Type has them, fantastic if your the driver, but terrible for on coming cars i admit.
By law, they are supposed to be self leveling and self cleaning, to stop them scattering light all over the place and blinding people...

I just spent £278 getting mine fixed because of a broken wire??? my car is fitted with sensors to detect the cars position and angle on the road, and the lights then Automatically adjust according to load etc (factory settings)... with the wire broke, they would not level up at all and I could see no more than a few feet in front of me!!!

On higher spec models there is an override, but mine does not have it...
 
They are most likely HID lights. Standard fit ones can be extremely glaring - particularly in 4x4's where they sit higher up, never mind retro-fitted ones.
 
As said OEM Xenon's should be fine because they have automatic leveling to keep them pointed down where they should be, it's the white lights that people fit themselves that cause problems.
 
ScarySquirrel said:
Does anyone else find they have the same problem? Is there a legal limit on how bright a car's headlights can be?
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Yes and yes. Back in the day when halogens were being invented they noticed that headlights were getting ridiculously bright. They put a limit on the power they could draw to 55W so people wouldn't get blinded.

Modern lights with xenon and discharge bulbs are significantly brighter though and regularly blind me, even sat up as high as in my T. I have no idea how they have managed to become so bright and nobody questioned the legality.

Same goes for rear lights. I'm constantly blinded by LED rear lights and clusters with clear lenses. The old rules clearly used to state the power and that the lens has to prevent you seeing the flilament directly. How all the new Vauxhalls et al. get round that rule I don't know.
 
Get brighter lights yourself, if your lights are better your eyes will be more accustomed to the lighter conditions and cope better with the brief super-brightness of the passing german saloon.

Think about it - they don't dazzle you in the day do they?
 
I agree with the rear bulbs, I hate being behind someone with them at some traffic lights and they just sit there on the brakes
 
nothing wrong with Xenons unless your special and stare straight at them just look away! anyone who flashes me with my standard fit xenons which have self levelling get the high beams!
 
I find the most annoying ones are those where the edge of the beam pattern scatters the colours of the light, so it's constantly flickering away in your mirrors.

I can't be bothered with dazzling oncoming lights any more, if I'm blinded I just flick the main beam on. Assuming it isn't gong to blind them so much that they drive into my lane and kill me to death though.
 
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Telescopi said:
Get brighter lights yourself, if your lights are better your eyes will be more accustomed to the lighter conditions and cope better with the brief super-brightness of the passing german saloon.

Think about it - they don't dazzle you in the day do they?
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LOL, where will it end.
 
Telescopi said:
Get brighter lights yourself, if your lights are better your eyes will be more accustomed to the lighter conditions and cope better with the brief super-brightness of the passing german saloon.

Think about it - they don't dazzle you in the day do they?
Click to expand...

I drive a 13 year old Vauxhall Corsa, it was once red, but now a faded pink colour, I currently have one spare wheel on which has been there for about 2 months. If I was to compare with sexually transmitted diseases I would say it smells like gonorrhea and looks like AIDs.

The last thing it needs is new headlights :p
 
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