Is it time to ban LED Headlights

I honestly wonder why anyone needs lights this bright anyway.
After complaining in earlier threads about being blinded, it was suggested I get my eyes tested, but I honestly think if people need lights this bright it's them that need Specsavers!!
 
Gilbert89 said:
Some lights leave me dazzled more than others, usually higher up vehicles such as Mini SUV’s.

I’ve noticed when I drive our Toyota Yaris Cross we get no end of people full beaming us, some in an angrily manor, takes us to beam them back (two wrongs and all that) to prove we don’t have them on.

Not an ideal situation, hate the fact it is blinding people coming head on quite often.
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Probably means you need to adjust the headlights down a bit...

Really annoys me that there's no regulation / manufacturer standard to avoid things like this by limiting the brightness (some 'dipped beams' seem just as bright as normal full beams these days if they end up in your eyes...), or even position (eg maybe SUVs should have to have their headlights lower to the ground where they're less likely to dazzle people not in an SUV - big SUVs tailgating smaller cars sometimes ends up illuminating the inside of the car and blinding both mirrors because the lights are just so bright and high off the ground.
 
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ttaskmaster said:
I honestly wonder why anyone needs lights this bright anyway.
After complaining in earlier threads about being blinded, it was suggested I get my eyes tested, but I honestly think if people need lights this bright it's them that need Specsavers!!
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Cos they have a dial to choose the brightness output?
 
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theone8181 said:
I've been getting flash a few times in my Model 3, but I think the lights are just very bright. I do wish people wouldn't flash when really close, for a few seconds I'm blinded.
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Imagine how they feel when they’re blinded the whole time you drive passed.

It doesn’t bother me as much on a straight road, but in narrow bendy country roads it’s less than ideal.
 
yes £115 for upgrade sounds expensive

GreatAuk said:
Really annoys me that there's no regulation / manufacturer standard to avoid things like this by limiting the brightness (some 'dipped beams' seem just as bright as normal full beams these days if they end up in your eyes...), or even position (eg maybe SUVs should have to have their headlights lower to the ground where they're less likely to dazzle people not in an SUV - big SUVs tailgating smaller cars sometimes ends up illuminating the inside of the car and blinding both mirrors because the lights are just so bright and high off the ground.
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can dim the mirror if they are behind, but coming towards you I think SUV's may have helped(sic) higher lights mean they are more angled down, greater incident angle, so road undulations cause less up ticks/dazzle.
maybe driving test should have a night accuity requirement

But a matrix light, as commented, adds a lot of cost to the car, or potential 2nd hand/accident repair, if we didn't have such luxuries would the RRP's be declining.
are whiter matrix actually detrimental for fog where amber would be better , need colour tuneable - hue.
 
jpaul said:
yes £115 for upgrade sounds expensive


can dim the mirror if they are behind, but coming towards you I think SUV's may have helped(sic) higher lights mean they are more angled down, greater incident angle, so road undulations cause less up ticks/dazzle.
maybe driving test should have a night accuity requirement

But a matrix light, as commented, adds a lot of cost to the car, or potential 2nd hand/accident repair, if we didn't have such luxuries would the RRP's be declining.
are whiter matrix actually detrimental for fog where amber would be better , need colour tuneable - hue.
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True about when they're coming towards you, so that does redeem them a little bit maybe. Unfortunately you can't dim wingmirrors (which are probably the most useful mirrors), only rear view.

Indeed, if people with poor night vision weren't allowed to drive at night then maybe these ultra bright lights wouldn't be used.
 
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GreatAuk said:
Probably means you need to adjust the headlights down a bit...

Really annoys me that there's no regulation / manufacturer standard to avoid things like this by limiting the brightness (some 'dipped beams' seem just as bright as normal full beams these days if they end up in your eyes...), or even position (eg maybe SUVs should have to have their headlights lower to the ground where they're less likely to dazzle people not in an SUV - big SUVs tailgating smaller cars sometimes ends up illuminating the inside of the car and blinding both mirrors because the lights are just so bright and high off the ground.
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That’s first thing we looked at and ensured they are on the lowest setting but still seem to dazzle other drivers unfortunately.
 
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GreatAuk said:
Probably means you need to adjust the headlights down a bit...

Really annoys me that there's no regulation / manufacturer standard to avoid things like this by limiting the brightness (some 'dipped beams' seem just as bright as normal full beams these days if they end up in your eyes...), or even position (eg maybe SUVs should have to have their headlights lower to the ground where they're less likely to dazzle people not in an SUV - big SUVs tailgating smaller cars sometimes ends up illuminating the inside of the car and blinding both mirrors because the lights are just so bright and high off the ground.
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Headlight regulations do exist and manufactures need to build cars which comply with the type approval ratings.

The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989

www.legislation.gov.uk www.legislation.gov.uk
 
Firestar_3x said:
Headlight regulations do exist and manufactures need to build cars which comply with the type approval ratings.

The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989

www.legislation.gov.uk www.legislation.gov.uk
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Interesting... Seems very light touch, with the main requirements for cars apparently being:
- 2 headlights, <400mm from the sides of the vehicle
- White or yellow light
- Between 500 & 1200mm off the ground
- For approved headlights, some requirements about settings for the horizontal cutoff of a beam and the middle of its beam pattern being between 1 and 2% below the horizontal in the recommended position when there is a single 75kg driver.
- For non-approved headlights the centre of the beam pattern needs to be below the horizontal, or set so as not to cause undue dazzle or discomfort to other road users.
- No requirement for wattage or intensity

More detailed come if your headlight is 'approved', with approved headlights meeting this regulation: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1979/1088/schedule/4/made
Which probably means meeting this: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/1976/761/article/1
Which has been repealed and replaced with this: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2009/661/contents
Which seems to link actual requirements for headlights, such as this: https://webarchive.nationalarchives...XT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2010.177.01.0001.01.ENG
I've now lost motivation to read any further on that document or to read the separate documents for discharge lamps etc :p, but it seems to have requirements about being able to illuminate certain zones within a range of lumen values, and for the 'passing' beam to provide adequate illumination without dazzle.

So I guess what this actually shows is that either enforcement of those rules is probably quite lax, or they need to be updated and expanded (given that many modern and presumably 'approved' headlights do actually cause dazzle in the course of providing their driver better than the required 'adequate' illumination for passing /dipped beams, and there don't seem to be strong enough requirements preventing full beams from being dazzling if automatic dimmers are used).
 
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You seemed to be suggesting the drivers were electing how bright to have the headlights, when of course you don’t have the choice in a car!
 
Jonnycoupe said:
You seemed to be suggesting the drivers were electing how bright to have the headlights, when of course you don’t have the choice in a car!
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Your mention of the dial suggested they do have the choice. I'm not aware of any cars that have such a feature, but presumed your mention was because you knew of modern ones that might...
And yes, if your headlights do blind every other ****** on the road, then you do have the choice - Change them out or get a car that doesn't make you a *****.
 
GreatAuk said:
More detailed come if your headlight is 'approved', with approved headlights meeting this regulation: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1979/1088/schedule/4/made
Which probably means meeting this: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/1976/761/article/1
Which has been repealed and replaced with this: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2009/661/contents
Which seems to link actual requirements for headlights, such as this: https://webarchive.nationalarchives...XT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2010.177.01.0001.01.ENG
I've now lost motivation to read any further on that document or to read the separate documents for discharge lamps etc :p, but it seems to have requirements about being able to illuminate certain zones within a range of lumen values, and for the 'passing' beam to provide adequate illumination without dazzle.

So I guess what this actually shows is that either enforcement of those rules is probably quite lax, or they need to be updated and expanded (given that many modern and presumably 'approved' headlights do actually cause dazzle in the course of providing their driver better than the required 'adequate' illumination for passing /dipped beams, and there don't seem to be strong enough requirements preventing full beams from being dazzling if automatic dimmers are used).
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doesn't seem to be the conformity requirement for matrix ?, like what kind of brightness oncoming target, or following car, they are expected to identify and how quickly (and bicycles/motorbikes)...
am I better off if I approach a matrix car with full beam, because it will see me sooner, lorries/hgv's obviously have wider spaced lights, so the tunnel created must subtend some greater angle.
(if you approach a duel lane with two oncoming cars with their adjacent lights out, what happens ... the cleaning of the light sensor ...)

...
still seems an irony that for driving in rain/snow a yellower 3000k light is better, which hid's/matrix's aint, or the 6000k replacement crew.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
Imagine how they feel when they’re blinded the whole time you drive passed.

It doesn’t bother me as much on a straight road, but in narrow bendy country roads it’s less than ideal.
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But if telhey pass the mot and are adjusted what else can be done? Obviously they are leds so pretty bright anyway. Sort of ironic as my car also has blacked windows and with the autodimming mirrors all round ice got these bright lights so can see well in front, but sides and the rear are a real pita with poor visibility.
 
The ones on my BM are very clever, think they are LED ones. Not had a flash from anyone since I have had the car, clever the way they work around the cars in front and coming towards me.
 
Housey said:
The ones on my BM are very clever, think they are LED ones. Not had a flash from anyone since I have had the car, clever the way they work around the cars in front and coming towards me.
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I hired a new 520d last week with these I think. Pretty cool having the beam turn off where cars were. Also it did 141mph on the autobahn.
 
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