Is it time to ban LED Headlights
- Thread starter Glanza
- Start date
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
I do wonder how much of this is just people who always like to complain about things finding something else to complain about.
Meanwhile the better performance of modern headlights compared with those of 20 years ago has clear and obvious road safety benefits.
Meanwhile the better performance of modern headlights compared with those of 20 years ago has clear and obvious road safety benefits.
*sigh
Man of Honour
You know beam pattern is already checked right?
Yet loads of cars with LED headlights are still dazzling everyone and making night driving more dangerous. To a point where the government is having to investigate...
Last edited:
What sort of extra checks do you think the DVSA should add?
MOTs to be conducted at 2am on a country lane so you can check headlight glare in the dark
The purpose of an MOT is to ensure a vehicle is being maintained to a certain standard of roadworthiness and safety; if a vehicle leaves the factory with lights which are subsequently deemed to be unsafe that's a matter for the manufacturer to resolve via a recall, not for the owner to have to rectify with stickers.
I would put some of this down to lazy PDI checks not even looking at headlight aim. My cars headlights were dangerously low when I picked it up. How many are out there for the first three years with headlights dazzling people constantly.
Absolutely this. Similar story with my Hyundai Kona - blinding out of the factory. Took it back to the dealer, all fixed in about 10 minutes; 10 minutes that probably should have been part of a PDI.
Lumen and kelvin. 6000k+ is not good. Bad for night sight and it reflects brightly off everything. Especially through fog and rain, even dipped beam can dazzle people.
Last edited:
Soldato
- Joined
- 27 Mar 2013
- Posts
- 9,314
How does the height setting work for LEDs/xenons as they auto adjust. Is it the 'default' height that if set wrong means they can never adjust low enough?
Usually a load/compression sensor on the rear suspension, which then lowers the headlight tilt to compensate for load causing "nose up". If the original set point is wrong then yes, the lowering will also be wrong.
You can still manually adjust the beam height, I do plenty to get them through an MOT.
Soldato
Yeap, it's the perceived idea that "White light lets you sees further because its brighter and thats safer" as a selling point that makes these so popular, whereas 4300k bulbs "are dimmer and you can't see as far so they're less safe" all of which is completely false in reality, but especially in rain/fog/mist etc.
I also wonder what kind of speeds people drive at to consider their perceived viewing distance difference between 6000K and 4300K bulbs makes a safety difference? I think these are simply a "perceived/feelings" difference rather than a logical one, and god help anyone trying to change a feelings-based decision in the general public.
Soldato
My take is that the big German car makers such as BMW and Audi made super bright headlights for barreling down an unlit Autobahn with no cats eyes at 130mph at night, then when the other manufacturers saw how much brighter the lights were,they wanted them too.
I experienced night driving in heavy rain on the Autobahn and cars were blasting past me at 100mph plus. I just stayed out of their way at 70mph
I experienced night driving in heavy rain on the Autobahn and cars were blasting past me at 100mph plus. I just stayed out of their way at 70mph
Don
I just don't get it. My wife always complains about bright lights but it never bothers me. I do wonder whether they are looking directly at them or something.
The only time I get annoyed is when I'm in the S2000 and something like a Range Rover is 30cm off my rear. I'm so low that the light just beams straight at me. A quick flick of the rear view mirror sorts it though.
The only time I get annoyed is when I'm in the S2000 and something like a Range Rover is 30cm off my rear. I'm so low that the light just beams straight at me. A quick flick of the rear view mirror sorts it though.
I agree.