RAC says new headlights 'blinding drivers'

I suspect the issue is that whilst they might be "legal" theyre able with the newer technology to utterly blast the area theyre allowed with light with an immediate drop off, hence why its so easy to appear like they're flashing over bumps etc.

I find land rovers and french cars to be the worst offenders.

The issue is that the quick advances in tech means if your in a car with xenons they seem underwhelming, let alone something still running halogens.
 
steve45 said:
So its not me just imagining it, this situation is getting really bad, and increasingly dangerous.
Jag/Landrover vehicles for me are by far the worst.
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YES! JLR (4x4s) are BY FAR the worst offenders. Sometimes an X5 will annoy me too.

That and van drivers who don't adjust their headlights with a heavy load and burn my retinas when sat behind me at traffic lights. FUUU
 
Jonnycoupe said:
Probably a few of these are HID in halogen reflector units anyway.
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By May of next year this *should* become a thing of the past with the new MOT rules starting this May.

But as many have already said, SUVs are the main culprits for me. It seems designers and engineers are not tempering designs to cope with the added height and still using imperfect placing of headlights.
 
Vertigo1 said:
Can we start on about idiots who drive around in the dark with just their DRLs on, blinding everyone? :)
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What I don't understand is why the regulations didn't require lights on at both ends? This way, idiots who don't understand that grey/rain/dark = lights on are seen by all :)
 
[TW]Fox said:
How do you know that? You don't - people are often dazzled by completely legal headlights. I've been flashed a couple of times driving the Mini and it has absolutely perfectly aligned completely standard headlights..
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If it’s anythintg like the Mrs Mini (she’s got the clubman) the headlights are brighter than the sun.
 
My car has intellilux matrix led headlights, whilst they are ridiculously bright they are also also very intelligent. I was apprehensive but they allow me to drive around with full beam on and they adapt/adjust according to oncoming lights, speed and road surroundings.
In 6000 miles of driving, 1/3 of which are were at night, I've had 2 people flash me (or at least I thought they did, may have just been potholes or incline/declines). I used to get more people flashing me with my old H7 standard halogen osram nightbrakers in my old car.

The bigger problem is with people fitting custom HID kits with illegal beam patterns, or heaving their headlights set too high or un-even.
 
yes - I just get tired of flashing people , which also annoys other road users,
plus the cretins coming to a brow of a hill where they fail to dip before straddling it.

never mind soon we will have
LASER HEADLAMPS
BMW and Audi are pulling hard to make laser headlights happen, with the new technology promising to be 1,000 times better than LED headlights, while also coming in a much more compact form. You might know that lasers are quite dangerous things to play with and they only illuminate a zone about the size of a dime. So, how do laser headlamps make for a good idea to be implemented on cars?
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Some of these cars will be LHD with no tourist mode set or no beam benders attached.
I don't mind the really bright new cars unless the do that strobing effect on bumpy roads, the irony is this is caused by mandated self-levelling not keeping up with third world road conditions - they were only ever designed for changes in ride height due to braking, changes in passenger and luggage weights not crashy rides.
 
jpaul said:
yes - I just get tired of flashing people , which also annoys other road users,
plus the cretins coming to a brow of a hill where they fail to dip before straddling it.

never mind soon we will have
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Laser lights are already available on the new A8 and I believe the R8 :D
I think they are only for low speed however are probably like the sun
 
I think you should be able to turn your headlights to 'on' and not blind oncoming traffic.

I also think that we're currently in a time where you can't necessarily do that - I spend a lot of time driving on 'country' or semi-rural roads and I find myself dazzled all the time by cars made in the last ten or so years, and I can't be sure that I'm not dazzling anyone either.

Modern headlights are so bright that proper adjustment is really important, and I'm just not convinced that a lot of people's headlights these days are adjusted correctly.

All these people can't be driving around with their full beams on, I'm sure it's just that their headlights aren't set up correctly,
 
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