I've noticed too that the drivers side headlight is set marginally higher than the one on the passenger side.I've to agree wholeheartedly...
Its one thing in a car where you might only hit something, but on a motorcycle when even the road surface itself is the first source of danger... everything drowns in glaring "whiteout"...
Despite enjoying such tremendously in previous years, I've started to despite and avoid rides during dawn and night hours... even worse in precipitation with wet surfaces and droplets on the visor...
Technically is the design a noticeable step backwards, like the petroleum lamps on like a Ford T or the sealed beam used from the 40ies to the 80ies, is there no downward aimed LOW beam...
They burn just straight, across the full diameter of reflector and lens aperture, either 'extreme dazzling' (LOW?!), or 'hyper dazzling' (HIGH!!)... like looking right into a welding-arc, leading to corneal inflammation...
Just this morning I had a Volvo EV SUV behind me over quite some distance; that flickering due the obviously bad suspension causing pretty much all EV's to bounce along didn't make it any better...
Almost 90% Of Drivers Think LED Headlights Are Too Bright And Pose A R.i.s.k To Others
LED headlights have become popular in modern vehicles, thanks to their energy efficiency and stylish design. However, as these lights illuminate the roads, drivers have become increasingly concerned. Almost 90% of drivers consider that LED headlights are too bright, posing a substantial risk to...timelesslife.info
Its just too much light...
- Thread starter ST1100Y
- Start date
Are any of these crazy new car headights capable of being aimed or are they in a fixed position?
I also pretty much stay off the roads at night any more.
I also pretty much stay off the roads at night any more.
I purchased a pair of the yellow driving glasses and found that the glare from oncoming lights is so greatly reduced that it becomes a non issue. They work really well for me in oncoming light issues.
I did notice that distance view was reduced somewhat and contrast between objects was softened, I will have to watch closer. If it was enough to make a difference is a question. I would prefer not needing them. But that may not be an option, welcome to the world with people in it!
I did notice that distance view was reduced somewhat and contrast between objects was softened, I will have to watch closer. If it was enough to make a difference is a question. I would prefer not needing them. But that may not be an option, welcome to the world with people in it!
Night driving used to be more perilous for me before cataract surgery 1 year ago. Oncoming lights were huge “stars of glare” It’s much better now but I still practice squinting and looking down to the fog line on the right shoulder to try and preserve some night vision when bright lights approach.
New prescription in my glasses has helped my night vision a lot. One trick I was thought was to close one eye ,and open it right after the offending headlights pass you.
OP
OP
ST1100Y
Site Supporter
We've a similar symptom on the S6, a motorway winding through hills and mountains south of Vienna, notorious for thick fog during season changes...
They've placed overly bright LED illuminated speed limit signs, and at night, in the fog you just dash blindly into a reddish/pink wall with absolutely no visibility beyond that, until you've passed that darn "billboard"...
A very uncomfortable feeling, its like someone draped a bed-sheet over your windscreen/visor while in full motion... I frequently fear that there is a slow not/badly illuminated vehicle or obstacles like a rock-fall lingering up ahead there...
Sample picture:
Hate to say it, but we're gettin' old y'all. Our aging eyes can't react to sudden bright lights as quickly as they used to. It doesn't help that new headlight designs pack more light into smaller spaces either. And here in SoMD, ignorant, self-important drivers just leave their high beams on all the time now so you will get out of their way or face their wrath of burned retinas in your rear-view mirror.
Yes, the technology exists already:
The US is slow to certify.
My car has self dimming headlights and they go about the job much better than I ever did. I wonder if there are drivers that have the feature but fail to engage it.
You mean their brains?
Didn't mean 'active' headlights like exist on a number of bikes. Only the ability to aim the bulb, like cars had forever with the two adjustment screws.
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
Calling B.S. on that theory. Yes, older eyes react less quickly, no doubt about that. That isn't the whole story. Look it up and you will find that excessively bright lights has become an increasing danger as LED's have significantly increased the light output. Once a certain threshold has been passed the excess light becomes a hindrance to the human eye, even the young ones, and not a benefit. The contrast between dark and light simply becomes to great for our eyes to manage effectively.
Potato, potahto. You said what I did, just different words.
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
No, I wrote something completely different and contrary to you.
I no longer ride at night unless I have to. The problem is reading the roadway ahead with the oncoming headlight glare. Years ago in my area traffic was lighter and I could use my high beams the majority of the time to read the road. Those days are gone, and high beam use is minimized with the increase in oncoming traffic and with less effective low beams, it's become hard to impossible to scan the road for hazards at a reasonable distance to give time to react. Several years ago I missed seeing a shed truck tire casing by inches because of this. No more.
OP
OP
ST1100Y
Site Supporter
Well, since I'm using shooter-yellow sunglasses as "LED protection" during dawn, rainy weather and night hours, my GF went a similar path and obtained a shooter-yellow visor for her Schuberth C3 pro lid (took us like two months and 3 orders/claims till they finally delivered the correct size (out of the two dimensions avail!) for her XS helmet; so much about superior Teutonic logistics and engineering... 
) and, confirming that its sufficiently dimming/filtering that extreme blueish headlight glare, she's absolutely happy with that thing...
Disappointing though that we have to take actions to protect ourselves from this hazard, only because the authorities are incompetent to get a handle on this imbecility...
During last weeks tour I actually mulled over the idea of installing some myself (PIAA style) only to "phaser back" on those annoying oncoming LT/RT/GS/other ADV wannabe riders with their stupid, always on aux lights... throwing a glare like a C6 at final approach...
) and, confirming that its sufficiently dimming/filtering that extreme blueish headlight glare, she's absolutely happy with that thing...Disappointing though that we have to take actions to protect ourselves from this hazard, only because the authorities are incompetent to get a handle on this imbecility...
During last weeks tour I actually mulled over the idea of installing some myself (PIAA style) only to "phaser back" on those annoying oncoming LT/RT/GS/other ADV wannabe riders with their stupid, always on aux lights... throwing a glare like a C6 at final approach...
........on those annoying oncoming LT/RT/GS/other ADV riders with always on aux lights... throwing a glare like a C6 at final approach...
.....same is happening with bicycle lights!
Back in my hostile youth, when tailgated by some moron with their high beams on , I would adjust my inside mirror to reflect their light back at them .
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
They are often worse than cars in my experience. They are mounted up high so they hit you in the eye full on, and some of them are very bright. They are often set to flash as well, which makes matters even worse as your eyes can't adjust to a bright or a dark environment. How a bicyclist can think that blinding the 4,000 pound vehicle driver coming at them makes them safer is beyond me.
In my youth, I would flash my reverse lights when being high-beam tailgated. I had a manual transmission car that would turn on the reverse lights before you engaged reverse. I don't remembering it doing much, however.