People, driving at night, and (blue) headlights

MrAviator180

MrAviator180

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MrAviator
Last night, and tonight..

Some circumstances had me driving home a bit later than usual. It was dark. No problem.

Until...I was blinded by a few people here and there, with their high beams on. I would flash mine back to remind them their highs are on, but my reminder went ignored.

The headlights with the blue tint? Those blind me completely when they're on high..It's obnoxious when someone wants to compensate and show off their little lifted half-ton pick up, which seems to be "special" because it has blue lights... What is so cool about them?

1. Not having a girlfriend?
2. Having the ignorance, turning them to "high" and instantly giving the guy on the receiving end a headache?
3. Getting attention?
4. Not having anything better to spend your money on?

I just don't understand. If your stock headlights aren't enough, then replace them.

I heard a saying when I was out at the airport last summer.

"There are two types of people in the world: The ones who don't fly at all, and have the truck with the tricked out truck. Then, there are the ones who own an airplane, and don't find wasting money on their ride to the airport, a necessity."
 
They are most likely hid "kits" in non hid halogen low beam housings. It's like looking at a welding arc because the lens is not designed for that type of bulb. It is illegal but noone cares to enforce it. Sadly the light output is worse than if they just left it alone...
 
I can't take xenon lights and everyone in my area drives with high beams on its so annoying I get blinded I go nuts every night on the way home! And I know those douches in pick ups are so annoying!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Most likely they are on low beam, I drive a 2013 Ford Super Duty and when I have the low beams on I still have people flash their high beams at me. The new headlights are just extremely bright.
 
Dean said:
Most likely they are on low beam, I drive a 2013 Ford Super Duty and when I have the low beams on I still have people flash their high beams at me. The new headlights are just extremely bright.
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... or they're just not aimed properly. If people were frequently flashing me, I might be adjusting them down and to the right a bit.
 
Dean said:
Most likely they are on low beam, I drive a 2013 Ford Super Duty and when I have the low beams on I still have people flash their high beams at me. The new headlights are just extremely bright.
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You do know you can aim the headlights, right?

---

What drives me bananas is the tools (of whom there are so many) who believe it's OK to drive around with the "extra" lights on all the time. It ain't.

What are those fool things for, anyway? Finally, we get decently-designed headlamps in the US after years of being stuck with gosh-awful sealed beams, then these extra lights (fog lights? driving lights? blind the old fart lights?) become prevalent, as if to say, "We're gonna blind you with glare somehow!"

For a while, the first generation Lexus ES300 was the worst, with its rod-raping yellow pinprick blazers, but now, I believe the Ford F series trucks take the prize.

It's evil.
 
SCCutler said:
What drives me bananas is the tools (of whom there are so many) who believe it's OK to drive around with the "extra" lights on all the time. It ain't.
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All of our vehicles have factory fog lights. I only use them at night, and only in the (duh) fog or rain. Clear night? They are turned off.
 
SCCutler said:
You do know you can aim the headlights, right?
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Can you on newer models? I don't know, just asking. I haven't noticed any adjustment on any of my later model cars/trucks with the permanent reflector/headlight unit and removable bulb.

Not saying it's not there...just that I've never looked/noticed.
 
timwinters said:
Can you on newer models? I don't know, just asking. I haven't noticed any adjustment on any of my later model cars/trucks with the permanent reflector/headlight unit and removable bulb.

Not saying it's not there...just that I've never looked/noticed.
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Yeah, you can, but it isn't quite as simple as in the olden days. You'll have to look in your manual and the procedure should be in there.
 
You know, I've wondered for a while why they don't do "polarized" headlights.

So...let's set up the headlights so they have polarized lenses that that are oriented such that they are 45* from the vertical, with the top to the left (other way is fine, but it's important that they be standardized). Then also polarize windshields the same way.

With that, your headlights will work perfectly for you. Light is polarized the same way (with some scattering of course). But to oncoming traffic, your headlights would be dimed...OK, at 45* each way, they'd be invisible (as the polarization would be 90* opposed), maybe adjust that a bit. This would allow people to use higher intensity headlights (so they can see better), while not blinding oncoming drivers.
 
JeffDG said:
You know, I've wondered for a while why they don't do "polarized" headlights.

So...let's set up the headlights so they have polarized lenses that that are oriented such that they are 45* from the vertical, with the top to the left (other way is fine, but it's important that they be standardized). Then also polarize windshields the same way.

With that, your headlights will work perfectly for you. Light is polarized the same way (with some scattering of course). But to oncoming traffic, your headlights would be dimed...OK, at 45* each way, they'd be invisible (as the polarization would be 90* opposed), maybe adjust that a bit. This would allow people to use higher intensity headlights (so they can see better), while not blinding oncoming drivers.
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They used to be like that, with the old sealed beams. Not sure if they are anymore.
 
I think they are dangerous and blind people ..I ****ing hate them
 
JeffDG said:
You know, I've wondered for a while why they don't do "polarized" headlights.

So...let's set up the headlights so they have polarized lenses that that are oriented such that they are 45* from the vertical, with the top to the left (other way is fine, but it's important that they be standardized). Then also polarize windshields the same way.

With that, your headlights will work perfectly for you. Light is polarized the same way (with some scattering of course). But to oncoming traffic, your headlights would be dimed...OK, at 45* each way, they'd be invisible (as the polarization would be 90* opposed), maybe adjust that a bit. This would allow people to use higher intensity headlights (so they can see better), while not blinding oncoming drivers.
Click to expand...

Well, lets see:

Polarized headlight = 50% tint = 50% reduction in light output ... need to double the bulb power just to get back to normal brightness. More heat to dissipate, bigger alternators to handle the load.

Polarized windshield means 50% tint there too. Not going to work to well in states that ban windshield tint, nor for folks driving at dusk or dark who just ran over the bikers/walkers they didn't see.

This would allow people to use higher intensity headlights (so they can see better), while not blinding oncoming drivers.
Click to expand...

254 million vehicles on the road in the US with un-polarized windshields. Meaning anyone with the higher intensity polarized lights is going to blind anyone still driving with their "old" windshield. Not to mention the 500+ million unpolarized headlight bulbs in circulation.


Worst part with this idea is that the same tools who drive with the jacked up headlights lights aimed at your eyeballs today will just be driving around with the polarizers rotated wrong and blinding you anyway. :wink2:

I'll stick with aiming them properly and enforcing the existing laws which make many of the HID, xenon, and "blue tint" headlights illegal anyway.

http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2012/06/are-blue-xenon-hid-headlights-legal.html


Other than that, sounds like a fine idea. :D
 
Most factory vehicles now a days come with hid lights. I put a kit in my truck and love them. The are 6k kelvin which is bright white with a hint of blue. My truck is not jacked up and nobody gets blinded anymore than before. But driving with those are awesome. My wife's volvo has them factory and they are great.

I used to have a jacked up Tacoma, because I went off roading a lot. I did not have hid's yet I still got flashed a lot. Then I realized, truck is higher so headlights had to be aimed down and viola no flashing at me. The problem you are seeing is trucks not readjusting after they lift their truck not necessarily the hid lights.

However where I'm from everybody loves to drive with the high beams on. I give a flash and if no response, I turn mine on and leave them on.
 
Bill Jennings said:
All of our vehicles have factory fog lights. I only use them at night, and only in the (duh) fog or rain. Clear night? They are turned off.
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Do you use them with the main headlights on?

If you do, they have no function whatsoever, except to contribute to excessive glare.

I have a beef with brighter headlights. You cannot see further with a brighter headlight. You make deeper shadows and a much larger blind spot. It is MUCH better to dark adapt with dim headlights.
 
MAKG1 said:
Do you use them with the main headlights on?

If you do, they have no function whatsoever, except to contribute to excessive glare.

I have a beef with brighter headlights. You cannot see further with a brighter headlight. You make deeper shadows and a much larger blind spot. It is MUCH better to dark adapt with dim headlights.
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So we should all install penlights in our headlights since they will provide just as much illumination?

Oooooook. :rolleyes:

Taken to the extreme, you are saying I can see just as far with a 1candlelight power light as I can a 1million candlelight power light?

Or did you mean brighter as in different hue?
 
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EdFred said:
So we should all install penlights in our headlights since they will provide just as much illumination?

Oooooook. :rolleyes:

Taken to the extreme, you are saying I can see just as far with a 1candlelight power light as I can a 1million candlelight power light?

Or did you mean brighter as in different hue?
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You make a headlight "brighter" by focusing a narrower beam.

Which requires more careful aiming. And you cannot see anything outside that beam at all.

And no one ever aims their headlights.

Try driving in a dark site with a lot of trees and see how many more deer just off the road (where they present the greatest danger) you see with "bright" headlights.

Not that I recommend going quite that far, but you can drive under a moon (even under 1/4 illuminated) without any headlights at all. With dark adaptation, you can read under starlight alone. AND see into the shadows.

What people miss most completely is that headlights are mostly so the other guy can see you. They are position lights. They aren't very effective at illumination, and in a lot of important ways -- such as blinding everyone else -- they are counterproductive.
 
MAKG1 said:
Do you use them with the main headlights on?
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Depends on the car. Two allow fog lights with marker lights only, one requires the mains to be on for the fogs to be on. But yes, in dense fog, you're much better on fogs alone. I've even had good success in very dense fog just using the marker lights with the 4-ways turned on. The bright yellow would reflect off of the white fog line on the right side and I could tell where I was going. Unconventional, but works.
 
Put a couple of 100 watt lamps in the high beam sockets. In my 68 GTO I had 100 watt landing lights. Never had to ask twice to get oncoming traffic to dim theirs. :D
 
Depends on where you live. Back in PA I was on a backroad with no lights whatsoever (the way I like it). My Ford Excursion's factory headlights sucked so bad that when on high beam, a friend riding with me said "Why are you only using low beam?" they were awful.

So I bought aftermarket lights with HIDs that worked right. They looked better, I could see everything, and they were aimed properly. Never got oncoming traffic flashing, and certainly saved me from hitting deer on multiple occasions.

Now I live in an area with lots of lighting and other traffic, and it really doesn't matter what I have for lights.

There are jerks with the headlights who have them badly aimed and buy the wrong kits. They are in a different group. When used properly and in the right environment, the brighter headlights are very useful.

Also, blue is not ideal. 4500-5000K is what you want. The 6000K blue is harder to see in, although bright.
 
I've converted cars to HID the "wrong" way with good results, it largely depends on the housing. Some are crappy, some work fine. Re-aiming is key to getting the most out of any light.

I don't like the tinted color, but 5k or 6k is reasonable and to me gives better visibility.
 
I was driving up the Merritt Parkway on a full moon night and the number of jerkwads with highbeams on was appalling. Yeah it is a dark scary road(not) bright enough to drive by moonlight...
When I was younger I would drift across the line into the highbeamer's lane. Hey I was blinded by the lights.
 
MAKG1 said:
What people miss most completely is that headlights are mostly so the other guy can see you. They are position lights. They aren't very effective at illumination, and in a lot of important ways -- such as blinding everyone else -- they are counterproductive.
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Gotta disagree with this one. Headlights are quite effective at illumination. The observer does have to know where to look and recognize "targets" when they appear. The 09 Explorer (work vehicle) has enough headlight to see antelope/deer/elk early enough to stop before hitting when cruising at 70 mph. That is pretty impressive compared to vehicles from 20 years prior. And I don't have folks flashing their brights at me when I'm dimmed.
 
MAKG1 said:
What people miss most completely is that headlights are mostly so the other guy can see you. They are position lights. They aren't very effective at illumination, and in a lot of important ways -- such as blinding everyone else -- they are counterproductive.
Click to expand...

Incorrect. Many city slickers have that view, but in the country you do need headlights to see where you're going.
 
JeffDG said:
You know, I've wondered for a while why they don't do "polarized" headlights.

So...let's set up the headlights so they have polarized lenses that that are oriented such that they are 45* from the vertical, with the top to the left (other way is fine, but it's important that they be standardized). Then also polarize windshields the same way.

With that, your headlights will work perfectly for you. Light is polarized the same way (with some scattering of course). But to oncoming traffic, your headlights would be dimed...OK, at 45* each way, they'd be invisible (as the polarization would be 90* opposed), maybe adjust that a bit. This would allow people to use higher intensity headlights (so they can see better), while not blinding oncoming drivers.
Click to expand...

Edwin Land tried very hard to make this happen about 70 years ago...

http://www.polarization.com/land/land.html
 
How would polarization affect the reflected light of your own headlights? I know that a lot of road signs rely on reflective tape or paint to be visible. I don't know if it would be the same as if it were just lighting up something non-reflective vs something that scatters vs something else.

Would polarized windshields and polarized sunglasses have any conflicts?
 
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MrAviator180 said:
The headlights with the blue tint? Those blind me completely when they're on high..It's obnoxious when someone wants to compensate and show off their little lifted half-ton pick up, which seems to be "special" because it has blue lights... What is so cool about them?
Click to expand...
Are they on high or is is because it's a lifted truck and even the low beams are starting out at a higher point? I realize they can be aimed but maybe the owner never thought about it. I found that out after flashing some vehicles I thought had their high beams on. Then they REALLY put them on high. :redface:
 
Henning said:
No, they just look splotchy like they do now.
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The splotchy you are referring to is the stressed plastic laminate / glue layer acting like a crappy polarizer.

He wants to truly polarize the glass to limit the transmission of polarized oncoming headlights.

That would appear as either 50% light transmission or black through a set of polarized sunglasses, depending on the rotation angle.
 
Everskyward said:
Are they on high or is is because it's a lifted truck and even the low beams are starting out at a higher point? I realize they can be aimed but maybe the owner never thought about it. I found that out after flashing some vehicles I thought had their high beams on. Then they REALLY put them on high. :redface:
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I had that with my last truck. It was actually lifted a couple extra from the factory over the normal models. I'm pretty sure they forgot to adjust the speedometer and the lights because that speedo always indicated slow and I always got the flash from other cars even on low beams.
 
EdFred said:
I always got the flash from other cars even on low beams.
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I always wonder about those guys who continually get flashed by oncoming traffic, but won't adjust their headlights to stop blinding everyone else. :wink2:

I gave my son that lecture a few weeks back when he made the same comment, and it took all of 10 minutes to fix his problem. :yes:
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Incorrect. Many city slickers have that view, but in the country you do need headlights to see where you're going.
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I don't live in the city. We don't have streetlights. And I regularly go out walking with the lights off (turned on when there is a reason to such as a car passing). I can easily see 1/4 mile down the road, in pine forest. I can only surmise that you've never tried this.

Many folks who live "in the country" don't really know what a dark site is like because the "country" in some places looks just like the suburbs.
 
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MAKG1 said:
I can easily see 1/4 mile down the road. I can only surmise that you've never tried this.
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That works perfectly well when walking along at 5 mph. Your eyes can gather plenty of information in time to avoid problems. Not so at 60 mph.

That pothole, branch in the road, sand in the road? Would be hard to see and process in time without lighting.
 
Bill Jennings said:
That works perfectly well when walking along at 5 mph. Your eyes can gather plenty of information in time to avoid problems. Not so at 60 mph.

That pothole, branch in the road, sand in the road? Would be hard to see and process in time without lighting.
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That's hard to process WITH lighting.

Anyone who drives 60 MPH with their low beams on is completely trusting that there is no crap in the road. You cannot illuminate your stopping distance.

It's fine at 30 MPH, too. I occasionally do that with the bicycle. Not often, as it can get fidgety to turn the lights on when needed, and the wind noise makes it more difficult to hear the traffic.

One would think this is obvious, but your lights will only illuminate things that are directly in your path, or at least very close to it. Some of the worst hazards do not qualify.
 
ElPaso Pilot said:
I always wonder about those guys who continually get flashed by oncoming traffic, but won't adjust their headlights to stop blinding everyone else. :wink2:

I gave my son that lecture a few weeks back when he made the same comment, and it took all of 10 minutes to fix his problem. :yes:
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I think I ended up adjusting them after a while. But if I did it would have been well over a decade ago.
 
The problem isn't so much the intensity, it's the glare and the instant, painful, destruction of the rhodopsin in the eyes that's the problem with the blue color light. You could have just as intense of a light in an amber range and you would actually have better ability to see without blinding oncoming traffic. There is no real need for having great color acuity when driving at night.
 
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