Headlights, driving lights, a rant!!!

[Kevin D Pem]

In my truck I don't have as much of a problem, but I helped my neighbor drive last night the last 150 miles after dark, in their car, and I came to a conclusion.

Inconsiderate s#b's that don't dim,and drive with driving lights, have no place in the civilized world!!!

Just saying.

 

[TheLooks]

This conversation is had in about every forum on any subject in the world. I am with you. However, there are no hard and fast rules that apply to headlights and the new vehicles hitting the road are out of adjustment from the factory. Plus the new led lights that were never approved by any gov. agency to see a mouse cross the road at 500 yards. Add in aftermarket lights and idiot vehicles jacked up in the air or just the front jacket up and its fun.

 

[rvkev]

The two members above are both correct. Headlights were required to be aimed properly when there were glass sealed beam headlights. New vehicles have Light Emitting Diode headlamps that will blind you if you are wearing welding goggles. The restrictions for new headlamp alignment have been relaxed. It is quite a challenge to drive a smaller car on a two lane highway at night.

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Driving a vehicle that puts the driver above the road gets easer the higher your rig is.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

Headlight regulations are so far out of date compared to what new headlights can and should do.

Headlights today are dumbed down to meet US regulations.

Complying with current old regulations, headlights can be made to be self auto adjusting. But most vehicles don’t have that feature.
I find pickup trucks can be a significant offender in poorly aimed lights. “Leveling” kits change the front-to-back angle and now headlights are aimed too high. Or the trucks are loaded down in the back, etc.

Over the years have read many articles on this topic in the news. A quick google brought this one up from a couple years ago:

Headlights Are Safer In Europe; Changes To U.S. Standard Proposed

A new report by the AAA details the dangers of headlights on U.S. vehicles and the benefits of a new technology: adaptive driving beam headlights (ADB).

www.forbes.com

Even with better headlight tech, would still need to crack down on use of light bars.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Really guys, my rant was not about government regulating headlights, light bars, driving lights, and such. My rant is about self regulating, so we become more, well so we are the change needed.

When I had to replace a burned out headlight a year ago, I replaced both with more considerate lamps. I figure if someone is coming at me if he swerved there's something in the road, I don't need to blind him to know it's there.

When we stopped for gas, I was the loud one expressing how inconsiderate those people are that don't think of others.

My thought is, maybe if one light went on, we would be in a better world.

 

[Rosy]

Another aspect that you alluded to in your original post but no one else picked up on: people need to turn on their headlights and tail lights at night, dawn, dusk, when it's cloudy or raining, etc.! I'm sick of all these cars that aren't lit at the back.

 

[rvkev]

people need to turn on their headlights and tail lights at night, dawn, dusk, when it's cloudy or raining, etc.!

Many drivers THINK, the automatic setting covers all driving conditions. Manufactures should consider removing the automatic setting so drivers are able to THINK about what the present driving situation calls for.

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We have automatic braking, automatic heat controls, automatic lane control, and the list goes on. Who is driving that vehicle?

 

[Ventana]

And yet, somehow the head lights on RV are still lame. Go figure.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

I have to admit that the automatic headlights have me a little spoiled. Early iterations were not so good, being too slow to react.

Current vehicle - lights quickly adapt, as soon as we enter a tunnel or garage they flip on, “brights” auto dim as soon as headlights are seen or taillights are seen, even getting anywhere near dusk the lights kick on, I have been very impressed.

 

[DennisT]

They actually had auto dim headlights back in the 60s. My parents had a Chrysler or something with a sensor in top of the dash that dimmed the headlights when it saw others coming.

The problem was it wouldn’t let you flash yours if they didn’t dim their headlights. Easy fix for my dad that put a piece of tape over the eye of the sensor

But I do agree that a lot people don’t pay attention or don’t care anymore and leave their high beams on whether you are coming toward them or not.

 

[tdkkart]

There's a difference between inconsiderate and ignorant. I can assure you that the vast majority of drivers on the road have no idea that their headlights as bothersome as they are, not because they don't care, because they simply don't know any better.

 

[TheLooks]

We have entered an age of ignorance despite the awesome technology all around us.

 

[TheLooks]

There's a difference between inconsiderate and ignorant. I can assure you that the vast majority of drivers on the road have no idea that their headlights as bothersome as they are, not because they don't care, because they simply don't know any better.

What do you mean they are to bright? They came from the dealer that way, get over yourself! I don't care, I can see great with them, get used to it....My wife and daughter are going to have the brightest and best, screw you....
These are some comments I have heard in the past in forums discussing such things.

 

[tdkkart]

What do you mean they are to bright? They came from the dealer that way, get over yourself! I don't care, I can see great with them, get used to it....My wife and daughter are going to have the brightest and best, screw you....
These are some comments I have heard in the past in forums discussing such things.

Wow, and a nice day to you as well............

 

[TheLooks]

I think you missed the last line, Sad some of you can't read.

 

[Neal]

Please keep it friendly among all. We are all here to enjoy the RV Life and get away from the stresses of life and enjoy the journey in both RVing and life. If you can't post a friendly reply it's best to just avoid responding and stay out of the conversation.

Thanks all...resume FRIENDLY discussion.

 

[rvkev]

The approiate post. Cheers Neal!

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Ignorance is bliss.

There are regulations and those tasked with enforcing them usually have better things to do. I'm not advocating annual inspections but for some, it should be a thing. Either because they are clueless how to operate & maintain the 7000 weapon they daily drive or have modified it to be more dangerous to them and everyone else on the road. When I lived in OH, we only had smog inspections to make the EPA feel better about themselves and eventually it became free (taxpayer funded). I feel for the LEOs, underpaid and overworked so why would they bother with a squatted truck having headlights aimed to hit billboards when the driver has a 99% chance of giving them attitude.

I would bet 99.9% of new vehicles are going through QC checks that do in fact have the headlights aimed where they're supposed to be. Bouncing down poorly or non-maintained roads or having bubba install the latest, greatest 18" lift kit are both likely to keep the headlights aimed somewhere other than they were from the factory.

At some point the government (at some level) has to step in, if it were purely wild west, you could just shoot out the lights of the offending high beam driver, it's not. Their ignorance, incompetence or arrogance unfortunately need protection along with those who weren't put on this earth to be a burden to society.

 

[Knobs]

My uncle was a professional photographer back in the old days of flash bulbs and mostly 2 lane roads. He generally had his on-location photo equipment with him in the car. He had a very large flash reflector unit that used very large flash bulbs he kept loaded, ready, and sitting on the front seat.

You can guess the rest.

 

[GypsyR]

We have no passenger vehicle inspections anymore in SC so headlights are just any which way. Bonus is that everything around me is a rolling hill, all of it. So headlight aiming issues aren't helped by that. Long ago I worked at a place or two and did headlight aiming as part of inspections. I still aim mine in my personal vehicles. I don't personally know of anyone else who does around here.

As much as I hate being blinded by bright lights I've given up flashing my lights at people. Sometimes the result is: "Oh, you think my lights are bright? Allow me to show you my REAL bright lights!" Some quite literally make my eyeballs hurt they're so bright. I've no answer to this but grumbling. I still have my pretty good night vision and rarely use high beams. All my vehicles but one have the older halogen "yellowish" headlights. Even with told yellow lights on low beam someone flashed at ME the other night. They were coming up a hill while I was going down. I hated to think I was blinding someone but really there was no more I could do short of changing to old non-halogen sealed beams or something.

Something I've decided we have to live with. But what REALLY chapped my butt was I rented a brand new Honda Pilot last year with autodimming headlights. Driving around low rolling hills on the edge of prairieland I had people flashing me left and right. Though I could see their cars coming like two hills ahead of time, the car didn't recognize them as oncoming until right up on them and blinding them. At one point I even pulle dto the side to try and figure out how to dim the lights manually. Nothing. No way to do so, the controls just aren't there. Later I called my daughter who owns last year's model and asked her. She said she thought there there was something down in some settings somewhere but she could never find it.

Ticked me off no end. Here blinding people is a pet peeve of mine and I'm doing it to others with no way of stopping it short of just parking it for the night. I hated that car. For other reasons too. My wife will roll her eyes and say "OMG, don't get him started on that rental car."