Its just too much light...

ST1100Y said:
And ain't only the LED headlights that are a massive nuisance, also piercing tail & brake lights are a PITA...
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Agreed.
I have found that many newer cars have extremely small surface area tail lights. Because they are LED they are ridiculously bright at night to the point of being blinding if you are directly behind them when they apply the brakes. At the same time they are so small that you barely see the brake lights come on in the bright sun light- there just isn't enough illuminated area to make them stand out when it is very bright out. That just seems like a poorly engineered light assembly to me.

Another thing that mystifies me with the introduction of LED lights is the flashing emergency lights on police, ambulance, tow trucks, etc.. If you come upon an accident scene on a dark highway at night the flashing LED lights are so bright that they are blinding to the point of seriously impairing your view of where you are going. It is beyond me how blinding drivers who are approaching an accident scene at highway speeds makes any sense and increases anyone's safety.
 
ST1100Y said:
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...


timelesslife.info

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
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I've noticed too that the drivers side headlight is set marginally higher than the one on the passenger side.
 
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 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!
 
Uncle Phil said:
My biggest issue with them is as I age, my eyes do not adjust quickly to light.
So if I get hit in the face with them I'm 'blind' for a minute or so.
I try to look to the right to avoid them but sometimes they come so quickly that it's a little too late.
And with so many drivers now busy about things other than driving I get hit with 'brights' more than I used to.
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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.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
Agreed.


Another thing that mystifies me with the introduction of LED lights is the flashing emergency lights on police, ambulance, tow trucks, etc.. If you come upon an accident scene on a dark highway at night the flashing LED lights are so bright that they are blinding to the point of seriously impairing your view of where you are going. It is beyond me how blinding drivers who are approaching an accident scene at highway speeds makes any sense and increases anyone's safety.
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Around here cops park their squad cars, with all their emergency lights activated, in front of schools each morning in the pre-dawn darkness.
Then the cops direct traffic, standing near their cars.
Even though the officers always wear yellow hi-viz vests or full yellow rain suits, they are nearly IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE if they are positioned too close to their own cars' flaishing lights, or if they are positioned in between you and their parked squad car.
 
gunsmoker said:
Even though the officers always wear yellow hi-viz vests or full yellow rain suits, they are nearly IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE if they are positioned too close to their own cars' flaishing lights, or if they are positioned in between you and their parked squad car.
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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:

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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.
 
jdmccright said:
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.
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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.
 
I have to admit that I don't always dim my motorcycle headlights when I am approaching oncoming cars like I should when I'm riding in the winter with heavy gloves on.

I have very little feeling to manupulate small knobs and buttons with winter gloves, and sometimes I try to flip the headlights down but it doesn't work.

( same thing for turn signals --that sliding switch is difficult to manipulate with heavy / insulated gloves on.)
 
jdmccright said:
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.
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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.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
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.
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Potato, potahto. You said what I did, just different words.
 
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