jeezifonly Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 I’ve been a confident nighttime driver my whole adult life, due to a regular work schedule that mostly had me working til around 11pm. Los Angeles Metro, not in the country. Lights of traffic, signage, advertising, everywhere. When driving at night now, it seems as if way more cars have brights on, and that brake lights are also more bright. Somebody suggested this is because of LED’s, and I wonder if that’s how the white headlights have that piercing bluish light that is damn near blinding. Is this the new normal? More efficient to make and install, but yikes. Anyone else bothered by this? To see when I have the green light, I use my hand to block the lower-level piercing death-rays. 😵💫 + azdr0710, EZEtoGRU and + Balthazar 1 2
56harrisond Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 American drivers have a blinding headlight problem. It could last for years. Madison Hall Feb 13, 2023, 10:33 AM ET The Business Insider * Drivers say they're routinely getting blinded by surrounding cars' headlights. * This isn't because headlight regulations have changed — regulations on brightness haven't been altered in decades. * In reality, it's due to misaligned headlights, taller vehicles, and the changing hue of the lights. Since moving away from the suburbs and into Chicago, Ashley Seery's been blinded by headlights more than ever. She said she doesn't even drive at night anymore in an attempt to remedy the problem. "It's to the point where I will avoid driving at night because some headlights are just so bright," Seery said. "They can literally blind me. I have to turn my mirrors away so that I can drive in peace without the glare." Seery's not alone. There are entire communities and online petitions devoted to discussing blinding headlights. This isn't because headlight regulations have shifted — they haven't changed in decades, according to Greg Brannon, AAA's director of automotive engineering. But the lights themselves have. John Bullough, the program director at the Light and Health Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has been sounding the alarm on the topic for years. Bullough, who works closely with headlights and vehicle manufacturers to try to address the issues, said there are three primary factors that have shifted in the past few decades that caused headlights to appear brighter and cause more glare. First off, vehicles, especially in the US, are getting taller and taller. Adding to that, the color of many headlights has shifted from a warmer, yellow hue to a harsher, blue-white one. And finally, most cars have at least one headlight that's misaligned. This isn't a new problem, but other shifts have made it into a serious issue. The misalignment problem The most important factor, Bullough said, is how common it is for cars to have headlights out of alignment. "We actually did some measurements not too long ago and found that probably about two-thirds of every car had at least one headlight that was either aimed too high up, which is something that creates a lot of glare for other drivers, or too far down, which essentially limits their visibility." A key issue is that, as cars are produced, there isn't a specific entity tasked with ensuring alignment. Matt Brumbelow, a senior research engineer at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, explained that the federal regulations over car headlights are "equipment-based standards only," meaning that the headlight is certified independently of the vehicle itself. After installation, "there's no testing to make sure that it's still aimed properly or that it's putting out enough light on the road and it's not glaring other drivers," Brumbelow said. Americans love a big truck Another contributing factor, Bullough explained, is the size (and height) of the average car is increasing. And as cars get taller, he said, the placement of the headlights rises alongside it. This, in turn, can lead to an increase in drivers getting blinded. According to JD Power, a consumer intelligence company, 52.7% of vehicles sold in 2010 were either SUVs or trucks. By 2021, that number was to up to 78.5%. American cars are bigger than vehicles from many other countries for several reasons, according to MotorBiscuit, including larger streets, lower gas prices, and the desire for more room. Higher vehicles mean the band of light is raised up by foot or more, Bullough said. "That means that there's going to be more opportunity to create glare for other drivers as well." The changing hue of car headlights As cars have modernized, many manufacturers have moved away from the standard halogen bulb — which produces a yellowish light — in lieu of LEDs, which usually produce a bluer, white light. According to Mark Rea, a professor at the Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, there is a fundamental issue with how light is measured: There's bias against certain blue hues in the spectrum. A warm, yellowish hue of light is gentler to the human eye. This is where, to many, the problem lies: the shine of an LED light — due to its added blue light — appears to be brighter than a warmer yellow halogen headlight despite generating the same amount of candlepower, a unit used to measure light. "The eye is sensitive to those blue wavelengths, but the light meter is not," Rea added. There's a solution, but it's years away In February 2022, after being required to by Congress' Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a rule officially allowing automakers to install adaptive driving beam headlights onto new vehicles. Adaptive driving beams automatically adjust the high beams emitted from LED car headlights in real time to avoid blinding pedestrians and other drivers. The tech has been legal in most countries outside of the US, and experts say they could make a noticeable difference once rolled out. But don't expect to see it anytime soon on American roads due to the complexity of the NHTSA's regulations around adaptive driving beams, which differ tremendously from Europe. "We're still not aware of any that are available in the US, so it might take a few years for the manufacturers to make sure that their high beam or their adaptive driving beam technology meets the requirements that the NHTSA has released," Brumbelow said. But there isn't any legislation or regulations in place that'll force manufacturers to implement adaptive driving beams into their vehicle lines by a certain date. So prepare for the immediate future to be even brighter, as the blinding glare problem may get worse before it gets better. EZEtoGRU, samhexum, jeezifonly and 1 other 2 1 1
+ Balthazar Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 I'm comfortable driving at night, but the bright headlights are frustrating. It's typically still dark when I go to work. There are times when the bright, white lights make it uncomfortable to look in my rear view mirror. I was wondering what was going on and feel validated by this thread. jeezifonly, Lookin, + Pensant and 1 other 2 1 1
+ Pensant Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 I’m not a fan of nighttime driving, either. And the move to LED everywhere is making the urban nighttime landscape stark and glaring. TorontoDrew, + azdr0710 and jeezifonly 3
+ sync Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 It appears that, for the present, the most convenient remedy is to wear a pair of the many night-vision glare-resistant eyeglasses that are advertised: Lookin 1
+ azdr0710 Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 I've flashed my headlights a few times at others, thinking their high beams were on, then their REAL high beams come back at me. I'm sure they know they have badass LEDs that bother others. Some of these are after-market modifications for those who want to become badass. Yes, they are bright and bothersome. Lazarus, + Pensant, Lookin and 1 other 2 2
TorontoDrew Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 I find as I get older I find the lights harder on my eyes. + Pensant 1
samhexum Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 (edited) 6 hours ago, TorontoDrew said: I find as I get older I find the lights harder on my eyes. I find as I get older I find many things harder, though unfortunately not one important thing. Headlights… am I nuts? What does one thing have to do with the other? 😇😁😝😎🤣 Edited August 5, 2023 by samhexum for absolutely NO @%!*ing reason at all! TorontoDrew and + Pensant 1 1
Lookin Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 6 hours ago, azdr0710 said: I've flashed my headlights a few times at others, thinking their high beams were on, then their REAL high beams come back at me. I'm sure they know they have badass LEDs that bother others. Some of these are after-market modifications for those who want to become badass. Mine's a fairly recent low-to-the-ground sedan with a horizontal strip of LED's. I get flashed occasionally and flash my brights back to let them know I'm not trying to be inconsiderate. I've got to work with the headlights I've got. With the incredible range of headlight shapes, sizes and elevations these days, I find it hard to believe that regulations are as tight as they used to be. I'm often staring directly into the headlights of oncoming cars or trucks and blue-white LED's are harsh. That said, they do light up the road quite nicely. There's been a lot of evolution in LED technology and it's now possible for LED lights to have warmer wavelengths. I'm hoping that regulations will likewise evolve and create tighter standards for roadway illumination as well as for oncoming driver comfort and safety. The last thing we need is a blinded driver coming at us. 😳 + Pensant and EZEtoGRU 2
samhexum Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 6 hours ago, azdr0710 said: I'm sure they know they have badass LEDs that bother others. Some of these are after-market modifications for those who want to become badass. 6 minutes ago, Lookin said: Mine's a fairly recent low-to-the-ground sedan with a horizontal strip of LED's. I get flashed occasionally and flash my brights back to let them know I'm not trying to be inconsiderate. I've got to work with the headlights I've got. So what you're telling us is that you're a manufacturer standard issue badass?
jeezifonly Posted August 5, 2023 Author Posted August 5, 2023 3 hours ago, samhexum said: I find as I get older I find many things harder, though unfortunately not one important thing. Headlights… am I nuts? What does one thing have to do with the other? 😇😁😝😎🤣 Well, as indicated by other replies, it IS a problem beyond my imagination. Next thread… TOO MANY HEFTY BAGS WITH BODY PARTS PACKED INTO MY TRUNK…. Should I go back to ordering everything delivered? 😜 samhexum 1
EZEtoGRU Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 1 hour ago, Lookin said: With the incredible range of headlight shapes, sizes and elevations these days, I find it hard to believe that regulations are as tight as they used to be. I'm often staring directly into the headlights of oncoming cars or trucks and blue-white LED's are harsh. I agree that it seems the regulations are not as tight as they used to be regarding headlights. Also, I bet there is very little enforcement to ensure headlights are in compliance with the regulations. I am sure there are aftermarket headlights sold that are not compliant with the law. 30-50 years ago, police would stop people for things like this (overly bright headlights). I doubt that happens much today. ...and don't get me started on another pet peeve of mine regarding vehicles: Windows tinted so dark that you literally cannot see the person inside. Again, the police used to stop cars for having their windows tinted too dark. Today, the police would be too afraid to stop such a car out of fear that the driver might have a weapon they cannot see. Lookin, + Pensant and + azdr0710 1 2
56harrisond Posted August 5, 2023 Posted August 5, 2023 samhexum, Lookin, jeezifonly and 2 others 1 4
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