Car Headlights

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Servant King

Lifer
Nov 27, 2020
4,113
22,308
38
Frazier Park, CA
www.thechembow.com
Is it just me, or has lighting in general gotten way overbearing? Specifically headlights on cars--it seems as though they are designed to blind anyone and everyone in their path, not to mention the ugly, garish white light that they all seem to uniformly put out. I feel like I'm taking a chance every time I drive at night, and I think putting on sunglasses at night is a bit overkill. I'm not even a codger yet, but seriously... when I was a kid, lights used to be mellow, pleasant, and have a yellowish, almost golden hue to them. Now it's like something you'd see in an interrogation room in [insert 3rd world country other than America here]. I'm reminded of Manfred Mann when I say that I don't want to be blinded by the light. Like a douche.

Anyone else notice this?

Edit: And they're all aimed upward and outward, instead of down, to illuminate the ground! WTH?!?!
 

seanv

Lifer
Mar 22, 2018
2,958
10,405
Canada
They are horrible for other drivers oncoming. They are the worst on curves. We had a fatal accident years ago when one of our drivers was blinded by the head lights of an oncoming vehicle on a curve. People are becoming more used to light due to living in cities and struggle to see properly using the old style headlights is what I have heard. I am not sure if I believe that but I can see some logic to it.
 

beefeater33

Lifer
Apr 14, 2014
4,063
6,119
Central Ohio
YES!!!...
I've had this same conversation with the missus while driving at night.
To me...... It's actually MUCH more dangerous driving at night than it was 10-15 years ago..........
Those F-ing oncoming lights are like lasers through my eyeballs..........
So glad I'm not the only one that notices this.......... it's been an aggravation of mine for years.....
 

mikethompson

Lifer
Jun 26, 2016
11,292
23,327
Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
You guys whine about lights but everyone sees my Lada coming

garage-54-led-lights-on-lada-body.jpg
 

elessar

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 24, 2019
667
1,398
No, headlights are fine, but aiming them is something that is much needed.
Yeah aiming is a big issue. Also its people taking high output hid and led bulbs and putting them in regular housings blinding and glaring the piss out of everyone. It's important to match the housing type to the light source type. Most factory lights have a nice cutoff keeping light close to the ground where it belongs.
 
Aug 1, 2012
4,587
5,131
No, headlights are fine, but aiming them is something that is much needed.
This. One thing I miss about my car that I owned in Latvia was the fact you could change the headlight angle using a roller switch in the car. When you were in town or a busier road, you could angle the lights a bit lower while if you were in the countryside you could raise them up a bit to see further.

What gets me are the ones who get lift kits on their trucks and don't adjust the headlights. Often it raises the headlights to just the right spot to blind oncoming drivers.
 

elessar

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 24, 2019
667
1,398
This. One thing I miss about my car that I owned in Latvia was the fact you could change the headlight angle using a roller switch in the car. When you were in town or a busier road, you could angle the lights a bit lower while if you were in the countryside you could raise them up a bit to see further.

What gets me are the ones who get lift kits on their trucks and don't adjust the headlights. Often it raises the headlights to just the right spot to blind oncoming drivers.
Oh man that brings back memories. When I was driving in the Czech Republic I kept fiddling with that roller switch trying to figure out what it did. I stupidly didn't notice all the other cars flashing their lights at me! My dad, who is Czech, explained what was happening. I agree a great feature, if a bit poorly labelled.
 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,322
11,090
Maryland
postimg.cc
As a driver, I love my LED headlights. We drove 15 hours before Christmas, mostly at night. Despite working all day, leaving MD at 6 PM (arrived in Louisiana at 9 AM), my eyes were far less tire than previous drives in my wifes truck (standard Halogen headlights). My old Lincoln, had articulated LED headlights, that swiveled in the direction you steered. I frequently was shown high-beams by oncoming drives, so I could see them be annoying.

Some of the double-stack LED headlights on the new pickups are pretty intense behind you, despite the anti-glare mirrors on my Avalon.