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I think the fundamental problem is that the entire automotive lighting industry is driven by people who lack an understanding of how the human eye works in low light conditions.
When light is low, the iris dilates, so you can see better. When light is bright, the iris contracts.
It may seem to someone who doesn't understand this, that the key to seeing better at night is to flood everything with brighter and brigher lights. All this does is make everyone's irises contract, and now anything that isn't at maximum brightness, can't be seen. The cure? Well, the dumba##%%es conclude that MORE LIGHT must be the cure.
Thus you get the arms race of automotive lighting.
When we had sealed beam headlights, no one ever had any trouble seeing where they were going except in really dark situations where the sealed beam high beams were insufficient. Instead of doing the intelligent thing and leaving the low beams the heck alone and just equipping cars with better high beams, the idiots who control these things have jacked up the low beams to retina searing levels, so now we can see fine bombing down a back road at 2 in the morning with no moon, but you can't see the freaking curb at the corner of your street because of the flaming retina-destroyers coming at you.
I would like to force every automotive lighting desginer and executive to go for a week camping in the woods without flashlights to show them just how much you can see in low light if you'll just keep your cotton picking hands off the G-D light switch.
And when you add the idiots who are too dumb to drive, going around day and night with their high beams on, it is really getting to be a pain to drive at night. You flash your high beams at them and they don't even know what the heck it means. Really? You're driving 20 mph down a residential street with a street light every 200 feet, and you need the high beams? Well, maybe you should take your sunglasses off? I don't know what is going through these people's heads but I suspect it's nothing but the sound of rushing wind.
Oh, and don't even get me started on fog lights. Do you freaking see any fog? No? Well then turn the blankey-blank things OFF.
I don't think they want to understand or care about others. They worship their cars, make all kinds of ridiculous changes and adds on. They want to be special. Because of those idiots, things like this should be regulated (and enforced!) like tinted glass, seat belts, child seats, hands on phones and other stuff. People want freedom and choices, but some are to dumb to make right choices...
I do get a brief sense of satisfaction when I see someone driving around with one burned out fog light. Hopefully enough to get them pulled over after they've had a few beers and think they're ok to drive.
I do get a brief sense of satisfaction when I see someone driving around with one burned out fog light. Hopefully enough to get them pulled over after they've had a few beers and think they're ok to drive.
Dave
I don't think there are any laws against burnt out fog lights.
Well, I suppose it's one more reason for driving a junker, let the idiot behind you rear end you, and then explain that you were so incapacitated by their utterly pointless, obnoxious, and hazardous headlights you reduced speed and got hit. Too bad I like my car too much to want it damaged.
My rear, and side view mirrors dim at night, but not nearly enough to ward off the intense light coming from vehicles behind.
I am going to have all three tinted darker and see if that helps.
I wish there were some sensible glasses for night time driving.
The oncoming lights are just to dammed bright, and actually blind me for a few seconds.
They should be outlawed.
Yes, I saw them. Blinding everyone around and very unsafe. Things like that should be regulated - it's a public safety in stake. I also despise headlights tinted blue.
They are regulated. This is not as new discussion, I had NHTSA regulation on headlights brightness posted here some time ago.
It's not regulation, it's The Law that does not enforce it. Police. Matter of fact, it got so much out of control, just like j walking, that even public transportation and school busses now run hell of headlights.
The federal lighting standard is very complex and is difficult to interpret even for some manufacturers and lighting specialists. The actual performance standards are based principally on the standards developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). FMVSS No. 108 and the SAE standards apply to all vehicles registered in the United States, regardless of the headlamp filament or light source. Stated simply, the maximum light output of headlamp systems, whether two-or four-light systems, is limited as follows:
1. Type 2 or 2A Lights—Upper beam limited to 20,000 to 75,000 candela per lamp. Lower beam limited to 15,000 to 20,000 candela per lamp.
2. Type 1 or 1A Lights—Upper beam limited to 18,000 to 60,000 candela per lamp.
A candela is the basic unit of measure of luminous intensity in the International System of Units. Although the candela has a specific technical definition expressed in terms of a specific frequency and power, in layman's terms it approximates the light output of a common candle. A 100-watt light bulb emits about 120 candela.
Either the law has changed, or Honda USA is breaking the law. All I know is that my new Honda CRV does indeed have auto high beams. Here's a little video from Honda about how they work...
Great post by turf3! For the past year or two I thought my night vision had tanked. But I can see well by myself on dark roads. It's the highway with mixed lighting and the other cars that are killing me. (some highways are worse than others for other reasons)
And I agree with the high beams. I watched a lady turn hers on on a backroad and she didn't turn them off for the full 5 miles I was behind her. Blinded everyone in her path. There have been times I've nearly had to pull over because I just can't see with those new high beams in my eyes. Flashing them does nothing!
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