Some people seem to use full beam at all times. Some dip them when overtaken. Some dip when there's approaching traffic. Some drive on dipped beam all the time!
What's your "take" on this?
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I treat motorways and dual carriageways as regular roads, ie if I need extra illumination and it won;t dazzle anyone, I use main beam. If cars come towards me or overtake me, I dip my lights until they have gone.
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Same "rules" as ordinary roads - if there's no-one in front to dazzle, going either way, then use main beam on unlit sections.
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Some drivers have simply no idea what the blue light on the dashboard means.
I have had close personal experience of this. But when you are merry and being driven home from a party it is hard to look a gift horse in the mouth.
I did tell them eventually and the reply was similar to "next time you can drive......"
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A lot of people dont seem to consider that they are blinding on comeing traffic with high beam when they are on a duel carriageway,its as if the other carriageway does not exhist.Whilst on the subject of high/low beam it may only be a fraction of a second but I find the delay of switching from high to low beam with vehicles that have CAN busses.I am often flashed in just that second prior to the processor in the vehicle acepting that I have issued the command to DIP.
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rustbucket (the original)
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I usually use main beam on motorways - as I need to see the overhead signs. Also at high speeds, I don't feel confident with dipped beam.
During my visit in Cyprus earlier this month, I observed that drivers on motorways there (similar to our dual carriageways but with wider dividers) uses hazard lamps to warn following car if the follower's full beam dazzles him/her.
I thought night mode mirror usually gets rid of "dazzling" bit.
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Truck drivers - yes those with (the minimum even!!!) 24 sets of fog lights on the front - are they blind or something? Biggest vehicle on the road, highest position and best field of view and they still need prescription bi-focal windscreens (Billy Connolly sketch - his dad) to see and lights brighter than a dentists - why?
Many a time I have been 'hit in the face' and blinded by such an array of lights.
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Yes, me too. I'd to use main beam to see the overhead signs on the M6 oop North, went against the grain to dazzle oncoming drivers though.
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Dipped beam should normally give some illumination of signs overhead and excellent illumination of signs by the side of the road on motorways. If you're getting none it might be worth getting the adjustment of your lights checked.
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Many a time I have been 'hit in the face' and blinded by such an array of lights.
You answered your own question. Trucks don't just cruise up and down motorways, they do a lot of mileage on back roads as well. I know you'd rather they didn't but till they put farms, sewage works, pipelines etc. on industrial estates you'll just have to put up with the inconvenience I'm afraid.
They need extra lights because they need to see height obstructions (overhanging trees etc) as well as those on the road; given that they also need more room to stop and manoeuvre they need to be able to see further and better. Furthermore truck headlights are generally positioned higher than car ones; a little matter of essential ground clearance.
I know some of them take this to extremes, and yes I agree they really should dip them before you come into their sight assuming the driver's reading the road correctly, but can you put your hand on your heart and say you haven't forgotten to dip yours every time?
As a matter of fact, headlights on full beam aren't the biggest annoyance when you're driving a truck at night. That award goes to the plonkers who forget to switch their rear fogs off, especially when it's wet. In a truck you not only catch the light but also the reflection of the light from the wet road surface; since people who do this never seem to check their mirrors either it's pointless flashing them.
By the way, as the holder of a vocational licence (LGV/PSV) I am obliged by law, at my own expense, to undergo a medical every five years, which includes an eyesight test. Fail eyesight test, lose licence. High time IMHO they started doing the same for car drivers over 60. No renewal without pass certificate from optician.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 29/12/2007 at 03:22
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Whilst on the subject of high/low beam it may only be a fraction of a second but I find the delay of switching from high to low beam with vehicles that have CAN busses.I am often flashed in just that second prior to the processor in the vehicle acepting that I have issued the command to DIP.
There's a DIP switch joke there I think!
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Dipped beam should normally give some illumination of signs overhead
Yes it does. But a full beam gives visibility much earlier and causes much less stress on eyes!
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Its not just m,ways and duals, have people finally surrendered their common sense gene in the last few years.
Boxing night, on back road but good enough to be a B road (do they still exist?), came up behind a Punto, this car was struggling to maintain 30mph, and i reckon a conservative estimate the dipped beam (stuck on presumably) cut off could only have been 15 feet in front of the car, unbelievable that someone could struggle so much and be so unaware of how to cure it.
I passed after about 1 mile and didnt meet another vehicle for the next 6 or so miles of this road, wonder if the punto's still on the way home?
To the question, not often these days with the traffic but i always use main beam if no one to dazzle, but i too don't like the way some drivers leave main beam on continually, usually with rear fogs as well, how do they override the main beam cut off?
The trucks with their rows of spot lights, i can't fathom it either and i drive one (without the extra's), if the driver put all those lights on at once a fair chance of stalling the engine methinks.
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Couldn't agree with gordonbennet more. So many cars have horrendously set dipped beam lights from new and never seem to get adjusted. It may be part of the MOT but most MOT stations never seem to pick it up.
On a reasonably clear night you should be able to drive with ease on a typical UK B-road with good markings and/or cats eyes at night just on dipped beam at around daytime speeds. If you can't and your lights have a visible sharp cut off in front of the car they are wrong. Alternatively you should get your eyes checked or maybe shouldn't be driving at night.
Modern dipped beam lights should be perfectly adequate to drive on without blinding oncoming drivers. If yours are not get them checked.
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I'm happy to be corrected but doesn't the MOT just pick up lights which are too high?
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I'm happy to be corrected but doesn't the MOT just pick up lights which are too high? The light patern is fairly well defined on the different light types,I had to replace both headlamp units on a VW Polo and set them to fall within the specified light pattern ie not too high and not too far to the right or left.It was a bit tricky only using trigometry a flat surface marked out with masking tape some distance away.Come MOT time I was a bit apprehensive, explained the situation to the tester and after he checked both using the headlamp alignment set up he declaired them well within the dipped pattern limits.There is no hight beam spec.
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rustbucket (the original)
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Long time back, I read the night driving advice on Parker's forum and it actually advises using full beam whenever possible!
tinyurl.com/36smgz
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"and it actually advises using full beam whenever possible!"
No, it doesn't! You might want to read that again!
;-)
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