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I heartily agree there should be a campaign against idiots who blaze their trail with overbright and/or badly adjusted headlights. I would include motorcyclists who are not content to have headlghts on in daytime (which is fair and sensible) but feel the need to have them on full beam, which I find distracting and discourteous.
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I do struggle with bright lights at night, since switching to the Rangie, the problem has largely gone away, the extra foot or so of height has taken my line of sight out of the glare of most headlights.
Edited by SteveLee on 06/09/2011 at 20:37
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I think the police should fine people who are blinding people with their headlights, and especially those people who drive round with their fog lights on unneccesarily!
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Well driving with fog lights on in clear visibility already is an offence. Unfortunately having headlights which are 'too bright' is a matter of opinion and its difficult to make a legislation to fine someone for a matter of opinion. Especially if thats how the lights are made, if the car comes with super bright Xenons and the driver uses them whats illegal in that? How can you be fined for using something which complies with all the red tape etc and is legal?
People who tamper with headlights, put unapproved bulbs etc in or have them wrongly adjusted should be fined. I think anybody who replaces bulbs with anything other than manufacturer approved replacements shouldnt be allowed. But if a police officer pulls someone over and says 'your headlights are blinding people' and they say 'thats the lights it comes with all i did was turn them on!' i dont see what the police can do.
Your problem seems to be factory fitted legal lights are too bright. Thats something you need to take up with manufacturers, not fine innocent drivers for using the lights their car is fitted with. Most of the lights you find 'too bright' are perfectly legal, factory fitted and rubber stamped etc with no offence being committed, what do you fine them for?
Edited by jamie745 on 06/09/2011 at 21:58
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Strangely enough Jamie I find myself agreeing with you. I agree you can't fune people for using there factory fitted headlights. If, as it would seem that new headlights are to bright perhaps it's time for the government / manufacturers to relook at the maximum allowed intensity of lights
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Well our Government wont do anything but im sure the EU in time will look at it, they've spent a long time bossing manufacturers around regarding emissions etc and they've pushed through the DRL regulation from 2013. Its strange that manufacturers need to be told that lights too bright dazzle people. Even the theory test we have still includes the question 'why should you use the parking brake when waiting in traffic' or some such with the answer being 'because your brake lights will dazzle following road users'.
Manufacturers are doing a magnificent job of making headlights which mean you can see into the future with them etc but to me the main point of your lights especially in a well lit urban environment at night is to make YOU visible more than anything else and whether or not you need 40 million LED's to signal you're stopping is questionable. But alot of hysterical people who run hysterial organisations will cry fury and claim 'making lights less bright will kill our children' etc so its difficult.
Ive got an extraordinary lighting setup on my car but i use sidelights when possible and ample. I dont use more than neccessary as i know how blinding bright lights can be, say if someones going over a speedbump coming towards you (which is another justification for the removal of all speedbumps). In the days of my Dad's Granada which had bog standard normal headlights which never blinded anybody i never heard people go 'yes its a lovely car but i just cant see it at night!'
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I agree you can't fune people for using there factory fitted headlights.
Does the same thing apply to speed? My car is factory capable of doing in excess of 100 mph so it's the car's fault that I'm not doing 30??
They should set limits. Cars with lights outside the specified limits should be allowed a free adjustment courtesy of the manufacturer.
Ignorance isn't an excuse for any other infringement of the law; why should antisocial lights be any different? We clobber people for driving ay 35mph in a 30, or for having 2 pints of beer, yet we turn a [wait for it] blind eye {you're fired-Ed} to Blackpool illuminations which is a much more wide spread problem.
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No, you actually can't get people for using factory-fitted headlamps. New cars have HID/xenon lights in accordance with some EU directives, which the UK cannot refuse to comply with. These are ok because the whole unit is designed for that kind of bulb i.e. the reflections, and directionality of the beam are precisely calculated. However, in law, you cannot use the xenon bulbs in existing (that is, not new, fresh off the production line vehicles) headlamp units. If you want them on your car, you've got to replace the entire headlight unit! This is true of about 5 years ago I believe.
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Does the same thing apply to speed? My car is factory capable of doing in excess of 100 mph so it's the car's fault that I'm not doing 30??
No it doesnt. You do like to miss the point on purpose. You have a pedal to determine how fast you take your car, unfortunately the lights are the lights, you press the button and they come on. Its the manufacturers job to make sure they're fit and proper for the car, short of using fogs in clear visibility or not having lights on at all at night etc i dont see what Police can do to people light-wise. If the lights fitted are too bright thats the manufacturers problem, why should the public get fined for something they didnt do? If they left them off they'd get a fine for that as well.
To use the speeding analogy where you decide how quickly your car goes within its mechanical capabilities what you're saying is you want someone to use their lights...only a little bit. Like not use all of them or something. Perhaps keep the nearside ones off? Dont get it.
Ignorance isn't an excuse for any other infringement of the law; why should antisocial lights be any different?
Because theres no such law as 'use of antisocial lights'. Thats probably the reason. Cant infringe a law which doesnt exist. And again are you referring to people who mod up their Saxo's with blue xenon's and do it badly or do you mean the fact that alot of normal factory fitted lights, fresh out of the showroom, bought from new today from a dealers forecourt are too bright? If its the latter then take it up with the manufacturer. How could someone buy a brand new car in the UK today, drive it off the forecourt, turn their lights on, have some jobsworth like you go 'your lights are too bright!' and fine you? Arent these regulatory bodies there to make manufacturers take care of this stuff not us? What you're saying is it should be possible to walk into, lets say a Ford dealership today, buy a brand new Mondeo, and i mean brand new, not even numberplated yet, drive off and halfway home get a fine for their lights being too bright? How the hell does that work?!?
We clobber people for driving ay 35mph in a 30, or for having 2 pints of beer
Im sorry but it seems like you just compared drink driving to turning your lights on? And you can control how fast your car is going and the driver is expected to do that, we do not expect the driver to buy a brand new car and fiddle with the lights. I dont see how switching your lights on at night is 'antisocial' when not doing it is illegal. Fine someone if they do and for if they dont, you'd fit in well in the Labour Party :)
Ill watch out for you coming towards me with only half a headlight on. And ill slap myself on the wrist for being antisocial as a result of using the lights my car was built with, approved by the red tape brigade and perfectly legal for use in Britain. Silly me.
Edited by jamie745 on 07/09/2011 at 01:26
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I find cars with half a headlight on less of a problem than the ones with searchlights on.
In fact I would say that facing badly adjusted/bright lights is the scenario I dread the most. I can compensate for most forms of bad driving but I can't compensate for not being able to see.
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How is someone driving with their lights on a bad driver? And if you drive with half a headlight on, its illegal, and you will get pulled over, defective vehicle etc. Wouldnt pass an MOT like that.
As for 'badly adjusted' that depends who adjusted them, i dont think any run of the mill joe public should be fiddling with the lights on his/her car, if its set by the manufacturer etc then its not the drivers fault.
You seem to be blaming the manufacturer making lights you dont like on the people driving the car. How is it bad driving to drive with your lights on at night? If you mean cars with full beam on in a streetlit town centre then i see your point, if you mean modified cars with badly adjusted lights then fair point, but it seems you're saying 'BMW make their car with xenons, i dont like xenons so if the driver uses them it makes them a bad driver, they should drive with no lights on, they'll get nicked but i prefer it that way!'
Please enlighten me.
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Please enlighten me.
Oh dear. I bet that wasn't even an intentional pun was it?
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perhaps it's time for the government / manufacturers to relook at the maximum allowed intensity of lights
Too right. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The relevant UK legislation limits lamps to 55w dip (can't remember what the limit is for mains) post 1970something.
What drives a Coach and Horses through this is that manufacturers are now turning out 55w HIDs that make the old 75/100 halogen H4 bulbs look like moribund glowworms. Now we're fitting LEDs which a) put out nearly all their generated light in a tight beam directly ahead[1] and b) if a 4w LED GU10 bulb is a "50w equivalent" what's a (perfectly legal) 55w LED headlamp going to look like?
Next week: Perfectly legal 55w laser headlamps that can drill smoking holes in oncoming traffic.
The answer, of course, is to have a limit based on Lux measured directly off the front centre of the lamp. Sensible move here would be to take a good old 55w halogen as the baseline....
[1] Nip into Halfords and have a play with the aftermarket "Ring" LED DRL display. Press button, look from a 45 degree angle - Nothing. Press button looking straight at 'em - Same effect as setting off a photo flashgun in your face. I was still seeing spots 10 minutes later.....can't be right.
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Campaign against poorly aligned lights - Yes
3 points & £60 fine - No, not unless the motorist is given a warning to make good the defect and they do not do so. And again no if the problem is a manufacturer issue.
And they (the police) should also target drivers with only one headlight light working, failed stop / tail / indicator lamps / not using lights in poor visability and cyclists not displaying lights or proper reflectors at night.
With the current cuts, I suspect these will be low down on the police priority list.
Edited by Smileyman on 07/09/2011 at 01:42
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3 points & £60 fine - No, not unless the motorist is given a warning to make good the defect and they do not do so. And again no if the problem is a manufacturer issue.
So if their crime is turning the lights on which their car was fitted with then no fine? Thank you, someone has a brain on here.
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I think going after people for this is very low down on the rozzers' priority list. What galls me most is lack of brake lights - it's dangerous, end of!
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This is a real bete noir of mine.
I live in a rural district with a high level of bumpkin/chav banger car ownership & the pinnacle of chav car customising is usually 'lighting'.
The 1st rule of chav car ownership is: if you've got lights, use 'em all! All the time!
2nd rule: Swap any standard bulbs for the brightest you can find in the local Chavfords (extra status points for 'blue tint' xenon-alikes)
3rd rule: Never,ever, have the alignment checked (sissy innit!) or bother using the manual headlight aim when the car's full of your chavmates (again, extra points for being able to spot aircraft with the dipped/main beam)
4th rule: Don't bother checking reflectors or headlamp perspex for crazing/diffusion - the more unfocussed dazzle you can produce the better! You need to be seen clearly by potential chavette girlfriends from the other side of the pub car park & you need diffused dazzly lights to compete properly.
5th rule: When sitting in the car, stationary, and/or talking to your mates pulled alonside, always make sure all lights are on (obviously) & you're facing oncoming traffic on the 'wrong' side - as other drivers will find this impressive & admirable.
6th rule: To minimise strain on battery & alternator from mobile Blackpool Illuminations your car has now become, use of indicators should be very sparing, if at all. Also, using indicators is like 'asking permission' innit?
Being the countryside, there are also alot of Range-Rover types of course. These types pine for the darker evenings when their impressive height & (proper) xenon headlight equipped cars come into their own. It's imperative if you own one of these to ensure you drive sufficiently close to the vehicle in front that your beam angle hits squarely in the rear view mirror (extra points awarded for driving just out-of-line so side mirrors get full dazzle as well)
Traffic lights must be utilised to full effect - if in front, be sure never to use handbrake at stops, rear brake lights on these beasts are far more impressive. If behind, don't let that gap get so large to the car in front so that beam angle means you're not melting the retinas of the driver.
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So true! Brake lights at traffic lights is a classic sin. I don't know why people think hand brakes are for sissies. I think holding a car on the clutch/foot brake is for sissies.
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Classic post Woodbines, couldn't agree more.
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Well i must admit that as i drive an automatic ive never used the handbrake, especially at traffic lights. the S-Type has one of those electric jobbies which does itself but when i had my 406 i'd just sit there with foot on the brake. The last time i drove everywhere using the handbrake at every sodding junction or set of lights was on my driving test. And i didnt like it then either. When i drove a manual i only bothered with the handbrake when i'd parked.
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I bet the person sitting behind you was singing your praises...
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Couldnt care less to be honest. Ive never had a problem with brake lights, its them big bright white ones at the front which are the problem, which tend to shine in your eyes as you're in motion rather than stationary. Show me an automatic driver who's ever used the handbrake at traffic lights! You'd hate to see how my parents drive! They both have automatics and the only time the handbrakes ever get used is on the MOT test.
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Yeah, I remember in America, people didn't even use the parking brake when they got out of the car!
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Just putting it in park has always been enough for me. When i had recently passed my test i used to annoy my mum by pointing out she never uses the handbrake and she said 'thats what park is for' and 'you dont need a handbrake in an automatic silly boy' and true enough i used the handbrake at every junction for a few days then gave up LOL! Driving is about convenience, if you want your journey to carry more effort than required then take the bus.
But as ive mentioned a few times on the 406 the handbrake never worked anyway but it somehow got through MOT's so we just always left it alone, never used it and it seemed to pass. Lovely jubbly!
Edited by jamie745 on 07/09/2011 at 15:37
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Please, if we're ever in the same region, always try to drive behind me, especially on an incline, in case you roll backwards because you haven't set your handbrake. I always put mine on and go into neutral; saves an achey leg (better for the clutch too)!
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See again people always say 'in case you roll backwards' ive never rolled backwards once! Because that pedal on the left, or in the middle to you,if you put your foot on that it applies something called 'the brakes' and the brakes are a wonderful invention they tend to stop the locomotion of the vehicle. Fantastic!
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One moment of inattention, or the person in front of you to let go and roll back, is all it takes. You just like arguing for the sake of it, you cheeky thing.
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No i just dont think brake lights at traffic lights are the biggest peril facing our world.
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I bet you leave it in Drive too?
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The point of an automatic is that you dont have to sit there changing gears so yes. Drive when im driving, reverse when i wish to go backwards and park when ive.....parked. Very simple.
Edited by jamie745 on 07/09/2011 at 16:08
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And neutral when idling. That's the 'nuh' above 'duh' on the selection lever.
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Ive never used neutral on an automatic. Such a pointless option.
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Headlights always dazzle a bit, I don't think that's anything new. In some conditions they seem worse, especially cars coming over the brow of a hill towards you, when dipped lights can look like main beam.
I also think you see more late dippers or non-dippers than you used to.
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I wonder if the fact cars are getting bigger and most notably the shape of cars is conforming to almost one universal slopey shape to comply with crash test legislation and helping with aerodynamics etc that lights are angled differently to lets say an old Cortina.
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I do. Shove on the handbrake and knock into neutral when at lights for any significant time. Knock back into drive to set off. Beats sitting there with my leg going numb on the pedal and dazzling the poor beggar behind me. In fact, the wife's slushbox auto that I drive regularly will sit still quite happily on the handbrake, I just don't trust it....
You don't have to thumb the detent button for D-->N-->D swaps so a lazy shove of the lever does the job.
Also, try pushing the thing in extremis (never say never) or taking it through a yank-style "drag it through by the wheel" carwash without a neutral setting.....
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I assume you are joking, and that you are just trying to wind people up?
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I have the solution - Bacofoil. Wrapped right over my sun visor, facing outwards. As brake light dazzle is obviously not a problem for 99% of road users, when waiting at lights (with my HB on and in neutral) I am careful to tilt the sunvisor so that it throws that bright glow of comforting red light straight back at the rear view mirror of the driver in front and none into my cabin. It is quite priceless to see the simultaneously enraged and puzzled reaction from the drivers in front, most of whom cannot fathom out where the red light is actually coming from.
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