How do I deal with bright lights?

[Raf99]

Please tell me......... how. Lights in vehicles are getting so f'n bright that I do not enjoy driving at night anymore. It's honestly turning me off from the auto scene as there's just a bunch of f*ck nuts driving around saying "I can see great!". It's not just a civic with a ebay 6k bulbs, it's even OEM vehicles / producers in on the game too. They make it a selling point. The latest to hit the streets in eastern Canada are raised jeeps with LED fog lights and headlights, not aimed, bright!! And everyone knows. It's on the internet, in the forums, everywhere. But ... now we are past the point of no return. Even if we passed a law for example: Auto adjust is required in Canada for all vehicles, we still have these "Escalades" driving around blinding everyone.

And I don't disagree with the lighting, but aim the shit! Do the recalls, take another look at it. There are A LOT of manufactures using HID, LED, etc. and it is simply not blinding. Heck, the buses in my city have some and they look great! Never blinding. Lately noticed the 2020 VW's New Atlas Cross Sport SUV are also blinding. Same with the new Subaru SUV, but none of their cars have this issue.

(for those who don't know me, yes i know about the bulb types, brightness, LED, exposure, cut-off, auto adjust... blah blah blah etc.)

It's at the point now where I'm just high beaming every car that is seriously blinding. We still have single lane highways here too. Drive 5' from the bright light coming towards you. If they are behind me, I'll pull over and let them go by. The worse ones get high beamed. I know it must be worse in western Canada or in the US.

.......I figure some folks on here may have some tips, found a way to not let it get to them. Anyone?

[CyborgGT]

Seems like all you can do is high-beam them, and maybe if the manufacturers see enough complaints on the internet, they'll do something. The Jeep Wrangler LED headlights are definitely the worst I've seen.

[af_1132]

Here in Cali, the biggest problem comes from the lifted trucks, ya know, the ones compensating for something? They aim them all right, right at my rearview mirror! I just usually drive faster than them and outrun them, or I let them pass me if they are more aggressive than me.

When it comes to high beaming, I find that it escalates the situation, almost as much as a stare down or break checking, but not as severe. I also find that it delivers no desired effects. The people, most of them, with the crazy high temp bright beams don't sympathize with us, and can even enjoy the reaction.

[Ghostwhite]

The new chevy pickups around here are some of the worst but like you said its all bad. I have a newer chrysler 200 with HIDs and the cutoff is aimed far too low factory, kinda the opposite problem but I'd rather they err on the side of caution. I'll be raising them because I know how and know how to do so properly without interfering with other drivers.

[Raf99]

What i don't understand is how the new Jeep's with LED lights is actually legal! They are F'N bright as F*CK! I'm assuming these guys are buying one of the hundreds of after market kits and installing them?

edit for example:

[CyborgGT]

Aftermarket is what I thought at first, too, but I'm seeing way too many to believe that anymore. I've seen a couple Mercs and BMWs recently that were aimed too high, as well. I wait, and wait as they come toward me, thinking maybe it's a slight incline in the road that has their car aimed upward, but no. Couldn't tell if they were LED or small projectors, though.

[Raf99]

Aftermarket is what I thought at first, too, but I'm seeing way too many to believe that anymore. I've seen a couple Mercs and BMWs recently that were aimed too high, as well. I wait, and wait as they come toward me, thinking maybe it's a slight incline in the road that has their car aimed upward, but no. Couldn't tell if they were LED or small projectors, though.

Same here. I started flashing toyota corollas and now the list grew in a matter of months. The new forrester, Ford Interceptors, a new Kia SUV I seen today. Clearly clearly, I was below the cutoff or they are just bright.

New Honda Accords. This one disappointed me but the 2019/2020 Accord Sport edition are too bright. They're trying to steal their idea from the Acura line-up and uggg...

In 5 years it will all be LED bright ass lights. Also maybe if the highways were perfectly even it would make more sense, but most times one set of lanes is vertically higher. Also in Canada it is not law to have auto aiming headlights. I believe this is the case in USA.

When I visit my mother there is a single lane highway (100kph). When you meet an escalade or one of these vehicles it's like you're entering the light haha...

Vid from 2017 where a man started a state wide petition...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hilp25Yfwj8

And of course a change.org petition that will go no-where...
https://www.change.org/p/u-s-dot-ban...and-save-lives

[AccordWarrior]

When it comes to high beaming, I find that it escalates the situation, almost as much as a stare down or break checking, but not as severe. I also find that it delivers no desired effects. The people, most of them, with the crazy high temp bright beams don't sympathize with us, and can even enjoy the reaction.

Exactly.

It's one thing if the high beams are on, or if it's a vehicle with very clearly altered headlights set up incorrectly.

High beaming cars with OEM headlights un-altered is just being dangerous and petty. You could easily cause an accident doing something like that. Look to the white light line on the side of the road or consult your doctor to get a tint waiver and tint your windshield.

[CyborgGT]

New Honda Accords. This one disappointed me but the 2019/2020 Accord Sport edition are too bright. They're trying to steal their idea from the Acura line-up and uggg...

I didn't want to say anything . "They're one of us, they can't be wrong, right?"

[ol blue]

Exactly.

It's one thing if the high beams are on, or if it's a vehicle with very clearly altered headlights set up incorrectly.

High beaming cars with OEM headlights un-altered is just being dangerous and petty. You could easily cause an accident doing something like that. Look to the white light line on the side of the road or consult your doctor to get a tint waiver and tint your windshield.

Not to sound like an ass but why should we have to tint our windows making it harder to see. Manufacturers should be gone after for this, I live in the middle of nowhere with a crapton animals that can be on the road. Now I am having a problem seeing them because of the glare of the oncoming headlights.

One of the main problems I have in my area are actual light bars, you flash them and my lights don’t even matter to them. Cops stopped handing out tickets a year ago for those. Some of the newer jewel headlights I swear are just as bright as light bars.

[H311RA151N]

I was just having this conversation the other day. Newer vehicles tend to have headlights that are unsafely bright.

Personally, I'm looking into buying a newer vehicle (still yet) and having an automatic sun visor in the back deck is an added benefit to me. At least that helps to protect against excessive light from behind.

For the front, idk.

I recall Chevrolet trucks being the first vehicles I noticed this with 5+ years ago. Now almost all manufacturers seem to be following suit. With GM still being the worst I've noticed.

We've all been upset. Personally I thought briefly about an led bar in the back glass on a toggle switch or a 15 million candle power spot light plugged into the cigarette lighter but in the end it's just not going to solve anything and only fuel a fire. The problem is with the manufacturers. And I doubt we see this issue to be resolved.

Personally, I think it was fine in the 90s with standard halogen bulbs. You actually had to pay attention while you drove (not that it wasn't perfectly safe) and have an inkling of common sense and ability but it was still yet better. These new bright @ss lights are a great example of too much of a good thing.

I'd rather hit a deer I didn't see at 55mph than blind on coming traffic at 55mph and have a head on collision. Just saying.

[Raf99]

Totally agree. There was nothing wrong with the old headlights. I too also wanted one of those cop lights on the front fender I can aim. Aim it at them. I like to think that it would make a difference but it doesn't. I am seeing new Kia / Hyundai getting on the train. But allowing LED light bars full time is ahhh WTF. My limit is still Toyota Corollas and Jeeps with 4 x LED brightness. Too bad it had to come to this. It will only get worse before it gets better.

There's also stuff like this but it's not practical IMO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYSix5r38qY

[CyborgGT]

There's also stuff like this but it's not practical IMO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYSix5r38qY

I'm reading that that technology has already started to become available from the factory in some cars, like the Mercedes S-class, outside of the North American market. Personally, I think that's no different than lane departure warnings, automatic brakes, etc, in that it's one more safety feature that caters to lazy and inattentive drivers. What's wrong with being conscious and courteous of other drivers on the road and simply flipping that switch off until they've passed? I'm with H311RA151N. I miss the '90s, in more ways than one.

[Raf99]

............ I'm with H311RA151N. I miss the '90s, in more ways than one.

Hell yes! Ironically (and on the other side of the coin) you'll get teenagers/younger folks saying these lights are normal and 90's / 2000's lights are not bright enough.

I hope I'm wrong. What bothers me is that there's no one division to stand up and say "all manufactures stop!". There is a usual government transportation safety regulator but obviously they are ok with this. And I still flash folks. F them, they know what they are doing. And because the only hope for these people to change is when everyone high beams them and they get the point! At the very least when they go to bed that night and think "hey, maybe I should get rid of them. It's pissing people off."

[H311RA151N]

Oncoming traffic I deal with like eh, not their intent I guess. When someone pulls up behind me and points their super bright driver side headlight directly into my drivers mirror by being towards the center stripe I can get pissed. Those same people are typically 3' from my bumper. But (and I'm not trying to encourage anything negative here) I have noticed that when I'm at a stop light and this happens showing them the reverse lights for a couple seconds tend to make them more cautious and stay back once in motion again. That combined with a swift flip of the rear view mirror. And when I've been super impaired by their lights I've even rolled down the window and pushed my mirror glass outwards on the driver side or held my hand over the glass. Like " you're blinding the f*ck outta me f*ck wad".

When I drive a newer vehicle at night which is rarely I always try to stay to the right of the driver in front of me and keep a respectable distance. At least it gives them a better out than having all three mirrors blinding them and the feeling of being abducted by a UFO. Having no option but to contribute to the issue sucks when the circumstances arise.