Could you do me a favour please?

Joe_Horner

Spicy_McHaggis wrote: »

I still don't see your issue and rarely use the main beam even on the roads you describe as I don't feel the need for them at 60mph.

In that case either your headlights are adjusted too high or you have poor awareness of stopping distances.

Typical car headlamps are between about 40 and 50 cm above the road.

The highest allowable adjustment for low beam for MOT is 0.5% below horizontal, and the "standard" correct adjustment is 1.3%.

That means that the cut-off of a correctly adjusted low beam will hit the road between about 30 and 40 metres in front of your car. beyond that point they provide effectively no light, because that's what the cut-off is there for.

Even adjusted to the absolute maximum height allowed by law (0.5% - which will be dazzling oncoming cars evey time you hit the slightest bump) they'll throw light at most 80 to 100 metres because that's what the optics say they'll do.

So, if they're well adjusted, you're thinking that 40 metres of visibility is enough at 60mph, which would need zero reaction time and just over 90% braking efficiency in order to stop if you needed to.

If they're barely legally adjusted you're still only allowing at most 23 metres (or just under a second) of safety based on HC braking distances for something appearing in the dim furthest reaches of you lights.

Especially on rural roads, high beams also give oncoming traffic useful extra warning that you're there because they shine up into trees, telephone lines and so on, making you visible round corners. Dipped beams don't do that because they shine down into the ground.

High beams are there for a reason, and they're really rather easy to turn on and off, so use them - there is no downside at all!

Spicy_McHaggis

Joe_Horner wrote: »

In that case either your headlights are adjusted too high or you have poor awareness of stopping distances.

Typical car headlamps are between about 40 and 50 cm above the road.

The highest allowable adjustment for low beam for MOT is 0.5% below horizontal, and the "standard" correct adjustment is 1.3%.

That means that the cut-off of a correctly adjusted low beam will hit the road between about 30 and 40 metres in front of your car. beyond that point they provide effectively no light, because that's what the cut-off is there for.

Even adjusted to the absolute maximum height allowed by law (0.5% - which will be dazzling oncoming cars evey time you hit the slightest bump) they'll throw light at most 80 to 100 metres because that's what the optics say they'll do.

So, if they're well adjusted, you're thinking that 40 metres of visibility is enough at 60mph, which would need zero reaction time and just over 90% braking efficiency in order to stop if you needed to.

If they're barely legally adjusted you're still only allowing at most 23 metres (or just under a second) of safety based on HC braking distances for something appearing in the dim furthest reaches of you lights.

Especially on rural roads, high beams also give oncoming traffic useful extra warning that you're there because they shine up into trees, telephone lines and so on, making you visible round corners. Dipped beams don't do that because they shine down into the ground.

High beams are there for a reason, and they're really rather easy to turn on and off, so use them - there is no downside at all!

So to sum that up, I can have legally adjusted dipped beam that would illuminate in excess of the Highway Code stopping distance for 60mph?

Joe_Horner

Spicy_McHaggis wrote: »

So to sum that up, I can have legally adjusted dipped beam that would illuminate in excess of the Highway Code stopping distance for 60mph?

You can have borderline legal headlights but not correctly adjusted ones - the correct adjustment is an extra 0.8% dip. That brings you down to 40 metres or so at most.

In any case, with that borderline adjustment they won't be illuminating anything more than 6 inches off the road 60 metres in front of you. Which is effectively blind and still 16 metres inside your stopping distance.

Spicy_McHaggis

Joe_Horner wrote: »

You can have borderline legal headlights but not correctly adjusted ones - the correct adjustment is an extra 0.8% dip. That brings you down to 40 metres or so at most.

In any case, with that borderline adjustment they won't be illuminating anything more than 6 inches off the road 60 metres in front of you. Which is effectively blind and still 16 metres inside your stopping distance.

I have to say one more than one vehicle I don't find it a problem at 60mph so it can be down to poor adjustment.

Even at 90-100 the only vehicle I can say was a struggle to see on dipped beam was a Skoda Octavia.

Retrogamer

almillar wrote: »

it.

Retrogamer - you were talking about LED DRLs - that's why I asked you about your rear lights - lots of DRLs will be on at the front, with nothing on at the rear - you should get out of your car and have a look if you don't already know.

I wasn't talking about DRLs
I was talking about my LED sidelights.
My car doesn't have DRLs

mrmot

I'm covered, my car has a dim dip system.

neilmcl

Retrogamer wrote: »

I wasn't talking about DRLs
I was talking about my LED sidelights.
My car doesn't have DRLs

LED sidelights yet no DRLs. What car is it, are the sidelights aftermarket?

jaydeeuk1

My pet hate is when the driver in front leaves his foot on the brake at night whilst stationary at traffic lights blinding me. Stick it in neutral and put handbrake on !!!!!!.

Retrogamer

neilmcl wrote: »

LED sidelights yet no DRLs. What car is it, are the sidelights aftermarket?

It's a 2006 Ibiza with aftermarket sidelight bulbs.

Same as these ones here.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Osram-LED-6000K-Cool-White-W5W-501-Wedge-12V-1W-Led-Bulbs-Long-Life-2850CW-02B-/311163353801?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4872c7fac9

alastairq

just thinking about your point that drivers are becoming lazy at observing and only look for lights - what should we do about that - should we all drive around with no lights on? Will you take a hit from one of these lazy drivers to make a point?
There are bad drivers on the road, we have to deal with that. I'd prefer to help people out on here, rather than lecture people after they've crashed into me...

Don't let them, then?

What do we think our headlamp flashers are for?[[See Highway Code??]

Or our horns, eh?