Dazzling LED car headlights

AdrianC

cubegame wrote: »

The benefits for a bike like are obvious (you get little heat and high running life on a battery charge) but I see little advantage for a car.

One big advantage is that there are multiple light sources, rather than a single - so you can do things like active-matrix lights where only the relevant part of the beam is dipped for other vehicles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJdBqhVMgCA&t=4m21s

But, yes, there's a heck of a lot of cosmetic/styling justification and "because we can" frippery in that video, too...

Car_54

Arklight wrote: »

Driving around intentionally with your full beams on to prosecute some sad, petty vendetta against the world is dangerous, idiotic, and a fairly good sign you neither deserve, nor are fit, to have a driving license.

It's also illegal.

Car_54

facade wrote: »

However as marlot says, they have to be clean, and come with headlamp washers.

Really? No one seems to have told Honda.

reeac

The hazard of too powerful headlamps was acknowledged back in the days of quartz halogen by setting a maximum wattage for headlamp bulbs used on public roads ... 60/55 watts for main/ dip. Unfortunately this has never been updated into a maximum lumen (light ouput) figure in order to accommodate the newer bi xenon and LED lamps which give greater light output per watt. It would make sense but, hey, who's bothered about sense nowadays?

sevenhills

AdrianC wrote: »

Were they simply referring to how well you read the chart?

There are other tests, but so long as we can all read a number plate at 20 metres all is ok :mad:

AdrianC

sevenhills wrote: »

There are other tests, but so long as we can all read a number plate at 20 metres all is ok :mad:

Scary, isn't it?

Madmel

I have this problem and live in a rural area with no street lights. It has definitely got worse in the last few years. I too have my eyesight checked regularly and the optician told me that lots of people are complaining about being dazzled. It's not my eyes that are the problem. I took DD back to uni yesterday. She is 20 and also complains about bright lights, so I don't think it's an age things. She too has her eyes checked every 2 years.

To the complaints about bikes, can I please add tractors. Two very bright lights very close together on a narrow lane between high hedges can be very scary when you realise what it is.

facade

Car_54 wrote: »

Really? No one seems to have told Honda.

Probably sub 2000 lumens output.


2000 and above need washers and self levelling to get ECE certification.


Above 25W LED or HID will put out 2000 lumens.


You might get 2000 lumens out of something like nightbreakers if you run both filaments at once, probably 700-800 on dip otherwise.

Primrose

I think there have been various eye specialists who have said that over time these bright lights can cause damage to the retina.
I,m surprised that the AA and other motoring organisations are not campaigning for the issue to be looked at again.
Maybe if enough motorists started complaining to the right bodies some action might be taken. .

This problem is particular bad for motorists in rural areas where no street lights exist. If you are driving along a lengthy stretch of unlit road with no oncoming traffic for a considerable distance your eye becomes accustomed to that level of light. To then suddenly be confronted by an oncoming vehicle with LED lights blazing, or even worse, an inconsiderate motorist driving on full beam headlights, is blinding, and it risks you being unsafe for a period afterwards while your eyesight has to readjust again.

As somebody else has said, this isn,t just an age thing and I know much younger people than myself who complain about being similarly affected. It must definitely be having a damaging effect on the eye health of all those habitually forced to drive at night to earn a living.

Swipe

Most evenings I have to drive home along country B roads with my rear view mirror inverted because some clown behind me is lighting up the interior of my car. I always end up following someone doing 50 in a 60 which results in someone following me too, so it's not like I can put my foot down to get some distance from them.


It's not just LEDs too. Many older cars have their low beam set too high, which is no excuse seeing as they can be adjusted from the control on the dash.