Discussions

I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed the increasing numbers of vehicles with incredibly bright headlights this year.  
 
I drive a sedan which has me pretty low to the ground. I've been finding it increasingly difficult to drive at night with how many cars have such harsh, bright lights. Are there new bulbs that people are using? Are people driving with their brights on in the city? It sure feels like it on some days. Worst offenders for me are tall vehicles like SUVs or half-tons whose headlights are eye level with me when I drive and beam into my face.  
 
If I'm honest, it makes it hard for me to see at all when I drive at night, which happens more this time of year since it gets dark so quickly. I will admit I find it rather frustrating since it's impossible to see and some lights can be downright painful. Are brighter lights really safer if they're blinding other drivers?

The light don't bother me, however, the number if people are driving with high beams on is insane!  
 
I have to flash them with my high beams and they still don't understand that you should not be driving with you high beams on.

It may not be that they don’t understand but they might actually not have their brights on. We get “flashed” the odd time and 99.8% our brights are not on.  
 
If one is going to flash someone, please give them enough time to either shut them off or flash you back to say “I’m not a jerk” lol  
 
OP, I find driving at night harder too with all the bright lights.

All those vehicles may not have their high beams on. We got flashed all the time in our previous SUV . We took it in to try and have the headlights adjusted but it couldn’t be corrected.

For some reason I find the newer LED lights sometimes cause me headaches at night when meeting them, I'm not sure if its the light color (temperature) or the way they seem to change hue slightly purple as they get closer, it doesn't seem to be high beam related.  
 
I rarely had issues with HID or projector HID before, unless they were grossly misaligned, I miss meeting sealed beam halogen lights lol

I’ve been on ends of these scenarios. My first 2 cars were used and I’ve never had a burnt out headlight therefore didn’t see the need in replacing my headlight lightbulbs.  
When I bought new, I was amazed how bright and clear everything was a night. It was such a nice change. Then I started getting flashed for having high beams on when I didn’t. Sometimes I could indicate that but other times it was so close that it was scary.  
My vehicle is almost 10 years old and guess what I haven’t changed the bulbs but i find it so much harder to tell if my lights are on cuz how dim they are. Plus meeting other bright lit cars wasnt nearly as bad with my new bulbs opposed to these warn out ones.  
 
I wonder if we all get new lightbulbs in our vehicles if it would be more beneficial to everyone. Drivers i:ncluded. I remember it being less intense to meet a bright vehicle when my lights were new and just as bright - like they deflected each other a bit. More so than my dim lights now.the brightness is harder on the eyes. I think new bulbs need to happen. When was the last time you changed the bulbs in your headlights? Did it help you?

I too have a hard time with the car lights.  
It seems to me that most cars manufactured in the last almost 10 years have no horizontal aim to them, the lights just seem to be flood lights that shine all over the place, higher than it needs to shine.  
It doesn't seem to make any difference if it is high beam or low beam, only that it is very bright and less bright both shining too high.

Old age is a factor! Likely the biggest factor! LOL

That’s the new version, gotta get used to it no choice. No more or hardly any old fashion yellow headlights. The headlights are also worse with vehicles with weight or trailer on back, puts the headlights up more in direct eyes… sorry only option is either don’t drive, or get a self driving vehicle…  
The beauty of the newer headlights is safety when driving is very dark ares of highways you can spot wildlife or o:bjects on highways very well.

"The beauty of the newer headlights is safety when driving is very dark ares of highways you can spot wildlife or o:bjects on highways very well."  
 
but for oncoming traffic on a dark road the oncoming traffic is subject to a visually staggering contrast, and could save the deer but negatively impact the other drivers on the road  
 
"That’s the new version, gotta get used to it no choice"  
is also true

Have people forgot when taking drivers Ed back in the day your to look at the white line when meeting vehicles. I know it is harder with the newer lights but at least your not staring directly into the light.

I’m 35 and have really noticed the change in last few years as well. I wish there would be a third option for lights for when driving in town or on highway when there is quite a bit of traffic like up and down highway ten. Almost like a daytime running light. Just a tame version that doesn’t shine so brilliant.

Replacing my own headlight bulbs is something that has crossed my mind for improving my own visibility. To answer your question, they haven't been replaced as long as I've been driving my vehicle.  
 
It hasn't occurred to me that it would somehow improve the brightness of other oncoming vehicles though. Headlight bulbs just tend to be a little bit pricier and I am definitely an "if it ain't broke don't fix it" kind of person! It's something to consider for sure.

If I had a car with nice bright headlights I would likely feel a lot more confident in nighttime highway driving. But yes the downside is that I am at the mercy of other cars driving towards me with bright headlights. All I can do is watch the lines on the road and hope there is no wildlife trying to cross when I'm meeting oncoming traffic!

I don't believe that many people have forgotten this rule, I certainly haven't! It's just that some lights are so bright these days that it's hard to see regardless of where you look. Usually they're so bright that they reduce my night vision and make everything surrounding seem darker in comparison.

I agree with you on that, the colour temperature of some lights causes me a lot of eye strain. Cool blue/purple tinged lights are the worst. Other bright lights are still obnoxious but not nearly as much so.

Another factor for older vehicle is what condition are the lenses over your headlights plastic eventually turns foggy making your bulbs less bright.

Considering GM for instance has issued a recall due to excessively bright headlights and regulators all over are looking into what needs to be done to increase the safety of them it would seem it's not the driver's fault being blinded in most cases. Hopefully there will be a long lasting alternative that can replace or be added to the current phosphor layers to tone them down without reducing their efficacy regarding seeing the road.

Are super bright, I bought my suv like that brand new. I’ve gone to the dealership 3 times for readjustments cause I’m tired of ppl thinking I have my high beams on. I’ve been chased down, ppl have hit their brakes thinking I’m following them with high beams on etc etc. I have bought a dash cam cause I was almost run off the road by a crazy driver thinking my high beams were on when they aren’t. I don’t use my high beams. I’ve done my best and now it’s come down to the dash cam to feel safe. Not everyone uses high beams, trust me, I know my lights are bright but I promise I won’t flash my high beams at you cause I’m sure you don’t want an X-ray lol.

I have an issue with bright headlights. I live in an apartment that faces into our parking lot. People are constantly pulling up to the back door (a no parking area) for deliveries, and leaving their lights on. Those headlights glare into my apartment and give me headaches. Even a 10 minute stop is too much. I wish people would be more considerate and turn their lights off when facing an occupied building.

I agree that people making snap judgments on others doesn't help the issue. I too have made the assumption that people have been driving with high beams, but over time as I've seen more vehicles I've realized it's just the headlight trend these days. It is frustrating but it's not anyone's fault for buying a new vehicle with bright lights.  
 
I don't think that people getting upset or road rage-y is acceptable behaviour. Getting a dash cam is a good choice for your own safety. Some people need to grow up and understand that not everyone else on the road is out to get them.

Do you have curtains / eyelids?

Night glasses (yellow) may help with the glare of the new lights. May work for some and not others, but worth a try.

Many cars do have bright lights but I find that a lot of people drive with their fog lights on and in a lot of cases they are as bright as their headlights.

Adaptive Driving Beam is widely used in Europe but is not yet legal in the North America.  
It relies on sensors that can detect oncoming traffic and adjust the projected beam pattern to allow plenty of light for the driver without blinding other motorists.  
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was working to finalize rules allowing the use of adaptive driving beam technology in the United States, though it was unclear how long that might take.  
 
https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/driver-assistance-technologies/advanced-forward-lighting-systems  
 
Edited by loeog, 2022-12-05 20:59:42

Are you suggesting that I should close my eyes while driving at night? I can't honestly say I thought of that one.

This has the potential to solve a lot of headlight related problems I imagine. I know there are a lot of safety benefits related to having bright lights when driving, but they don't need to be nearly as bright in the city as night driving in the country. Thanks for sharing!

I agree that the new vehicles have bright headlights, but another problem is older vehicles with headlights not correct aimed and there is basically no enforcement, even if you get a safety inspection done, I bet you 9 out of 10 will not check the headlight aim properly

Whoops. Sorry about that, Millenial. I was replying to the post by Gammy about light coming through her windows at her apartment.

This is my main beef. Fog lights in town? Do you really think that you need them on in town?