Anyone else noticing more drivers with high beams on?

[mr cheese]

I get off work late enough for it to be dark out and I notice at least 3-4 cars a day that have their high beams on driving down well lit interstate highways with a normal amount of traffic. I don't live in a rural area, I live pretty close to the heart of a big city, and notice the problem on downtown streets and highways too.

I've even seen some cars with their lights out entirely, driving off what I'm assuming are their daylight running lights. Of course I'm excluding lifted trucks with LED headlights, not because they don't annoy and blind me, but because I imagine it's unavoidable for them. Besides just... not getting a lift LOL

 

I'm constantly blinded by cars on the interstate now and I cannot understand how people don't know they have their high beams on. I didn't notice this problem much at all until last year, and it seems to be happening more and more now. Is anyone else noticing this?

 

I'm guessing it comes down to car literacy, after all a blue light doesn't tell the user much so I can't imagine it's much more than a forgetfulness or literacy thing, or in the sometimes understandable cases where they have a headlight out or not pointing straight.

[YellowJersey]

I'm always unsure if people have their high beams on or if they just have really really bright headlights, but yes, I notice it all the time.

 Personally, I think driving with your high beams on within city limits should be a ticketable offence. I'd suggest that they [advertiser friendly content] instead, but I don't want to cop a ban.

[mr cheese]

2 minutes ago, YellowJersey said:

I'm always unsure if people have their high beams on or if they just have really really bright headlights

two ways you can tell:

1. if you go up a hill before they do, and the brightness doesn't change
2. above but with speed bumps
3. if the roof of your car interior is fully lit

it probably means brights are on

 

I'm not so much advocating for more things to pull people over for especially if you're in a spot where you're at work and your headlight goes out or something, but I definitely this should be a ticket thing just because I don't like getting blinded by my side view mirrors

[YellowJersey]

1 minute ago, mr cheese said:

I'm not so much advocating for more things to pull people over for especially if you're in a spot where you're at work and your headlight goes out or something, but I definitely this should be a ticket thing just because I don't like getting blinded by my side view mirrors

I think it's a legitimate safety issue. I can see why giving the cops more things to pull people over for would be an issue in the states where half of the time it seems to result in murder. But blinding everyone on the road is just a recipe for disaster.

[mononymous]

Don't know which is worse people forgetting they have their high beams on or forgetting to turn on the light at all. 

[vf1000ride]

Some modern vehicles have auto sensing headlights.  They stay in high beam until a sensor picks up another vehicle and then dims them to low beams.  These systems don't always work well and they leave the high beams on.  Quite a few of the higher end GM products have it as a standard feature.

[vetali]

I get high-flashed quite a bit but my car has infamously bright headlights.

 

Also have noticed a lot of people just driving with their headlights off.

[Needfuldoer]

"It is day time, therefore I must run my high beams" seems to be the latest idiot driver "thing". They're usually the types who treat their wiper stalk as an on/off switch; either their wipers aren't running or they're flailing away on high.

 

I'd rather they did that than take exits from the middle lane, and drift from the inside lane to the outside lane in a double turn lane while I'm in the outside lane with another moron right on my bumper so I have nowhere to go but the gutter then they flip me off like I'm the one who slighted them somehow.

[Heliian]

9 hours ago, mr cheese said:

unavoidable

Pretty much every single vehicle on the road has headlight adjustments, people are either too lazy or just don't know.  It is also a ticketable offence in some jurisdictions.  Light bars are also illegal on the road in some jurisdictions.  The problem is zero enforcement. 

[Monsterkater]

9 hours ago, mr cheese said:

Besides just... not getting a lift LOL

Or maybe - hear me out here - just making sure that the headlights are properly set to not blind uncoming traffic after getting that lift? There's a setting for that, every car has it, usually in form of a little wheel in the dashboard with numbers on it. It's also used for lowering your lights when transporting heavy stuff in the back, because that will lift the front up somewhat.

 

As (formerly) a driver of a lowered coupé and now a driver of a not lowered, but still quite low convertible, stuff like this just drives me nuts. Why can't we all just agree on getting to know your car and possibilities it provides for not annoying everyone else on the streets before setting off? SMH

[Holmes108]

1 hour ago, Monsterkater said:

 There's a setting for that, every car has it, usually in form of a little wheel in the dashboard with numbers on it.

 

I think this is definitely not true.

[Monsterkater]

18 minutes ago, Holmes108 said:

 

I think this is definitely not true.

Which part of that statement? The 'every car' bit? Alright, let me rephrase that: "Every car that is to be sold in Germany".

It might very well differ in other parts of the world.

 

Here's my reasoning for that: This adjustment being a) present and b) working is a necessity for passing the bi-annual roadworthiness test every vehicle registered in Germany has to undergo.

[Holmes108]

11 minutes ago, Monsterkater said:

Which part of that statement? The 'every car' bit? Alright, let me rephrase that: "Every car that is to be sold in Germany".

It might very well differ in other parts of the world.

 

Here's my reasoning for that: This adjustment being a) present and b) working is a necessity for passing the bi-annual roadworthiness test every vehicle registered in Germany has to undergo.

 

They may all be adjustable somehow, but I've never owned a vehicle that had a simple dial. Would sure be nice though. (or maybe not, because then everyone will just have it set wrong lol)

 

(edit: perhaps it's a feature in newer or more luxury cars? I have a 2013)

[Stahlmann]

The issue is that everyone relies on their automatic lights nowadays. These systems don't react as fast or at the same distance as someone doing it manually. And there are still plenty of older vehicles without auto lights that just drive around with high beams all the time. I'd say around 5% of all the cars i encounter at night leave them on high beam all the time. Some people just don't care.

 

And as a non-SUV driver you're SOL either way. Most SUV's lights are mounted so high that they're shining in your face regardless if they're using high beam or not.

[Holmes108]

Yeah, it's hard to always tell for sure. Some people definitely just have obnoxious headlights to begin with. Especially in some taller vehicles like a pickup. Or possibly misaligned like people have mentioned. Definitely a bit of a pet peeve though.

[Monsterkater]

17 minutes ago, Holmes108 said:

 

They may all be adjustable somehow, but I've never owned a vehicle that had a simple dial. Would sure be nice though. (or maybe not, because then everyone will just have it set wrong lol)

 

(edit: perhaps it's a feature in newer or more luxury cars? I have a 2013)

Nope. My '97 E36 Compact had this. A nice little dial, just to the left of the steering column. Even my '93 Golf III had it, though I can't remember where exactly the dial was located. In fact, every vehicle I owned had it in a similar form.

'0' being the standard setting for 'no change', with increments up to '3' depending on how heavy the load in the back is. Again, it's main use is lowering the headlight's beam when transporting heavy stuff, to balance the resulting lift in the front. The drivers themselves need to be able to adjust this without technical knowledge in order for the vehicle to be roadworthy in Germany.

 

Also, yes, the headlights themselves can be adjusted as well. If your inspector is nice and likes you, they might even adjust your headlights correctly while inspecting the vehicle, so that when not loaded, '0' is the correct setting. Though you actually are supposed to have that done by a shop before heading out to the inspection.

 

Edit: '0' being the default setting with increments LOWERING the beam also has the effect that a wrongly set dial basically will just annoy the driver themselves because they won't see as much, but they can't blind other drivers on the road. As long as their headlights are set correctly in the first place ofc.

[vetali]

5 hours ago, Needfuldoer said:

"It is day time, therefore I must run my high beams" seems to be the latest idiot driver "thing". They're usually the types who treat their wiper stalk as an on/off switch; either their wipers aren't running or they're flailing away on high.

 

I'd rather they did that than take exits from the middle lane, and drift from the inside lane to the outside lane in a double turn lane while I'm in the outside lane with another moron right on my bumper so I have nowhere to go but the gutter then they flip me off like I'm the one who slighted them somehow.

I make an effort to avoid people that have their wipers on maximum overdrive during light rain. Those are the crazies on the road.

[mr cheese]

5 hours ago, Monsterkater said:

Or maybe - hear me out here - just making sure that the headlights are properly set to not blind uncoming traffic after getting that lift? There's a setting for that, every car has it, usually in form of a little wheel in the dashboard with numbers on it.

I've driven several cars in the past few years and have never seen an adjustment knob for my headlights, it's mostly just screws or bolts under the hood. Honda, and Toyota, at least.

 

Also I'm talking about trucks with LED headlights who are lifted to the point their headlights are even with my head as in driving, and I'm 6'1" and drive a full size SUV. I don't think you can avoid blinding people that way. Which is why I said you can only avoid it by not getting a lift.

 

2 hours ago, Monsterkater said:

Nope. My '97 E36 Compact had this. A nice little dial, just to the left of the steering column. Even my '93 Golf III had it, though I can't remember where exactly the dial was located

BMW and VW are not indicative of a general vehicle feature trend. European cars and American cars and Japanese cars will very wildly, not to mention BMW is usually regarded as a somewhat luxury brand.

 

3 hours ago, Stahlmann said:

The issue is that everyone relies on their automatic lights nowadays.

This tbh. It's just interesting to see in real life that people become so reliant on automatic features they become oblivious to the real function of the car and how to change it at all

[airborne spoon]

people are dumb thats all there is to it.

 

Whenever I'm in doubt if they are brights or not i flash my brights, 90% of the time they had their brights on. But why would people have their brights on the freeway or in a city? like i live in the middle of nowhere 40 miles to the nearest town nowhere and that road has a lot of traffic but most folks are goo with turning them down when another car approaches. I dont see why someone would need brights on in a city.

[BondiBlue]

I haven't noticed more drivers with their high beams on, but I've seen lots of newer vehicles with headlights that are ridiculously bright to begin with. I'm looking at you, Chevy Silverado. The stock headlights on trucks like the Silverado are blindingly bright on the normal setting, and I say that as someone who drives two different SUVs. I'm sure it's even worse in a smaller car. I can't stand having one of those trucks right behind me on the road at night. 

 

10 hours ago, Monsterkater said:

Or maybe - hear me out here - just making sure that the headlights are properly set to not blind uncoming traffic after getting that lift? There's a setting for that, every car has it, usually in form of a little wheel in the dashboard with numbers on it. It's also used for lowering your lights when transporting heavy stuff in the back, because that will lift the front up somewhat.

I'm from the US, and I've never owned a vehicle of any kind that has a headlight control like this. I can't recall ever seeing one in person either. It's definitely not a universal feature, that's for sure. 

[Beerzerker]

5 hours ago, mr cheese said:

I've driven several cars in the past few years and have never seen an adjustment knob for my headlights, it's mostly just screws or bolts under the hood. Honda, and Toyota, at least.

 

Also I'm talking about trucks with LED headlights who are lifted to the point their headlights are even with my head as in driving, and I'm 6'1" and drive a full size SUV. I don't think you can avoid blinding people that way. Which is why I said you can only avoid it by not getting a lift.

 

BMW and VW are not indicative of a general vehicle feature trend. European cars and American cars and Japanese cars will very wildly, not to mention BMW is usually regarded as a somewhat luxury brand.

 

This tbh. It's just interesting to see in real life that people become so reliant on automatic features they become oblivious to the real function of the car and how to change it at all

Been driving and holding a CDL too for over 35 years now and I've never heard of such a thing myself.
Could be it's something specific to where it is as a requirement or option.
Perhaps it's an externally made option for it like a bolt-on kit the maker themselves don't make but will include if you want it via the dealer installing it.

But nope - I've never heard of or seen such a thing myself - Not once.

[Monsterkater]

22 minutes ago, BondiBlue said:

It's definitely not a universal feature, that's for sure

Yeah, it seems that way. I'm still a bit baffled by that fact, but I guess there's something new to learn every day. 

 

I'm genuinely sorry for my ignorance on that part, the thought that this might not be universal just never crossed my mind. As previously stated, it's mandatory over here. I just re-checked and sure enough, since Jan 1st, 1990 every new car that is to be sold and registered in these parts has to have such a feature, in accordance with ECE regulation R48, reachable from the driver's seat. 

[BondiBlue]

12 minutes ago, Monsterkater said:

Yeah, it seems that way. I'm still a bit baffled by that fact, but I guess there's something new to learn every day. 

 

I'm genuinely sorry for my ignorance on that part, the thought that this might not be universal just never crossed my mind. As previously stated, it's mandatory over here. I just re-checked and sure enough, since Jan 1st, 1990 every new car that is to be sold and registered in these parts has to have such a feature, in accordance with ECE regulation R48, reachable from the driver's seat. 

No need to apologize. I didn't realize that they were mandatory in other countries, and I never really gave it much thought. I'd heard about them, but that's it. 

 

I do wish we had headlight controls like that here in the US. It could definitely make driving at night just a bit more enjoyable. But that assumes that people would actually bother to make use of the control, and seeing the way some people drive I doubt most people would even use it. 

[Godlygamer23]

20 hours ago, vf1000ride said:

Some modern vehicles have auto sensing headlights.  They stay in high beam until a sensor picks up another vehicle and then dims them to low beams.  These systems don't always work well and they leave the high beams on.  Quite a few of the higher end GM products have it as a standard feature.

In my experience, it seems like they turn them off too late.

[Godlygamer23]

9 hours ago, Stahlmann said:

The issue is that everyone relies on their automatic lights nowadays. These systems don't react as fast or at the same distance as someone doing it manually. And there are still plenty of older vehicles without auto lights that just drive around with high beams all the time. I'd say around 5% of all the cars i encounter at night leave them on high beam all the time. Some people just don't care.

 

And as a non-SUV driver you're SOL either way. Most SUV's lights are mounted so high that they're shining in your face regardless if they're using high beam or not.

I'm one of the rare people that won't use the "auto" setting on my car. I always turn them on as I see fit, which is usually at a higher standard than what the computer is programmed for. I've been in situations where the computer, based on the sensor's input, will not turn on my lights, even when it's somewhat dark, like it's not sensitive enough.