Chacham's Journal: Headlights too bright!

Car headlights are bothering me more and more. They seem to be using brighter headlights now, as the standard beams seem like hi-beams. Many cars have one decent light and another bright one.

Because of that, it's getting harder to drive at nighttime. Even after the rear-view mirror is flipped up, the driver-side mirror reflects alot from small trucks and SUVs, and cars going in the opposite direction can bearly blind my sight.

It used to be not like this. Has something changed? Does anyone else having this problem?

headlights

[subgeek]

first, i think you're right that they're getting brighter. but i think it's equally important that they're also getting higher. more SUVs on the road means that more vehicles have beams being projected from a higher location. if the beams start out higher, there is more opportunity for them to shine into your car, rear view mirror, eyeballs, etc. lights are also getting more blue in color. it's a higher energy light and therefore more irritating when they shine in your face.

also, i've noticed that sev

Re:headlights

[Cyberdyne]

I've noticed headlights seem to be getting brighter, too; as you say, poor aiming is probably a factor, and the move towards more efficient and longer-lasting bulbs (which produce more light, and IIRC with a spectrum more irritating to the eye as well) won't help. Worst of all, though, people seem more prone to driving around with lights on - Volvo started this, making a car where the lights are always on while driving (sidelights only), which seems to make drivers put the headlights on more readily - then

Agreed...

[Saige]

I've noticed the same thing... done enough nighttime highway driving to hate the glare from some SUV's too-high and too-bright headlights (especially those xenon ones or whatever) from my rear and side mirror. Cars aren't as bad, as the headlights are lower.

It's especially bad when you've got obnoxiously bright headlights in the city/suburbs, since there's so much light anyways, you could probably see the car without the headlights on. The overly-bright ones are almost worse, cause instead of just not s

yep

[eglamkowski]

Definiately brighter.

And higher, as subgeek pointed out. That's a huge freakin' problem. Damn SUV crap. I once had a lengthy list of reasons why SUVs are bad, for everyone else on the road (and no, gasoline guzzling and environmentalism weren't on the list). I'll have to dig it up...

Also occassionally I'll come across headlights that are maybe a translucent blueish or some such. Not only are they bright, they actually make me physically ill. When I see these lights, I get dizzy, nauseaus, and just o

Aftermarket HID and HID-Lookalikes to blame

[GoRK]

Well, you're not going crazy. Car headlights are generally putting out more lumens per watt than they used to, and more people are driving with their fog lights on unnecessarily, and more people are driving trucks (SUV's) with higher headlights, but that's not really the problem you're experiencing with blinding headlights. The problem is genearlly improper aiming and aftermarket headlights.

Most states (at least the ones that have not dropped yearly vehicle inspections entirely) have dropped headlight aimi

Lights

[Crazieeman]

I've noticed it too. Around here though, some people seem to think its cute to add high intensity yellow lights. Once a truck was coming down the opposite side of the highway, I thought the sun was rising.

I'm sort of the eye for an eye type. I bought ultra-high intensity blue lights for my car's high beams, and flick them on along with the fog lights for anyone that shines theirs in my face. They turn off the yellow lights/brights off very quickly.

Unfortunately for the truck drivers that think its