LED Lighting of Other Road Users

[DSK]

I agree with you on the dazzling bit. As I'm in my mid 60's I think it's age related. The thing that really hacks me off is the people who drive with there fog lamps on when there not necessary. On the subject of lights a lot of car manufacturers now fit front running lights. The dash board lights are on all the time as well so, when its dark unless you physically turn on your lights or there in auto mode you think your lights are all on. ( If you know what I mean ) That's why you see a lot of cars now with no rear lights on.

I personally think this is just pure laziness of drivers and not the technology at fault. I personally never use AUTO mode. I leave DRLs on or manually activate side lights as I belt up. I then use the switch to turn the lights onto dipped beam if/when required manually and switch off when parking up. Old school, simple, me in control.

This is just so that I can be 100% sure which stage of lighting is switched on with no second guessing.

 

[spenttherent]

Cant stand LED lights lol

Me neither, wish mine had halogen

 

[merc85]

I wonder how much brighter they are generally than the normal Halogen?

Normal headlight bulbs are 60/55w if you up grade these to more powerful variations its illegal so it does make me wonder.

 

[Ron240]

i seemed to get dazzled all the time now by LED headlights, I know they are LED as are white and burn my eye's.
I even have to dip the rear mirror on a lot of occasions.
Is it just me ? or are headlight adjustments not the same as they used to be.
And another thing, why is it that van delivery drivers at night always park up outside some ones house with headlights on full beam !!!

It is more likely you are being blinded by HID because they are actually brighter than LED and are much more likely to cause glare.
An auto dimming rear view mirror is a great thing. Ive had one in my cars for many years and just take it for granted now.
Yes vehicles with headlamps out of alignment is very common nowadays...seemingly more so than back in the day.
A pet hate of mine is when vehicles pull over and park on the wrong side of the road with their engine running and headlights on. It is their normal dipped beam but because they on the wrong side of the road for direction of travel, the beam is now being directed towards oncoming vehicles. A fact that they are completely oblivious to.

 

[Blobcat]

A pet hate of mine is when vehicles pull over and park on the wrong side of the road with their engine running and headlights on. It is their normal dipped beam but because they on the wrong side of the road for direction of travel, the beam is now being directed towards oncoming vehicles. A fact that they are completely oblivious to.

See reply #17

 

[Ron240]

See reply #17

I just did...and we think alike on this subject.

 

[00slk]

My wife is now refusing to drive the E Class at night as the headlights don't work on low beam or high beam
Nothing wrong with 55/60watts during the day, in all honesty I find the lights dangerous on the E Class during the dark hours

 

[LostKiwi]

It is more likely you are being blinded by HID because they are actually brighter than LED and are much more likely to cause glare.

Brightness doesn't necessarily cause glare.
I think you'll find LEDs cause more glare than HiDs in spite of HiD being brighter.
The reason is complex but essentially boils down to the way the human eye perceives colour and light.
The human eye is tuned by evolution to work best with colour temperature around 4200K. This is typically about the same temperature as many HiD systems.
LED on the other hand is typically operating at around 5000-6000K. This has a far higher blue content which the eye perceives as glare.

 

[Janchee]

Multibeam LEDs in the Mercedes are amazing although you’ve got to use them with warning. The always on high beam is good, but no way near clever enough to be left alone. It still doesn’t turn off quick enough if I get to a roundabout or if someone’s at a junction turning into the road, it’ll blind them. The clever bit is when it reduces the LED intensity of passing cars to reduce dazzle. I was childish enough to ask my partner to drive the E class past me in her car... and it was really good. Noticeably lower dazzle than other LED systems.

 

[Ron240]

I think you'll find LEDs cause more glare than HiDs in spite of HiD being brighter.

I think you'll find it is indeed HID that causes more glare than LED.
It is one one the recognised cons of HID.

 

[Ron240]

Multibeam LEDs in the Mercedes are amazing

It really is....and is one of the things that has impressed me the most about my car.
Mine generally switches from low to high beam and back again very quickly when street lights are present, but there has been the odd occasion when it has not done so.
It is amazing to watch the individual LED's deactivating in sequence as oncoming traffic approaches.
There is a dark dual carrigeway on my commute to work with large open bends where oncoming cars will come into sight and there can be a slight delay in my headlights adjusting, but some drivers are too impatient and will immediately flash me. In the time it has taken them to flash me my headlights have reacted so I will sometimes give them a flash to show how bright it can be.

 

[M80]

There is a dark dual carrigeway on my commute to work with large open bends where oncoming cars will come into sight and there can be a slight delay in my headlights adjusting, but some drivers are too impatient and will immediately flash me. In the time it has taken them to flash me my headlights have reacted so I will sometimes give them a flash to show how bright it can be.

I think I've said earlier that it isn't normally MB's that melt me retina's.

I also realise that often it will be auto lights that blind, so not really down to the driver.
But how do us poor saps get the message back to legislators and manufacturers that they're too bright?
A couple of degrees down on adjustment would make a difference. But really designing these with greater consideration is what's needed, and if occasionally a driver goes back to the main agent and asks for the lights to be adjusted down a bit to save getting flashed eventually we might be heard.

LED equipped drivers must be getting blinded too.

 

[LostKiwi]

I think you'll find it is indeed HID that causes more glare than LED.
It is one one the recognised cons of HID.

I think not.
Very few new cars use HiD lights. It's the newer ones are the culprit.

 

[Ron240]

I think not.
Very few new cars use HiD lights. It's the newer ones are the culprit.

There are more cars on our roads fitted with HID than LED...but which technology is causing more problems is the subject of this debate.
HID has been around far longer than LED, but this in itself means nothing.
Here are 2 pages I found when doing a quick search and both of them state that HID causes more glare when compared with LED.

Halogen vs. LED vs. HID vs. Laser — Which Is Better?

What are HID headlights and how do they trump halogen bulbs? What are LED headlights and how do they compare to HIDs? Learn more at Retrofit Source!

blog.theretrofitsource.com

LED Vs HID Headlights: Which Is Better | Sun Auto Service

When adding additional lights to your car you have a choice between LED and HID. The differences can vary greatly from brightness, longevity to quality and each has its own benefits based on what you will primarily be using them for.

sunautoservice.com

 

[LostKiwi]

There are more cars on our roads fitted with HID than LED...but which technology is causing more problems is the subject of this debate.
HID has been around far longer than LED, but this in itself means nothing.
Here are 2 pages I found when doing a quick search and both of them state that HID causes more glare when compared with LED.

Halogen vs. LED vs. HID vs. Laser — Which Is Better?

What are HID headlights and how do they trump halogen bulbs? What are LED headlights and how do they compare to HIDs? Learn more at Retrofit Source!

blog.theretrofitsource.com

LED Vs HID Headlights: Which Is Better | Sun Auto Service

When adding additional lights to your car you have a choice between LED and HID. The differences can vary greatly from brightness, longevity to quality and each has its own benefits based on what you will primarily be using them for.

sunautoservice.com

In my opinion and in my experience LEDs are the worst culprit.
I can tell which is which when a car is approaching. The LED is a much colder light than HiD due to factory HiD being 4000-4500 °K whereas LED systems are 5000-6000°K. This gives a much higher level of (blue spectrum) HEV light which causes eye strain and can damage eyes.

Don't confuse glare with dazzle. Dazzle is excess light, glare is something entirely different and us an irritation to the eye. A classic example is looking at the light from an arc welder inside a garage. Even when the arc is hidden from direct view the light gives severe eye strain from glare very quickly. It doesn't dazzle though.
HiD have also been around for decades whereas LED are a newer technology in motor vehicles. The issue of glare is far more prevalent now than at any other time. Why is that given we've had HiD in common usage for do long and don't say because more cars have it because they don't. Virtually every car produced in the last 5 years that is not halogen is LED. Why? Because manufacturers don't need to provide self levelling or wash systems hence making it cheaper.
Like I've said - it's the cold white light of LED that's the issue. It causes glare due to the higher proportion of blue light.

Are Blue Light Blocking Glasses Good for Night Driving?

Driving at night can be stressful, modern vehicles are now equipped with high powered LED headlights and street lights are now being replaced with bright LEDs versions. Read on to find out whether blue light blocking glasses for night driving are suitable, and whether it’s a good idea to invest...

www.blockbluelight.co.uk

Redirect Notice

In simple terms the brighter the light the more likely it is to dazzle if poorly aimed. The bluer the light the more likely it is to cause glare irrespective of how it's aimed.

 

[Janchee]

Virtually every car produced in the last 5 years that is not halogen is LED. Why? Because manufacturers don't need to provide self levelling or wash systems hence making it cheaper.

This is a very good point IMO. I am shocked at the new cars that still have a manual headlight setting. I know many of people who don’t even know what it is and will have it on 0 for the rest of the life ‘because it’s better for them’. Law needs to change on this...

 

[Ron240]

I am shocked at the new cars that still have a manual headlight setting. I know many of people who don’t even know what it is and will have it on 0 for the rest of the life ‘because it’s better for them’. Law needs to change on this...

I have had a few cars with this, I know the purpose of it and have never needed to alter it from the 0 setting.

The 0 setting is normal and is how the level would be set if there was no manual adjuster.

 

[Janchee]

I have had a few cars with this, I know the purpose of it and have never needed to alter it from the 0 setting.

The 0 setting is normal and is how the level would be set if there was no manual adjuster.

My partner’s mini passed MOT flying colours and if you put the lights on 0 it would blind everyone in front ... if the car was a bit heavier in the rear then deffo would need to change the headlight setting. Even in my first car panda I had to do this haha

 

[LostKiwi]

I have had a few cars with this, I know the purpose of it and have never needed to alter it from the 0 setting.

The 0 setting is normal and is how the level would be set if there was no manual adjuster.

Do you never carry a load then? Of have you self levelling suspension?

Even with SLS in the s210 E class I have on occasion had to set it to 1 or 2 when fully laden (and I mean fully laden as in to the roof line).

 

[Ron240]

Do you never carry a load then?

No I never carry a load which includes more than one passenger, and I never pull a trailer either.
The adjuster at 0 is the optimal setting.
I think you are just looking for things to disgree with me now.