LED Lighting of Other Road Users

[M80]

Clearly I have issue or I wouldn't post this.

Vehicle lighting technology has come a long way from filament lamps and poor reflectors.
The evolution through halogen, xenon, and HID seems to have ended up with LED being the superior result.
There is amazing technology about and headlights can do very clever things these days.

I am often blinded by oncoming cars, but not only as other road users get me as well, even push bikes with their LED's aimed not to improve road vision but seemingly to illuminate my face.
I can also sit at traffic lights and the like and LED brake lights in front are uncomfortable on the eyes. They don' t have need to be so bright so the legislators have failed in my view by allowing them.

So I'm not a kid anymore so my eyes will be less able to manage this than a yute, but surely I can't be alone with my growing hatred for LED's that blind.

Some, obviously LED, headlights don't scorch my retina, so this must be more of a poor manufacturer thing. Are the dazzlers badly designed, or just more powerful laser lights?

 

[Blobcat]

I think it’s another reason for the popularity of SUV’s people want to be higher so they’re not blinded by other peoples lights...
They don’t realise that they’re now part of the problem...
I regularly get blinded in the SLK (or I would if I didn’t look down at the nearside kerb)

 

[rorywquin]

Clearly I have issue or I wouldn't post this.

Vehicle lighting technology has come a long way from filament lamps and poor reflectors.
The evolution through halogen, xenon, and HID seems to have ended up with LED being the superior result.
There is amazing technology about and headlights can do very clever things these days.

I am often blinded by oncoming cars, but not only as other road users get me as well, even push bikes with their LED's aimed not to improve road vision but seemingly to illuminate my face.
I can also sit at traffic lights and the like and LED brake lights in front are uncomfortable on the eyes. They don' t have need to be so bright so the legislators have failed in my view by allowing them.

So I'm not a kid anymore so my eyes will be less able to manage this than a yute, but surely I can't be alone with my growing hatred for LED's that blind.

Some, obviously LED, headlights don't scorch my retina, so this must be more of a poor manufacturer thing. Are the dazzlers badly designed, or just more powerful laser lights?

Problem is people using illegal conversions. My car has the ILS LED which are so good it is like driving in daylight and I've never been flashed by other drivers...

 

[rorywquin]

And to answer your vote, I cannot tell if they are LED or others so didn't vote.

 

[M80]

The older filament lamps are a warmer (orangey) output.
HID's are a cooler colour but can be discerned from the newer LED's. Not easily though.

Tbh I don't go with the cooler colours, it is known that they dazzle more than light. LED's can be designed to be what ever colour temperature the designer aims for. 3,000 kelvin would be an improvement, just not as fashionable.

Most often the dazzle, blindness I suffer can be seen to be from a new style of car. So LED and not after market HID in the wrong enclosure.

I've had it explained to me that the lighting experts have done some heavy duty calculations so must be right in their design. The issue I believe is that they are designing from the users point of view, not some poor sucker approaching at a lower angle.
But some engineers can get it right cos some new cars with LED don't get me.

 

[EmilysDad]

I think it’s another reason for the popularity of SUV’s people want to be higher so they’re not blinded by other peoples lights...
They don’t realise that they’re now part of the problem...
I regularly get blinded in the SLK (or I would if I didn’t look down at the nearside kerb)

You should try being in a Smart Roadster with your bum just inches off the floor!

 

[d215yq]

I don't know if it's a problem with my eyesight but I have always had to slow down or know the road when *most* cars come the other way. I had it down to the W124 having terrible lights, but then whenever I drive new hire cars at night with super bright lighting that is correctly set up I find the same.

I am mildly short sighted and have tried the "special coatings" that cost more than the glasses themselves and they either make no difference or make it worse.

Not sure it's a sight thing as in rural Spain when there's nothing around i can see quite fine on W124 lights which as before, are rubbish (as in not bright), until somethign comes the other way.... Though as they're bright enough for driving perhaps they aren't "rubbish" as they aren't part of the problem. In fact they obviously don't dazzle as when I had my UK regd W124 here for 4 years after 6 months the stick on deflectors fell off and I never bothered replacing them and not once was I flashed for dazzling oncoming traffic.

 

[flying haggis]

the other led lights that wind me up by being too bl**dy bright are the lights on ambulances and police cars these days. why do they have to have rear facing bright blue lights? once they go past I am them dazzled by them. fair enough if they are stationary, then I realise the need to be seen from all directions. I was following an ambulance late one night, it wasnt on an emergency call and obviously from the decals etc I could tell it was an ambulance! it then must have got a shout as it lit up like gawd knows what and sped off into the distance. I nearly ran off the road as I just couldnt see a thing! it wasnt going to reverse to the incident so why do the rear facing lights have to be on at all? I asked our local plod once if they had anyway of reducing the level of brightness at night so as to not dazzle people, still waiting for an answer

 

[Tony Dyson]

I think the majority of cases of dazzling oncoming headlights are from poorly adjusted headlights purposely set too high, these drivers can usually be identified by illuminated front fog lights in good weather or rain as well.

 

[Chrishazle]

It's the prevalence of chelsea tractors on the road that is my main problem, whether they're behind you or coming towards you. As BC says, in the SLK it's a nightmare, almost as bad in the S204. Behind you their headlights are right in your rear view mirror and wing mirrirs whatever distance they're behind you, coming towards you they're in your eyes from a long way away.

 

[EmilysDad]

I think the majority of cases of dazzling oncoming headlights are from poorly adjusted headlights purposely set too high, these drivers can usually be identified by illuminated front fog lights in good weather or rain as well.

I'd disagree. I've been blinded by pretty new cars equipped with leds ....

 

[sonic]

Germany had a great system in the 60's. In the autumn as days were getting shorter, you could get your cars lights checked & headlight adjusted for free at most local garages. You then got a sticker to put on your windscreen. If the police stopped you that winter for a light out you only got a warning, no sticker was a fine. So almost everyones headlights were set correctly.

 

[EmilysDad]

Germany had a great system in the 60's. In the autumn as days were getting shorter, you could get your cars lights checked & headlight adjusted for free at most local garages. You then got a sticker to put on your windscreen. If the police stopped you that winter for a light out you only got a warning, no sticker was a fine. So almost everyones headlights were set correctly.

it always amazes me how many cars you see on the road with a light out somewhere, and not crappy old cars.

I do wish that dash lights were wired as they always used to be ie lit when the lights were on & not on with the ignition. You see loads of cars that are driving on just DRLs Arghhh! I stopped alongside a young lad the other morning, told him he'd no lights on. I was met by a vacant stare! Clueless!!

 

[M80]

The reason I wrote this tonight, but not the only reason.

I'm travelling up Long Hill earlier. A dark rural road. I'm on a gentle right hand bend and approaching an acute junction on the left where cars join Long hill and need to look well over their right shoulder to see the likes of me.

Approaching was an LED equipped car that destroyed my vision of the road. I have become used to firing up my full beam in hope I can restore some of that lost vision.
While I realise I am in the wrong as there is no defence of the frickin legally lit car causing danger to me I view it is me or them.
As I did this my restored vision showed me to be about to cream the o/s wing of a small white car at the junction. It was protruding into my carriageway a little to gain a better view.
No time to brake I swerved violently to miss it. Fortunately the LED motor was alongside me, and travelling, so my swerve didn't cause me to cream that.

I wasn't moving too fast for the conditions (before Mr LED turned up).
I wasn't in any sort of rush.
I was alert and not distracted.
But it's bloomin' obvious who would've been blamed.

Small point, but relevant. I'm pretty high up in a Viano. I feel for those of you in Go Carts.

 

[DSK]

This is always a heated topic.

Yes there are many poor aftermarket jobs which cause issue with people using the incorrect bulb type in their headlight etc. But so many new cars are f*cking annoying just as much, may be more.... Then you have people who haven't had their headlight correctly aligned and a basic halogen unit suddenly becomes the worst thing ones experienced. However, there are aftermarket lights on many vehicles that cause me no issue.

Blocbcat makes a good point, sitting lower in some sports or older cars, when the lights bad, they impact you even more so.

 

[ajlsl600]

Happy with my h4 dont drive much at night theses days .legacy of africa. One pointin at moon ,other in ditch or not even there.
One m,bike with light followed by 5 with no lights at all.

 

[Blobcat]

Something else on this subject.

When sitting at temporary roadworks if I'm the lead car and the traffic s coming towards me in my lane I switch my lights from dip beam to side lights. I don't want to impair the vision of anyone coming towards me, because if I do it's me they're most likely going to hit...

I used to see more drivers do the same, but I guess with the advent of automatic lights, less people are doing it now. They don't realise they've putting themselves at an increased risk by leaving their dipped headlights on.

Don't get me started about people parking on the wrong side of the road facing traffic and leaving their dipped headlights on... They're pointing directly into oncoming traffic... Learner drivers around here along with deliveries and the police appear to be the biggest culprits...

 

[rifiki]

It's about time the authorities clap down on these unnecessary ultra bright lights.
Just because you have not been flashed does not mean you NOT dazzling on comming drivers.
I have flashed only to be met with even more blinding lights

 

[DSK]

Something else on this subject.

When sitting at temporary roadworks if I'm the lead car and the traffic s coming towards me in my lane I switch my lights from dip beam to side lights. I don't want to impair the vision of anyone coming towards me, because if I do it's me they're most likely going to hit...

I used to see more drivers do the same, but I guess with the advent of automatic lights, less people are doing it now. They don't realise they've putting themselves at an increased risk by leaving their dipped headlights on.

Don't get me started about people parking on the wrong side of the road facing traffic and leaving their dipped headlights on... They're pointing directly into oncoming traffic... Learner drivers around here along with deliveries and the police appear to be the biggest culprits...

Trouble is, common sense, courtesy is no longer common place in this day and age.

 

[rorywquin]

the other led lights that wind me up by being too bl**dy bright are the lights on ambulances and police cars these days. why do they have to have rear facing bright blue lights? once they go past I am them dazzled by them. fair enough if they are stationary, then I realise the need to be seen from all directions. I was following an ambulance late one night, it wasnt on an emergency call and obviously from the decals etc I could tell it was an ambulance! it then must have got a shout as it lit up like gawd knows what and sped off into the distance. I nearly ran off the road as I just couldnt see a thing! it wasnt going to reverse to the incident so why do the rear facing lights have to be on at all? I asked our local plod once if they had anyway of reducing the level of brightness at night so as to not dazzle people, still waiting for an answer

Helps not to glare (stare) at the lights in anger.....