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Are Headlights Too Bright????

88bmwjeff

88bmwjeff

SF Bay Area
As a rider, I want enough lights to be seen. However, I've found that some headlights are too bright at night that require me to look away, which has an opposite effect since I can no longer pay attention to what's in front of me. Here's a short video from Today about this issue. I do hope there's a reasonable solution to this issue, but I'm not sure anything can or will be done.

[video]https://www.nbc.com/today/video/blinding-headlights-are-growing-problem-on-us-roads/NBCN954629911#:~:text=Blinding%20headlights%20are% 20growing%20problem%20on%20US%20roads,other%20driv ers.%20NBC%E2%80%99s%20Vicky%20Nguyen%20reports%20 for%20TODAY.[/video]
 
Given the malfeasance NBC demonstrated in reporting exploding Ford Pinto gas tanks, I would not put much stock in anything they report on automotive safety issues.
 
The blinding white lights in cars today are probably LEDs and at 6,000 K. This is white light. They could use LEDs of a lower temperature, making the colour more like the halogens. It probably won't happen.
 
Although I have two sets of driving lights on my K, they are primarily used for daytime riding. When I occasionally ride at night, I ride with one set turned off.

My reaction to encountering bright lights at night (whether riding or driving) is to use a suggestion from David Hough. I close my left eye and concentrate/look at the fog line until the offending set of lights have passed me.
 
The problem with white LEDs is the blue light used to generate the white. The human eye is most sensitive to blue light, and this accounts for the excessive glare experienced when the approaching vehicle has LED headlights.
 
In this instance a lot of what they say is true. Antiquated headlight laws in this country, largely driven by economics, simply give us inferior technology. I have a BMW X5 with the upgraded lights that I subsequently had coded with European software (BMW calls it Anti-Dazzle, which in all cars sold in the US is turned off) the difference is significant. Just like the video you can see the areas that suddenly light up or dim down. The first time my son borrowed the car he called me while driving and said the high beam indicator won’t shut off I explained what was going on and even he noticed the difference. Best 100.00 I’ve spent on a mod.
 
Also

I have two modern cars with the white LED projector style headlights, they have far superior lighting than any of the older model cars I have owned. That said while the lights are adjusted properly they have a distinct pattern that avoids dazzling oncoming drivers.

Two of the biggest problems I see with dazzling oncoming lights are usually the nitwit owner has "improved" the lights, to make them better than factory. I can't count the number of after market "improvement" bulbs, kits and other nonsense are out there to make your headlights brighter and better. 99% of which are garbage.

I have written numerous times in reply to airhead riders who want to change the bulbs on their headlights form incandescent to LED telling them that most of the LED replacement bulbs on the market will not work with the OM stock reflector to give a proper beam pattern and will in fact dazzle oncoming drivers.

The second complaint is improper adjustment of lights. I see this with pickups or cars with trailers where the tail load has raised the headlight beam pattern upwards dazzling drivers.

Personally I have no problem at all with the modern headlights color or brightness at night with oncoming cars as long as they are proper.

I sure as heck won't go back to the yellow dim crap lights I had on my first half dozen cars.

As for the LED replacement bulb in the headlight of my airhead, I chose one that had the nearest beam pattern to the stock light and of course now don't ride my motorcycle at night anymore. At least if I get caught out after dark, I would be dazzling oncoming drivers. St.
 
swall said:
Given the malfeasance NBC demonstrated in reporting exploding Ford Pinto gas tanks, I would not put much stock in anything they report on automotive safety issues.
Click to expand...

Since it is now 50 or so years later, maybe they have different people doing the reporting.
 
I get those comments about the past rigged tests, but comments regarding this issue are from individuals and some here have commented about their personal experiences including myself.

While I don't expect everyone to go back to dim headlights, I wonder where the middle ground is so that the road/ground is lit but oncoming traffic is not blinded. I think the possibility of blinding oncoming traffic should be considered when adding additional lights.
 
k12lts said:
Same thing NBC did to GM on 73-87 pickups.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-10-mn-1335-story.html
Click to expand...

Except that the issue with the Pinto and Mustang II was that there were four bolts on the final drive that poked out and when a car was hit from behind, it pushed the tank into the final drive, perforating the tank. The exhaust ran right there, so the likelihood of fire was pretty high.

My wife had a Pinto and my dad had a Mustang II. Both of them, a '74 Mustang and a '77 Pinto had, by then, a plastic shield over the end of the bolts so they couldn't perforate the tank.

NBC may have used some sketchy tactics to demonstrate, but the problem was real.
 
I have the laser lights (high beam) on my X5, I did not appreciate a significant difference from my previous all LED car. As mentioned previously the European coding (Enable Anti-Dazzle in BMW speak) is the big difference.
 
Moose Hunters, Deer Locators, Rhubarb in the snow.

I don't like them, get whiteline fever from them, but, last ten years I've only hit bugs.

I will take the super bright oncoming as opposed to knocking down wildlife.

Don't have any of those adventures to share a positive outcome.
 
The new LED tail-lights can be pretty blinding too, even in red. And don't even get me started about the flashing, pulsing galaxy of nuculer-bright blue LEDS on a lot of today's law-enforcement vehicles. I wonder how many of them have caused night-time crashes.
 
Pickups and SUV's around here drive with their off road lights on, blinding oncoming traffic. I think it might be a road rage thing given their general behavior with others on the road.
 
nc5p said:
Pickups and SUV's around here drive with their off road lights on, blinding oncoming traffic. I think it might be a road rage thing given their general behavior with others on the road.
Click to expand...

Road Bullies is what I call them.
 
88bmwjeff said:
As a rider, I want enough lights to be seen. However, I've found that some headlights are too bright at night that require me to look away, which has an opposite effect since I can no longer pay attention to what's in front of me. Here's a short video from Today about this issue. I do hope there's a reasonable solution to this issue, but I'm not sure anything can or will be done.

[video]https://www.nbc.com/today/video/blinding-headlights-are-growing-problem-on-us-roads/NBCN954629911#:~:text=Blinding%20headlights%20are% 20growing%20problem%20on%20US%20roads,other%20driv ers.%20NBC%E2%80%99s%20Vicky%20Nguyen%20reports%20 for%20TODAY.[/video]
Click to expand...


https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/05/b...-blinding.html

I have the same issue. I've always been sensitive to bright light. As strange as it sounds, at night while riding I wear yellow lens target practice sunglasses. They work fine for me, but might not be suited for everyone. However, with all the deer, I try to limit my night rides.

Here is an article that might help. You might also want to talk it over with your ophthalmologist.


https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/ha...t can cause% 20this,front surface of the eye)

E
 
nc5p said:
Pickups and SUV's around here drive with their off road lights on, blinding oncoming traffic. I think it might be a road rage thing given their general behavior with others on the road.
Click to expand...

Those LED-bars that have become popular are TERRIBLE, and I've seen them on at least as many cars as on trucks. Between those and the bass-booming vehicles, I wish I had a nice lil' EMP-pistol I could discretely use to electronically emasculate all those bright or loud so-&-sos.

But we Beemerphiles are a fine bunch to complain, since we treat our lights the way cruiser-riders treat their exhaust-systems. :hide
 
Many of the modern cars have "self-leveling headlights". This is mostly a mechanical setup with levers and cables to adjust the headlight. I've seen that impacting my driving a few times when the oncoming car hits a pothole/rut etc. and that computer in the car decides to adjust itself on the fly. BTW, I find that Tesla's headlights have the best lighting ahead for the driver and the worst spray of light for oncoming traffic.
 
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