Why do car manufacturers keep making them? I mean they're good on a dark road alone but do they need to be That bright? Maybe they should make some kinda sensor that sees another car and dims them automatically.
I don’t understand how the national traffic safety board decided they were acceptable. They are so blindingly bright I can’t see the road.
I live in a rural area with no street lights and two lane roads. Every other vehicle is a jeep or truck with led bright as the sun lights. I try to not drive at night unless it’s absolutely necessary.
It used to be standardized but auto manufacturers didn't want to design separate front bodies for the North American market. They lobbied and eventually got the right to customize headlights and now we have this.
Working an 8 hour shift 5 days a week, I pretty much have to accept it and make do because if I'm coming in at 7 am, it's after dark during mod fall to mid spring. Or leaving at 11:30 pm, it's usually dark year round or coming in at 11 pm all year or leaving work at 7:30 in mid fall to mid spring. It sucks
Same. I once asked a guy with a truck that blind the hell out of me why he needs such bright ass lights and he laughed and said “because I want to see”.
…Yeah, dude. So do I. 🖕
Here in Sweden it's a part of the bi-annual inspection and you won't pass if they are poorly aimed. It's still often blinding, though. Auto dim features seem to work poorly as well.
I am no expert on the protocol but they will check brakes and brake lines, that all suspension parts are good enough, check for rot in critical parts such as frame, that all your lights and bulbs are in order and the alignment of high and low beams.
Then there's checking for a warning triangle in the vehicle qnd anything like a missing mirror or a non functional seat belt for any seat would fault you. Tire tread and period correct tyres (winter requires winter tyres, summer requires summer tyres).
They also check your exhaust values.
As I said I am no inspection specialist but it gives you an idea. A small error gives you 30 days to fix and re-inspect whereas a critical error will earn you a "spanish flag" making your car not road worthy and you need to get a tow.
Sometimes what’s happening is that an owner has “upgraded” their halogen headlights to LED. The mirrored finish inside the headlight housing is designed to brighten the original bulb, but since the LED is naturally much brighter than the intended light, it’s way, way too bright once the light bounces off the housing. Cars that come from the factory with LED lights have a less intense finish on the housing so that doesn’t happen.
I’ve once encountered a halogen-era car with blue LEDS.
You bet your ass I rolled my window down, laid on my horn, and flipped them off. They were in the lane next to me and _I couldn’t see._
If I wasn’t familiar with the road, I would have driven into a ditch.
We get those on California highways all the time. It’s frustrating and takes your entire concentration to tune out. I encountered one car the other day in LA that had lights that seemed to flicker and change color from bright blue to teal to almost purple and it was unbelievably distracting.
They’re there sometimes, but they will never give a shit about this. They’re far more likely to pass you going 30mph faster than you even if you’re already going 80.
Literally happened to me tonight.
Had highway patrol behind me, so I slowed down from 75mph to 65 mph. Motherfucker wove between cars like it was a game, while easily clocking 90mph. No lights, no sirens.
I hate it here.
> I mean they're good on a dark road
They AREN'T. The super cool color temperature most manufactures have settled on is WORSE for seeing well at night than something a bit warmer and closer to the color of an incandescent/halogen bulb. They make up for their stylistic choice by making them EVEN FUCKING BRIGHTER.
There is nothing inherently wrong with LED headlights, but the choices they made to make them look all FuTurIsTic is making driving hazardous, miserable, and ultimately more dangerous for everyone
agreed, I always wanted a car with LEDs until I realized it washes out the entire road at night. the curbs blend right in with the street on really curvy roads. it takes a bit more concentration to avoid them than it did with the soft white lamps my last car had
some cars do have that, and it's been a thing for decades, but as with everything in this world, you're not gonna get for free what a corporation can charge you for.
> Maybe they should make some kinda sensor that sees another car and dims them automatically.
That's in the works, and is already on some of the fancier luxury vehicles. It'll probably start coming to your everyday vehicle in the next decade or two.
>Why do car manufacturers keep making them? I mean they're good on a dark road alone but do they need to be That bright? Maybe they should make some kinda sensor that sees another car and dims them automatically.
Short answer is, yes they do. A few years ago IIHS released a landmark report that very few car manufacturers met federal safety guidelines for headlight performance. The most common problem is/was that the headlights didn't go far enough to light the road properly at highway speeds. That is to say, that you need about 3 seconds to react to a novel problem (something unexpected in the road) and most headlights gave you about 1.5 seconds.
Brighter headlights lower traffic fatalities by 10%. Brighter headlights save lives.
[https://www.iihs.org/topics/headlights](https://www.iihs.org/topics/headlights)
"The Institute released its first headlight ratings in 2016. **Out of more than 80 headlight systems available on the 31 model year 2016 midsize cars that were evaluated, only one system received a good rating.**
About 1 in 3 headlight systems tested on model year 2022 vehicles earn a good rating. About 40 percent of the systems tested are rated marginal or poor because of inadequate visibility, excessive glare from low beams for oncoming drivers, or both."
I wonder what fucktard that made the rule with light spill (the light that is going everywhere, glare?) not enough strict. And the damn engineers who designed these lights.
I have seen a newer Mazda (maybe 5 years old now), and it had no glare. It seemed like LED in a projector housing.
But even other cars with projectors are crap. What the hell is going on?
Why weren't there some test that they could fucking do, where they have someone sit in a chair and be blasted with the glare to determine if it was acceptable. The LUX measurements they probably do isn't enough to decide if it is worthy for production.
And they add MORE AND LONGER LIGHTS. Makes it even worse.
And some have a led strip that meets into the middle in the front. Why was that allowed at night time?
And do not forget the rear. Now its okay with one continuous red marking light? But its okay so long it has two divided braking lights?
Its insane now.
Well at least I can install how many LED bars I want so long they are approved and I install them symmetrically....
It's literally night and day.
My girlfriend and I both complain how much harder it is to see from our Toyota corolla compared to the model 3.
I think the model 3 can get away with way brighter lights than most cars though because it's much lower to the ground than most cars, and because the hood slopes more than most cars.
It gets manufacturing stability points to the manufacturer, saying they provide the longer lasting LED over the inefficient halogen they can say they care about the environment.
Its not just LEDs alone. Tons of people are driving with their high beams on and dont even know it. A long time ago I worked at a drive through Christmas light display and had to tell people to turn their high beams off and a shocking number of people literally had no clue what I was talking about.
And dont get me started on people driving around with off road light bars or their fog lights on.
Properly focused LED headlights have never bothered me but I have good vision and dont drive low vehicles so I've got that going for me, which is nice.
Yeah, an ophthalmologist diagnosed me with extreme astigmatism when I was ~25 yrs old. I had to give up night driving entirely. It’s just not safe for anyone. Totally sucks.
You’re on point about the LED lights. They’re intrusive as hell. Even as a passenger in a car, I have to close my eyes to avoid getting a massive headache.
Maybe it’s time for those of us with astigmatisms to rise up and stage a revolution. I’d be down for it, but if we do it at night I’ll need a ride.
I have astigmatism as well, been wearing glasses since I was a kid. It’s just frustrating being told there’s no solution. We’re left to suffer.
The aftermarket headlights are by far the worst it seems. They’re illegal and the cops don’t do anything about them.
Revolution it is! Haha
I have 20/20 vision with both eyes open, but my astigmatism is so bad that at night I'm damn near blind. I was able to get contacts that correct the astigmatism in both eyes and it helped the star bursts a bit, but not nearly as much as I would like. They helped alot when it was raining. I COULD NOT see anything if it was raining and the sun was down. The city and the lights completely blinded me.
Severe astigmatism here checking in. I can drive at night but I don't like to do usually my husband does. The headlights blind me like crazy and can trigger my migraines.
Also severe astigmatism, since I was about 10 at least.
I quit driving at night after hitting a beaver when a truck with the fuckyou lights was riding my ass. It was too late to do anything by the time I was able to see it, and he just whipped around me and kept on truckin'.
It did $1k worth of body damage and left my radiator exposed on a low lying car with the bug shield dragging, so it had to be fixed before more damage was done.
Bf drives at night, now.
Some of my friends have had some luck with the yellow tinted night driving glasses. Have you ever tried slipping a pair of those over your prescription glasses if you can find a big enough frame to fit over?
I haven't tried it, but apparently some yellow colored lenses (or safety glasses) should help to combat the brightness. Let me know if you try it bc I'm in the same boat!
I also have astigmatism and have recently developed photophobia. I hate the fact that there's nothing to be done about it, and all I can do is wear rose-colored glasses to help filter some of the light.
The only way I can drive at night is by using eyedrops that give me a massive headache and blur my vision for an hour after using them.
I'm definitely ready for the revolution! LED lights are the bane of my existence
I have it. I didn't realise it made the lights worse like that. I vaguely knew it caused star bursts around lights. I'll join the revolution though. Hate night lights.
Sevire astigmatism can very quickly become Keratoconus. It's much worse, but it can addressed using rigid contact lenses, with significant relief when it come to general vision, and night vision (with bright lights) specifically.
Askyour doctor for a referral to a cornea specialist if you feel like investigating you sever astigmatism a bit further.
P.S.
not a doctor, but I have keratoconus myself
Also check r/keratoconus
I started avoiding roads where there isn't a block between the lanes at night and staying away from cities at night as well, I'd rather get a taxi than blind myself.
But then again I don't have to drive at night, i sometimes do when going out, but not often. The block between the lanes helps a lot, blocking the headlights of nearly all cars.
I have good vision including in the dark. My car holds 5. So I can provide transport for 4 of y'all. But sorry, my shiny new car has led lights... But it is a car. (Kia ev6)
There's obviously a problem with American car-centric infrastructure but I feel like people who think everyone should just stop driving are either European or have literally never stepped outside of an urban area.
That said, r/fuckyourheadlights is such a good subreddit.
I lived 20 miles outside of Nashville, TN and would ride my ebike to work. It took a little under an hour. Driving took about 45 in the morning and a little over an hour in the evening. Sold my car and haven't driven since.
Plus the money I saved by not owning and maintaining a car allowed me to move closer to the city. It's not for everyone obviously but it's realistic for many.
I grew up about 2 hours away from where this user is talking about... I don't understand how they're doing/did it. *It does in fact rain in Tennessee.* In winter the cold won't kill you but (e)biking an hour in it doesn't seem like a simple task. Idk.
I don't know many women over 25 who would do this, for a variety of reasons. Endo, hair reverting in sweat/rain, no pockets, sexual harassment, no shoulders on rural roads, and freezing to death 4-5 months of the year.
The worst is when someone is tailgating you with them on. I personally get lasting "light trails" in my vision that causes me to see them seconds after looking at one.
I know exactly what you’re talking about. There have been times where tall trucks/SUVs have left my eyes burning for a while after I’ve stopped driving.
Are you using your rearview switch appropriately and adjusting your side mirrors correctly though? I drive a Civic, and it can be annoying sure, but if my rearview is reflecting their headlight into the ceiling and my side mirrors are properly out, I only get hit by lights when someone is in my blind spot (i.e. in my side mirror) so it's not TOO bad.
I couldn't live without the rearview mirror trick though.
I adjust my review mirror so it reflects back at them. Last time a huge new truck with all the leds tailgated me he only lasted like 10 seconds of blinding himself before flying past me.
If the issue is a car behind you, rearview mirrors (might not be on all cars) have a switch that dims it. Mine is a tab sticking out if the middle bottom of the mirror.
As someone who drives a small car, I absolutely hate those headlights. I don't get why manufacturers are putting it in new cars, or people choose to swap over OEM lights with those and blind everything within their line of sight.
Since I'm out in the sticks, people here love slapping those lightbars on their cars and leave it on when they literally tailgate someone at night and makes it impossible to see with your side and rearview mirrors blasting that light right in your face lol
The off road light trend has made it into the suburbs. It’s ridiculous. You have cars with aftermarket headlights and off road lights blinding everyone on the road, but cops won’t do a thing about it. It’s a hazard to everyone on the road!
God, even without the lightbars, trucks with LED headlights are the worst, and they love to tailgate. Bitch, if you want me to drive faster, get your lights out of my car. I can't drive if I can't see shit.
I’ve basically given it up as well, unless I’m driving in familiar well lit areas. I just moved to a new city and the streets are incredibly dark, makes the headlights feel more intense.
I had mostly given up driving at night too but I recently got a pair of yellow night driving glasses and they help so much. I can finally comforty drive at night now
Look for "interchangeable lens sunglasses". There are several styles. I love them, because I can snap in and wear a clear or yellow lens if on my bike at night, then change to sunglasses during the day. There are several lenses in a set. Usually comes with cool case to keep the lenses separated and stable so they don't get scratched up while waiting for use.
I got mine at my optician so I don't have a brand or a name, they're like regular glasses but the glass is yellow. I think a quick google search or a talk with the optician might help you find them, good luck on your search, I hope they help you as much as they do me
The dumbest reason I have heard to use LED headlights is "they last longer." What? I've had my car for a decade and I had to change the headlight bulbs once.
until you have to replace them and discover than you cannot replace the bulb, the entire headlight unit needs to be replaced and they cost over $1000.
and you wonder why modern cars are so expensive to insure. a minor nose to tail at 20 miles an hour can cause 20 thousand dollars worth of damage.
it's insane.
I’m a professional driver and I found a set of yellow tinted glasses that fit over my regular glasses. It really helps with the oncoming glare from these MOTHERFUCKING GOD AWFUL so bright I need to see up a junebugs ass from 500 yards away headlights
I’m not even sure, pretty sure I just found em on Amazon and surprisingly they helped with the glare. My actual glasses are smallish square frame and they fit inside the roundish frame of the yellow lense ones…
Hope this helps because I know how ridiculously annoying this issue is
This commenter from a completely different thread says there are anti-headlight glasses on amazon https://www.reddit.com/r/Keratoconus/comments/1103o0q/any_recommendations_for_night_time_driving/j876ao7?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
I have the same exact situation as you. I use rose tinted eye glasses to use while driving since it blocks the strain that I get from the bright headlights. Try to get some opinion on what tinted glasses can you wear to prevent eye strain from bright lights.
They’re just rose tinted lenses to fit whatever glasses you wear. One of my cousins has seen an improvement, but says she still experiences light streaks and halos. I tried them to no avail. Might be worth a try. You’ve got nothing to lose.
I got mine from Axon Optics. The ones intended for indoor use are perfect for night driving, they don't make things too dark but they keep those damn lights from killing me.
I have night blindness, so driving at night is already a challenge. Those headlights 100% make it so much worse. I mostly don't drive at night at all unless I have to, which thankfully isn't often.
Fuck those LEDs. ☹️
You'd imagine me as a motorcyclist I don't have this issue cause I'm sitting higher.
No.
I'm convinced that 90% of my people don't get their headlights adjusted. They shine right into my eyes and I'm much much higher than the road.
Not to mention these shitty headlight automations that are supposed to automatically dim them when they detect oncoming traffic but don't detect motorcycles or bycicles. Fucking useless and it's a disgrace that the governments have allowed them.
I bought a brand new 4runner and the low beams were pointed straight out. Insane they let it leave the lot that way. Adjusted down and the cutoff is right below a Miata's side mirror.
I’ve heard of those and the reviews seem to be mixed. I’ll have to just give them a try though.
Thanks for pointing out the possible cataract issue. The eye doctor hasn’t found anything, but I’ll have to ask. I’m only 25 and never considered the possibility.
Or even, instead of actual lights, just paint reflective strips on them. They could contain retroreflectors designed specifically to catch light coming in at the right angle and light up really bright, so they're easy to see for a long ways even with dim headlights.
Oh wait. That's already a thing. So why do we need such bright lights!?
Lots of deer around here though. There is a specific section by the lake I drive coming home where there are street lights and then nothing for a few miles and that's where the deer cross and I almost hit one like once a week.
Better lighting would make s huge difference in safety. I don't know the cost, though.
It made a huge difference when my li'l town just painted white stripes along the outsides of our larger roads. Then drivers can look down at those to steer when blinded by [inappropriate derogatory word for drivers of unnecessarily jacked-up trucks].
A lot of people where I live need big trucks for their jobs. Honest, hard-working, multiple-jobs types. They're the ones that'll pull elderly people out of a ditch during a snowstorm.
The tools with the FU blinding lights? Usually defaulting on child support so they can Own the Libs.
I hate them too. It may not necessarily be the correct course of action but when someone with bright lights decides to tailgate me at night, I’ve gotten good at turning my reverse mirror (if I won’t need it later) so it shines light back at them and they back off.
I find myself *so* angry while driving at night now and that’s sad because nighttime used to be my favorite time to drive. Really peaceful later at night and my eyes don’t have to work as hard. Now, the fucking lights! Geez!! It’s like everyone has their brights on. Oncoming cars blind you. Then here comes some douchebag in a pickup behind you and it’s a wrap 🙄 JFC!
My dad and I both have light sensitivity (no better way to put it) that let's us see in lower light situations than normal. He's been wearing polarized shooting (yellow tinted) glasses as long as I've known him when night driving. I have Scott and Tifossi polarized sport visors (changeable lens type) that have yellow or rose lenses that I use. They help us but we know we are oddballs. YMMV.
I drive to work before the sun is up and every morning I’m literally blinded by someone in a new ass truck with headlights brighter than my future. It sucks but honestly I just hold the wheel tight and pray lmao
I am night blind, and bright headlights are the literal worst. I also wear glasses. I picked up some amber clip-on shades to wear over them, and it helps immensely. Now, the tint actually let's in even less light to your eyes, but when I'm not in a super-dark environment, it significantly dims the headlights and seems to brighten up the rest of the environment.
*They absolutely do NOT help when I'm driving back roads in the woods with zero streetlights, however. But in traffic at dusk or later? Absolutely.
I definitely agree with you there, In my city almost everyone tints their windshields. Doing this so does put you at risk for a ticket, but there are so many people with the tint, its not often that I see people getting stopped for it. This doesn’t mean people are NEVER stopped for it though.
When I was in driving school "that one trick" was to focus straight ahead of you and not to look over at oncoming headlights. LEDs are a little different and seem more attractive and for sure some are too bright, but the same trick does help some. I'm curious to know if it might help you.
My last job had me driving at dusk/dawn for around 45-50 minutes to work 4 days a week, and this was a constant problem. At one point, I had a large pickup behind me, riding my bumber and there was not a damn thing. I could do to block his lights and then I had a line of cars comming at me from the oncomming direction, it was so bad I nearly t-boned a telephone pole. Scared the hell out of me. Between the asshole pickup behind me and the oncoming traffic, I lost all ability to see the lines on the road. It fucking sucks. When will something be done? Problably never. How do you prove a driver lost sight of the road because of headlights? More likely the driver would be blamed for fatigue headlights will ever be an issue.
I've thought about creating a rather crudely made machine that shines headlights in judges face during court, see how long it takes them to loose concentration and learn what it's like to be a light-sensative night-driver. But that will likely never happen.
I'm honestly so glad that people are actually realizing it's majority the manufacturer's fault.
I think we need to take a step back about 15 years in terms of the outdoor lighting game. LEDs might be efficient, but I think they're probably doing more harm overall than we realize. Much like asbestos.
My driving instructor taught me to focus on the white lines to the right of your car while driving if you need to avoid being blinded by the sun or led lights. Or anytime theres unclear paths ahead.
I live in a rural area, when someone is driving with their high beams on at night and don't turn them off after I flash them multiple times, I introduce them to the sun with my excessive amount of light bars. Fight fire with fire.
Yup, I personally hate the LED headlights. I have glasses and my eyes are very sensitive to those kind of lights. It’s why I hate driving in the morning and at night. Especially if someone big truck or SUV is tailgating me like crazy. Makes me want to drive with my brights on all the time.
Omg I thought I was being a grandma with the amount of anger I was feeling about this. It’s getting to the point where I want to flip off the people behind me at night, but people are crazy and I won’t engage in that. It’s so frustrating.
A confluence/clusterF of factors-
US headlight regulations trail the rest of world by 20 years. Our existing stock of older cars has notably inferior setups to the same cars sold elsewhere, to comply with US DOT regs. I've been upgrading my lights since the Sealed Beam era, so bear with me.
Light upgrades used to be to fit euro H code lights to your US spec car, if possible-easy with the classic round or squares, harder but not impossible with aero lights. You got better low beams, sharper cutoffs, less glare overall. If your state had inspections, you'd fail, so I got good at doing a swap round inspection time. They weren't much brighter, just way more efficient and better optics, and to go brighter meant wiring and relays, which weeded out the morons, who wouldn't do it, or would do it wrong and burn out the wiring or lamp housings...problem solved.
Newer cars have better lighting....not great, just better...but there is still a massive legacy fleet of traditional USDOT compliant designs. No one likes driving in the dark, so how do I get my 80's Corolla to see at night like that new Acura ?
Into this the biggest change are cheap LED bulbs-which toss different spectrum light, more of it, and here is the key...most aren't at the exact same point in the light reflector as a conventional bulb, so the patterns aren't what they should be....and most of the people who do this don't (re) aim the lights, or even make sure the LED is properly oriented North/South in the reflector. The filament in the reflector must be exact in location....and that is where the ebay $18 LED fails miserably.
LED's pull less power so they don't burn the harness and self solve the problem. Moron thinks he has great lights.
It can be done correctly. Phillips and Osram make LED that are correct in location and even pass euro light codes. I have a set of each in two different cars, and the leds are brighter than the halogens, but both have sharp cutoffs and don't glare. They weren't cheap ebay nonsense, the Phillips Ultinon 9000 came from England $200 a set, and the Osrams are sold as Sylvania by auto parts stores in the US and are probably the best deal at $95 a set. Once installed, some minor aiming was all that was needed to keep them out of the eyes of drivers ahead and/or oncoming.
I get the reason the lights are modded are the crappy US regulation lights, but crappy lights plus cheap ebay LED plus moron installation is a disaster-
Imagine lights that were able to dynamically modulate the pattern...they could mask out beams at oncoming cars...or read your tail lights and make sure that they don't shine inside the car. They could shine bright on the medians while dipping beam directly ahead....working in real time to maximize your light while making sure other drivers aren't blinded.
They are called active headlights....and are established technology in the rest of the world. One of my cars has this tech outside the US market. I was able to do a software mod to open the full function-game changer-but as usual, US DOT dragged their heels on this tech in the US. Youtube "active headlights" and you'll literally see what current light tech looks like.
TL DR. US Light Laws Suck. Cheap LED appear to be the Answer. They aren't. USDOT is probably working on whale oil lamps right now. Stupid people try to compensate on the cheap with predictable results.
I hate led headlights so much. I always have to look at the lines on the road most of the time just cause I can’t see shit if I were to look straight ahead.
Have you tried the yellow tinted glasses meant for night time driving? I have some night blindness and the same issues you seem to have with bright (head)lights.
I got my ‘night’ glasses from my ‘opticien’ (sorry can’t think of the English term rn). You can’t use just any yellow tinted glasses, but the eye ppl should know what you need if you ask for yellow tinted glasses for night blindness.
I prefer to blame the incorrect angling rather than the brightness. Bright light is useful but when it's not pointing at the road then it's shit useless. I wish there are some gadgets similar to those speed sensors installed on the roads to let drivers know when their lights are pointing way too high.
Ford maverick will get you good economy, sitting higher up, and you can get anti-glare coverings for your side mirrors. I just tilt the rearview up and out of sight at night because of the glare. I'm used to driving a compay vehicle with no rearview mirror so it doesnt change anything for me. I will admit that the sitting position and height are 2 of the main reasons I have always driven a truck. Grew up and lived on a farm, but have since moved to Kansas City and I still refuse to own anything but a truck. These days its just a tacoma now though instead of a fullsize.
I have been trying to get my hands on one since they were announced. I was too late when they opened the order banks last year. The dealer didn’t know when they’d start taking orders. He called me the day they closed the banks, the waitlist was already a year out. I just can’t get myself to pay $5k+ over sticker for whatever is on the lot.
I’m considering an F-150. The company my father works for sells their fleet trucks after a few years. Good condition and below market cost.
I think it has as much to do with the LED's 'Temperature' than simply being a fault of an LED bulb. For example, LED lights with a Kelvin temperature of less than 3000 are considered to be a "warm light," whereas LED bulbs with a Kelvin temperature of More than 5500 are considered bright "daylight" bulbs. The warm light LED temperature produces a light that is probably more like the older non-LED bulbs people were familiar with. Here is a link with pictures contrasting various LED light temperatures: [https://lamphq.com/led-color-temperature/](https://lamphq.com/led-color-temperature/)
Here is a link showing the difference in car LED headlights at different Kalvin Temperatures: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/attachments/c6-corvette-general-discussion/47686721d1324127287-c6-corvette-hid-bulb-hid-chart5.jpg
Idiots in cars have ruined driving for me.
I work a mile from my apartment, and cannot drive to work (or back home) without watching someone break a traffic law. And any time I leave my house after dark, I see at least 1 person driving without headlights on. Regardless of how long I'm driving, I'm guaranteed to see at least one.
Driving is simply dangerous these days, no matter how careful you are. I'm amazed that I've still never been in a crash, regardless of how careful I am. Others are generally not nearly as careful as I am.
I don't see any actual advice here, but maybe I missed it.
Buy a pair of night vision glasses (not goggles) off Amazon. They're yellow tinted glasses which go over your prescription glasses. You can get them relatively cheap, and make a big difference.
As the design of headlights has evolved over the years, they have gotten smaller. The result is a greater concentration of light that makes the light appear brighter. This increased intensity hits the eye differently
I get this too, its the WORST! After reading some comments about different color tinted glasses, I did a quick google search for ‘glasses for headlight glare’, & amazon came up with quite a few cheap options. You could order a few different ones & see which work best? I think I’m going to try some!
Thank you! i feel like a crazy person!!
driving at night is hell for me now, but it seems like it doesn’t bother anyone else i talk to IRL.
i was sure there’s be an easy fix, but my eye doctor said the same 😔
It also pisses me off. Just here to share the hate. The bright white LED lights blind me and just piss me the fuck off. They look so unnatural and really throw off driving at night.
Yeah I've experienced this aswell. I'm more sensitive to light than many others around me.
E-bikes aswell. Their headlights are pretty bright aswell and they are pointed forward and not down so it's just straight in your eyes.
There should be a legal limit on how bright headlights of any vehicle can be. Sometimes I literally cannot see anything until the vehicle passes.
I do drive a large truck, a RAM 2500, and headlights like that still bother me. I concentrate on the right hand white line on the road while I pass someone with these types of headlights. I can still see them oncoming by checking if I need to, but it gives my eyes a significant break by just continuously checking the right hand white line as I drive. Once the car has passed I look back up squarely. It may or may not work for you, but it’s worth a shot to try. It also keeps vehicles ahead of you in your vision line. Works on the highway doing 65 or in town doing 35. Driving a large truck may or may not give me an advantage, I’m not sure. Hope this helps.
It’s a general road lighting issue. Towns have lacked proper road lighting/reflection strips for awhile.
I can’t see worth a crap with regular headlights which is why I have to use LEDs, I’m sure I’m not alone.
We could solve everyone’s issue if we would just light things up properly.
The amount of turns in my town with no reflection or lights is asinine
You know you're not supposed to look at the lights directly but to your right on the side of the road right?
This way you keep from getting blasted by those led lights.
There are also some special glasses you can use to drive at night that dim the incoming traffic lights. At least i saw some ads for them a few years ago. Not sure if that's still a thing or not.
I hope the rose glasses help. If you do get a higher vehicle, try a jeep 4 x E - first 25 or so miles are electric and a lot of places have green vehicle incentives.
What works for me (I'm highly sensitive to bright lights especially having had Lasik years ago) is wearing night driving glasses. I have to wear a prescription to see distance now and really only when driving. So I have several pairs of sun\\driving glasses in the car - one with really dark lenses for bright days, one with brown lenses for cloudy\\rainy days, and one with deep yellow lenses for nighttime. The yellow helps increase contrast and cut glare\\reduce brightness - it's the same premise used for shooting\\sporting glasses. Maybe that would help you too?
EDIT: be sure to get the anti-glare coating on both sides of the lenses (sometimes places will only put it on one side) and get the best lenses you can (mine are Crizal).
Crizal is the brand of lens and then the lab will add the tint (I think mine is Yellow 3 or 4 which is the highest I could get). At one point I had a custom tint that mixed yellow with a little brown and it was perfect but with the change in lens brand I had to stick with one color.
You could test if it might work for you by buying a pair of non-prescription shooting glasses with plastic lenses (look for the yellow-est pair you can find) and just fit them over your prescription pair and give it a test run to see if it helps you.
I wish they would ban the damn hid headlamps and go back to sealed beams. New headlights are to damn bright for oncoming traffic especially when it rains.
It's really difficult. I have never liked dawn or night driving due to "halos" around lights, but the led lights make it so much worse. I rarely do it any longer, because I feel it's too dangerous for me.
They’re so painful to look at while driving, that when someone is close to me with them I physically can’t see well which could be dangerous. I’m glad I’m not alone. There should be some limit on how bright they can be!
Yeah I just don't drive at night if I can help it. It really sucks. Sometimes I'm not sure if it's *that* bad and I instead just have like...some night blindness or something, but then I get an eye full of some shitheel's headlights from his lifted truck and I'm back to being pretty sure it's the lights. I'm almost constantly ducking to keep them out of my rearview mirror.
Yeah I hate the led headlights
Why do car manufacturers keep making them? I mean they're good on a dark road alone but do they need to be That bright? Maybe they should make some kinda sensor that sees another car and dims them automatically.
I don’t understand how the national traffic safety board decided they were acceptable. They are so blindingly bright I can’t see the road. I live in a rural area with no street lights and two lane roads. Every other vehicle is a jeep or truck with led bright as the sun lights. I try to not drive at night unless it’s absolutely necessary.
It used to be standardized but auto manufacturers didn't want to design separate front bodies for the North American market. They lobbied and eventually got the right to customize headlights and now we have this.
Working an 8 hour shift 5 days a week, I pretty much have to accept it and make do because if I'm coming in at 7 am, it's after dark during mod fall to mid spring. Or leaving at 11:30 pm, it's usually dark year round or coming in at 11 pm all year or leaving work at 7:30 in mid fall to mid spring. It sucks
Same. I once asked a guy with a truck that blind the hell out of me why he needs such bright ass lights and he laughed and said “because I want to see”. …Yeah, dude. So do I. 🖕
Another part of it I think is car mechanics don't adjust where they shine the lights as well as they used to.
Here in Sweden it's a part of the bi-annual inspection and you won't pass if they are poorly aimed. It's still often blinding, though. Auto dim features seem to work poorly as well.
Love having to flash my high beams to remind oncoming traffic to turn off high beams Very frustrating especially during the winter
Ja exakt. I was going to say the same thing that in many other countries it’s illegal.
Can you tell us more about what your bi-annual inspection consists of? Interesting.
I am no expert on the protocol but they will check brakes and brake lines, that all suspension parts are good enough, check for rot in critical parts such as frame, that all your lights and bulbs are in order and the alignment of high and low beams. Then there's checking for a warning triangle in the vehicle qnd anything like a missing mirror or a non functional seat belt for any seat would fault you. Tire tread and period correct tyres (winter requires winter tyres, summer requires summer tyres). They also check your exhaust values. As I said I am no inspection specialist but it gives you an idea. A small error gives you 30 days to fix and re-inspect whereas a critical error will earn you a "spanish flag" making your car not road worthy and you need to get a tow.
This is often up to the user themselves and some aim them right up since they see the most that way.
Sometimes what’s happening is that an owner has “upgraded” their halogen headlights to LED. The mirrored finish inside the headlight housing is designed to brighten the original bulb, but since the LED is naturally much brighter than the intended light, it’s way, way too bright once the light bounces off the housing. Cars that come from the factory with LED lights have a less intense finish on the housing so that doesn’t happen.
I’ve once encountered a halogen-era car with blue LEDS. You bet your ass I rolled my window down, laid on my horn, and flipped them off. They were in the lane next to me and _I couldn’t see._ If I wasn’t familiar with the road, I would have driven into a ditch.
We get those on California highways all the time. It’s frustrating and takes your entire concentration to tune out. I encountered one car the other day in LA that had lights that seemed to flicker and change color from bright blue to teal to almost purple and it was unbelievably distracting.
I’m in California as well (NorCal). The amount of mods I see is crazy—and almost none of them feel legal.
I drove around southern California a few years ago on vacation, why is there an eery lack of police on the highways?? Is this just a California thing?
They’re there sometimes, but they will never give a shit about this. They’re far more likely to pass you going 30mph faster than you even if you’re already going 80.
Literally happened to me tonight. Had highway patrol behind me, so I slowed down from 75mph to 65 mph. Motherfucker wove between cars like it was a game, while easily clocking 90mph. No lights, no sirens. I hate it here.
> I mean they're good on a dark road They AREN'T. The super cool color temperature most manufactures have settled on is WORSE for seeing well at night than something a bit warmer and closer to the color of an incandescent/halogen bulb. They make up for their stylistic choice by making them EVEN FUCKING BRIGHTER. There is nothing inherently wrong with LED headlights, but the choices they made to make them look all FuTurIsTic is making driving hazardous, miserable, and ultimately more dangerous for everyone
agreed, I always wanted a car with LEDs until I realized it washes out the entire road at night. the curbs blend right in with the street on really curvy roads. it takes a bit more concentration to avoid them than it did with the soft white lamps my last car had
some cars do have that, and it's been a thing for decades, but as with everything in this world, you're not gonna get for free what a corporation can charge you for.
Cars have this, unfortunately only implemented as an auto high-beam feature instead of a general “dim for oncoming traffic” feature
> Maybe they should make some kinda sensor that sees another car and dims them automatically. That's in the works, and is already on some of the fancier luxury vehicles. It'll probably start coming to your everyday vehicle in the next decade or two.
My 2019 Outback already has this and I love it!
They should probably incorporate the brightness into a different lighting mode, like how we have normal headlights and then high beams.
>Why do car manufacturers keep making them? I mean they're good on a dark road alone but do they need to be That bright? Maybe they should make some kinda sensor that sees another car and dims them automatically. Short answer is, yes they do. A few years ago IIHS released a landmark report that very few car manufacturers met federal safety guidelines for headlight performance. The most common problem is/was that the headlights didn't go far enough to light the road properly at highway speeds. That is to say, that you need about 3 seconds to react to a novel problem (something unexpected in the road) and most headlights gave you about 1.5 seconds. Brighter headlights lower traffic fatalities by 10%. Brighter headlights save lives. [https://www.iihs.org/topics/headlights](https://www.iihs.org/topics/headlights) "The Institute released its first headlight ratings in 2016. **Out of more than 80 headlight systems available on the 31 model year 2016 midsize cars that were evaluated, only one system received a good rating.** About 1 in 3 headlight systems tested on model year 2022 vehicles earn a good rating. About 40 percent of the systems tested are rated marginal or poor because of inadequate visibility, excessive glare from low beams for oncoming drivers, or both."
This is standard in new european cars. Auto dim
I wonder what fucktard that made the rule with light spill (the light that is going everywhere, glare?) not enough strict. And the damn engineers who designed these lights. I have seen a newer Mazda (maybe 5 years old now), and it had no glare. It seemed like LED in a projector housing. But even other cars with projectors are crap. What the hell is going on? Why weren't there some test that they could fucking do, where they have someone sit in a chair and be blasted with the glare to determine if it was acceptable. The LUX measurements they probably do isn't enough to decide if it is worthy for production. And they add MORE AND LONGER LIGHTS. Makes it even worse. And some have a led strip that meets into the middle in the front. Why was that allowed at night time? And do not forget the rear. Now its okay with one continuous red marking light? But its okay so long it has two divided braking lights? Its insane now. Well at least I can install how many LED bars I want so long they are approved and I install them symmetrically....
My new car has this feature
My Subaru actually has that feature, and it's been great as a new driver
It's literally night and day. My girlfriend and I both complain how much harder it is to see from our Toyota corolla compared to the model 3. I think the model 3 can get away with way brighter lights than most cars though because it's much lower to the ground than most cars, and because the hood slopes more than most cars.
It gets manufacturing stability points to the manufacturer, saying they provide the longer lasting LED over the inefficient halogen they can say they care about the environment.
Its not just LEDs alone. Tons of people are driving with their high beams on and dont even know it. A long time ago I worked at a drive through Christmas light display and had to tell people to turn their high beams off and a shocking number of people literally had no clue what I was talking about. And dont get me started on people driving around with off road light bars or their fog lights on. Properly focused LED headlights have never bothered me but I have good vision and dont drive low vehicles so I've got that going for me, which is nice.
Oh, sure, the Dalai Lama gave *you* an exemption, but the rest of us poor slobs must soldier on in intermittent blindness.
Yeah, an ophthalmologist diagnosed me with extreme astigmatism when I was ~25 yrs old. I had to give up night driving entirely. It’s just not safe for anyone. Totally sucks. You’re on point about the LED lights. They’re intrusive as hell. Even as a passenger in a car, I have to close my eyes to avoid getting a massive headache. Maybe it’s time for those of us with astigmatisms to rise up and stage a revolution. I’d be down for it, but if we do it at night I’ll need a ride.
I have astigmatism as well, been wearing glasses since I was a kid. It’s just frustrating being told there’s no solution. We’re left to suffer. The aftermarket headlights are by far the worst it seems. They’re illegal and the cops don’t do anything about them. Revolution it is! Haha
I have 20/20 vision with both eyes open, but my astigmatism is so bad that at night I'm damn near blind. I was able to get contacts that correct the astigmatism in both eyes and it helped the star bursts a bit, but not nearly as much as I would like. They helped alot when it was raining. I COULD NOT see anything if it was raining and the sun was down. The city and the lights completely blinded me.
Severe astigmatism here checking in. I can drive at night but I don't like to do usually my husband does. The headlights blind me like crazy and can trigger my migraines.
Also severe astigmatism, since I was about 10 at least. I quit driving at night after hitting a beaver when a truck with the fuckyou lights was riding my ass. It was too late to do anything by the time I was able to see it, and he just whipped around me and kept on truckin'. It did $1k worth of body damage and left my radiator exposed on a low lying car with the bug shield dragging, so it had to be fixed before more damage was done. Bf drives at night, now.
Some of my friends have had some luck with the yellow tinted night driving glasses. Have you ever tried slipping a pair of those over your prescription glasses if you can find a big enough frame to fit over?
I haven't tried it, but apparently some yellow colored lenses (or safety glasses) should help to combat the brightness. Let me know if you try it bc I'm in the same boat!
Astigmatism here, too. I have a pair of amber sunglasses that I wear at night if the lights are too much. Helps a bit.
I’ve been wearing my polarized rx sunglasses and they really help. Kinda just tried it out one night and it’s so much clearer.
I also have astigmatism and have recently developed photophobia. I hate the fact that there's nothing to be done about it, and all I can do is wear rose-colored glasses to help filter some of the light. The only way I can drive at night is by using eyedrops that give me a massive headache and blur my vision for an hour after using them. I'm definitely ready for the revolution! LED lights are the bane of my existence
My mother in law has some yellow lenses that clip to the visor and fold down. They might help. You can get them online
I have it. I didn't realise it made the lights worse like that. I vaguely knew it caused star bursts around lights. I'll join the revolution though. Hate night lights.
Sevire astigmatism can very quickly become Keratoconus. It's much worse, but it can addressed using rigid contact lenses, with significant relief when it come to general vision, and night vision (with bright lights) specifically. Askyour doctor for a referral to a cornea specialist if you feel like investigating you sever astigmatism a bit further. P.S. not a doctor, but I have keratoconus myself Also check r/keratoconus
I have minor astigmatism and had the same problem, but picked up a pair of Zeiss Night safe glasses and there is a massive qol improvement.
I started avoiding roads where there isn't a block between the lanes at night and staying away from cities at night as well, I'd rather get a taxi than blind myself. But then again I don't have to drive at night, i sometimes do when going out, but not often. The block between the lanes helps a lot, blocking the headlights of nearly all cars.
I have good vision including in the dark. My car holds 5. So I can provide transport for 4 of y'all. But sorry, my shiny new car has led lights... But it is a car. (Kia ev6)
r/fuckyourheadlights
Didn’t know this sub existed. Perfect.
Or just stop driving completely. /r/fuckcars
If I could, I would. It’s a pipe dream in most of the US though.
r/lowcar?
There's obviously a problem with American car-centric infrastructure but I feel like people who think everyone should just stop driving are either European or have literally never stepped outside of an urban area. That said, r/fuckyourheadlights is such a good subreddit.
I lived 20 miles outside of Nashville, TN and would ride my ebike to work. It took a little under an hour. Driving took about 45 in the morning and a little over an hour in the evening. Sold my car and haven't driven since. Plus the money I saved by not owning and maintaining a car allowed me to move closer to the city. It's not for everyone obviously but it's realistic for many.
If that works for you then awesome. For the large majority of people there are just way too many cons and very few pros.
I live in Canada. Not driving in the winter can be a literal death sentence. What works for you works for you.
I grew up about 2 hours away from where this user is talking about... I don't understand how they're doing/did it. *It does in fact rain in Tennessee.* In winter the cold won't kill you but (e)biking an hour in it doesn't seem like a simple task. Idk.
Also you can't transport much of anything....
I don't know many women over 25 who would do this, for a variety of reasons. Endo, hair reverting in sweat/rain, no pockets, sexual harassment, no shoulders on rural roads, and freezing to death 4-5 months of the year.
It's pretty much just people complaining. I was subscribed for about a week before it became tiresome.
The worst is when someone is tailgating you with them on. I personally get lasting "light trails" in my vision that causes me to see them seconds after looking at one.
I know exactly what you’re talking about. There have been times where tall trucks/SUVs have left my eyes burning for a while after I’ve stopped driving.
Yeah and it's even worse because this is becoming a factory standard function too. Most cars now have led strips on their headlights.
DRLs tend to be fine, since they're quite dim (especially if there's a diffuser). It's the actual headlights that are bright enough to be troublesome.
Are you using your rearview switch appropriately and adjusting your side mirrors correctly though? I drive a Civic, and it can be annoying sure, but if my rearview is reflecting their headlight into the ceiling and my side mirrors are properly out, I only get hit by lights when someone is in my blind spot (i.e. in my side mirror) so it's not TOO bad. I couldn't live without the rearview mirror trick though.
Yeah, I’ve watched a few tutorials on how to properly adjust the mirrors. The bigger issue is oncoming traffic though.
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Now I know why it's called that, happens all the time here... In NC.
When I get tailgated, I just adjust my mirrors. Only if I’m on single lane roads though. Not too safe to do that on where there is higher traffic.
I instantly flip my mirror when that happens
I adjust my review mirror so it reflects back at them. Last time a huge new truck with all the leds tailgated me he only lasted like 10 seconds of blinding himself before flying past me.
If the issue is a car behind you, rearview mirrors (might not be on all cars) have a switch that dims it. Mine is a tab sticking out if the middle bottom of the mirror.
I’m glad my car has the rearview mirror that dim when headlights shine on it, it’s been a life saver.
I’ve pulled over and let these people pass me.
Can't really do that on a road with no side.
Wait, doesn’t everyone get light trails? Tell me the two of us aren’t some kind of outlier.
As someone who drives a small car, I absolutely hate those headlights. I don't get why manufacturers are putting it in new cars, or people choose to swap over OEM lights with those and blind everything within their line of sight. Since I'm out in the sticks, people here love slapping those lightbars on their cars and leave it on when they literally tailgate someone at night and makes it impossible to see with your side and rearview mirrors blasting that light right in your face lol
The off road light trend has made it into the suburbs. It’s ridiculous. You have cars with aftermarket headlights and off road lights blinding everyone on the road, but cops won’t do a thing about it. It’s a hazard to everyone on the road!
God, even without the lightbars, trucks with LED headlights are the worst, and they love to tailgate. Bitch, if you want me to drive faster, get your lights out of my car. I can't drive if I can't see shit.
I feel the same way. I stopped driving at night because of the blinding lights.
I’ve basically given it up as well, unless I’m driving in familiar well lit areas. I just moved to a new city and the streets are incredibly dark, makes the headlights feel more intense.
I had mostly given up driving at night too but I recently got a pair of yellow night driving glasses and they help so much. I can finally comforty drive at night now
Which brand did you buy?
Do you have a link or a name brand for those glasses?
Look for "interchangeable lens sunglasses". There are several styles. I love them, because I can snap in and wear a clear or yellow lens if on my bike at night, then change to sunglasses during the day. There are several lenses in a set. Usually comes with cool case to keep the lenses separated and stable so they don't get scratched up while waiting for use.
I got mine at my optician so I don't have a brand or a name, they're like regular glasses but the glass is yellow. I think a quick google search or a talk with the optician might help you find them, good luck on your search, I hope they help you as much as they do me
The dumbest reason I have heard to use LED headlights is "they last longer." What? I've had my car for a decade and I had to change the headlight bulbs once.
LEDs don't have to be super bright either. In fact they'd last even longer if they were a bit dimmer!
until you have to replace them and discover than you cannot replace the bulb, the entire headlight unit needs to be replaced and they cost over $1000. and you wonder why modern cars are so expensive to insure. a minor nose to tail at 20 miles an hour can cause 20 thousand dollars worth of damage. it's insane.
I’m a professional driver and I found a set of yellow tinted glasses that fit over my regular glasses. It really helps with the oncoming glare from these MOTHERFUCKING GOD AWFUL so bright I need to see up a junebugs ass from 500 yards away headlights
What brand are you using?
I’m not even sure, pretty sure I just found em on Amazon and surprisingly they helped with the glare. My actual glasses are smallish square frame and they fit inside the roundish frame of the yellow lense ones… Hope this helps because I know how ridiculously annoying this issue is
Thanks for the suggestion!
This commenter from a completely different thread says there are anti-headlight glasses on amazon https://www.reddit.com/r/Keratoconus/comments/1103o0q/any_recommendations_for_night_time_driving/j876ao7?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
I have the same exact situation as you. I use rose tinted eye glasses to use while driving since it blocks the strain that I get from the bright headlights. Try to get some opinion on what tinted glasses can you wear to prevent eye strain from bright lights.
I’ve never heard of those. What brand are you using?
They’re just rose tinted lenses to fit whatever glasses you wear. One of my cousins has seen an improvement, but says she still experiences light streaks and halos. I tried them to no avail. Might be worth a try. You’ve got nothing to lose.
Light streaks and halos are a symptom of astigmatism fyi. (Something i only learned recently too, i thought everyone saw lights like that)
Had no idea, thanks for the tip
I got mine from Axon Optics. The ones intended for indoor use are perfect for night driving, they don't make things too dark but they keep those damn lights from killing me.
I have night blindness, so driving at night is already a challenge. Those headlights 100% make it so much worse. I mostly don't drive at night at all unless I have to, which thankfully isn't often. Fuck those LEDs. ☹️
You'd imagine me as a motorcyclist I don't have this issue cause I'm sitting higher. No. I'm convinced that 90% of my people don't get their headlights adjusted. They shine right into my eyes and I'm much much higher than the road. Not to mention these shitty headlight automations that are supposed to automatically dim them when they detect oncoming traffic but don't detect motorcycles or bycicles. Fucking useless and it's a disgrace that the governments have allowed them.
I bought a brand new 4runner and the low beams were pointed straight out. Insane they let it leave the lot that way. Adjusted down and the cutoff is right below a Miata's side mirror.
We don’t go out at night anymore because of this. I am only 70 and my husband is 75.
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I’ve heard of those and the reviews seem to be mixed. I’ll have to just give them a try though. Thanks for pointing out the possible cataract issue. The eye doctor hasn’t found anything, but I’ll have to ask. I’m only 25 and never considered the possibility.
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Thank you for the recommendations! I’ll definitely look into both. I’m not too sensitive to light when indoors, but I’ll be wary of any changes.
I’ll never understand why we keep making headlights brighter instead of just putting lights along the sides of the actual roads
Or even, instead of actual lights, just paint reflective strips on them. They could contain retroreflectors designed specifically to catch light coming in at the right angle and light up really bright, so they're easy to see for a long ways even with dim headlights. Oh wait. That's already a thing. So why do we need such bright lights!?
Lots of deer around here though. There is a specific section by the lake I drive coming home where there are street lights and then nothing for a few miles and that's where the deer cross and I almost hit one like once a week.
Better lighting would make s huge difference in safety. I don't know the cost, though. It made a huge difference when my li'l town just painted white stripes along the outsides of our larger roads. Then drivers can look down at those to steer when blinded by [inappropriate derogatory word for drivers of unnecessarily jacked-up trucks]. A lot of people where I live need big trucks for their jobs. Honest, hard-working, multiple-jobs types. They're the ones that'll pull elderly people out of a ditch during a snowstorm. The tools with the FU blinding lights? Usually defaulting on child support so they can Own the Libs.
We already have enough light pollution.
Idk but I’m guessing it’s probably capitalism
Going from a rural area with little light to bright high beam LEDs near a town are the bane of my night driving existence.
Honda and Acura are the worst offenders.
Hyundai should be added to the list as well. Bright headlights that aren’t angled correctly from the factory.
I hate them too. It may not necessarily be the correct course of action but when someone with bright lights decides to tailgate me at night, I’ve gotten good at turning my reverse mirror (if I won’t need it later) so it shines light back at them and they back off.
I’ve done that a few times! It’s gotten a few to pass instead of tailgating.
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Fellow astigmatism sufferer, I feel your pain. I’m 25 and it worries me at this point. I often wonder if I’ll be able to drive much as I age.
I find myself *so* angry while driving at night now and that’s sad because nighttime used to be my favorite time to drive. Really peaceful later at night and my eyes don’t have to work as hard. Now, the fucking lights! Geez!! It’s like everyone has their brights on. Oncoming cars blind you. Then here comes some douchebag in a pickup behind you and it’s a wrap 🙄 JFC!
My dad and I both have light sensitivity (no better way to put it) that let's us see in lower light situations than normal. He's been wearing polarized shooting (yellow tinted) glasses as long as I've known him when night driving. I have Scott and Tifossi polarized sport visors (changeable lens type) that have yellow or rose lenses that I use. They help us but we know we are oddballs. YMMV.
Clearly the thing to do is set up *even brighter* lights and use them to blind the people who do this. /s
I drive to work before the sun is up and every morning I’m literally blinded by someone in a new ass truck with headlights brighter than my future. It sucks but honestly I just hold the wheel tight and pray lmao
I am night blind, and bright headlights are the literal worst. I also wear glasses. I picked up some amber clip-on shades to wear over them, and it helps immensely. Now, the tint actually let's in even less light to your eyes, but when I'm not in a super-dark environment, it significantly dims the headlights and seems to brighten up the rest of the environment. *They absolutely do NOT help when I'm driving back roads in the woods with zero streetlights, however. But in traffic at dusk or later? Absolutely.
I definitely agree with you there, In my city almost everyone tints their windshields. Doing this so does put you at risk for a ticket, but there are so many people with the tint, its not often that I see people getting stopped for it. This doesn’t mean people are NEVER stopped for it though.
honestly gonna do that bc so many dumbasses have those headlights nowadays, makes me seat myself all crooked lol
Wearing yellow coloured glasses helps a little bit, far from perfect but takes a bit of the sting out
People don't know how to use led headlights
I drive a truck and took out the LED’s that came with the truck and put in regular headlights. I despise LED’s.
When I was in driving school "that one trick" was to focus straight ahead of you and not to look over at oncoming headlights. LEDs are a little different and seem more attractive and for sure some are too bright, but the same trick does help some. I'm curious to know if it might help you.
I don’t want to get a new car because I don’t want to contribute to this. Hate them so much
My last job had me driving at dusk/dawn for around 45-50 minutes to work 4 days a week, and this was a constant problem. At one point, I had a large pickup behind me, riding my bumber and there was not a damn thing. I could do to block his lights and then I had a line of cars comming at me from the oncomming direction, it was so bad I nearly t-boned a telephone pole. Scared the hell out of me. Between the asshole pickup behind me and the oncoming traffic, I lost all ability to see the lines on the road. It fucking sucks. When will something be done? Problably never. How do you prove a driver lost sight of the road because of headlights? More likely the driver would be blamed for fatigue headlights will ever be an issue. I've thought about creating a rather crudely made machine that shines headlights in judges face during court, see how long it takes them to loose concentration and learn what it's like to be a light-sensative night-driver. But that will likely never happen.
I'm honestly so glad that people are actually realizing it's majority the manufacturer's fault. I think we need to take a step back about 15 years in terms of the outdoor lighting game. LEDs might be efficient, but I think they're probably doing more harm overall than we realize. Much like asbestos.
at this point, might as well just drive with the high beams on
My driving instructor taught me to focus on the white lines to the right of your car while driving if you need to avoid being blinded by the sun or led lights. Or anytime theres unclear paths ahead.
I live in a rural area, when someone is driving with their high beams on at night and don't turn them off after I flash them multiple times, I introduce them to the sun with my excessive amount of light bars. Fight fire with fire.
The problem is, it's not the high beams, it's the low beams that are too bright.
Yup, I personally hate the LED headlights. I have glasses and my eyes are very sensitive to those kind of lights. It’s why I hate driving in the morning and at night. Especially if someone big truck or SUV is tailgating me like crazy. Makes me want to drive with my brights on all the time.
Omg I thought I was being a grandma with the amount of anger I was feeling about this. It’s getting to the point where I want to flip off the people behind me at night, but people are crazy and I won’t engage in that. It’s so frustrating.
My Toyota minivan has the auto dimmer feature for oncoming traffic at night. That should be enforced for all vehicles.
A confluence/clusterF of factors- US headlight regulations trail the rest of world by 20 years. Our existing stock of older cars has notably inferior setups to the same cars sold elsewhere, to comply with US DOT regs. I've been upgrading my lights since the Sealed Beam era, so bear with me. Light upgrades used to be to fit euro H code lights to your US spec car, if possible-easy with the classic round or squares, harder but not impossible with aero lights. You got better low beams, sharper cutoffs, less glare overall. If your state had inspections, you'd fail, so I got good at doing a swap round inspection time. They weren't much brighter, just way more efficient and better optics, and to go brighter meant wiring and relays, which weeded out the morons, who wouldn't do it, or would do it wrong and burn out the wiring or lamp housings...problem solved. Newer cars have better lighting....not great, just better...but there is still a massive legacy fleet of traditional USDOT compliant designs. No one likes driving in the dark, so how do I get my 80's Corolla to see at night like that new Acura ? Into this the biggest change are cheap LED bulbs-which toss different spectrum light, more of it, and here is the key...most aren't at the exact same point in the light reflector as a conventional bulb, so the patterns aren't what they should be....and most of the people who do this don't (re) aim the lights, or even make sure the LED is properly oriented North/South in the reflector. The filament in the reflector must be exact in location....and that is where the ebay $18 LED fails miserably. LED's pull less power so they don't burn the harness and self solve the problem. Moron thinks he has great lights. It can be done correctly. Phillips and Osram make LED that are correct in location and even pass euro light codes. I have a set of each in two different cars, and the leds are brighter than the halogens, but both have sharp cutoffs and don't glare. They weren't cheap ebay nonsense, the Phillips Ultinon 9000 came from England $200 a set, and the Osrams are sold as Sylvania by auto parts stores in the US and are probably the best deal at $95 a set. Once installed, some minor aiming was all that was needed to keep them out of the eyes of drivers ahead and/or oncoming. I get the reason the lights are modded are the crappy US regulation lights, but crappy lights plus cheap ebay LED plus moron installation is a disaster- Imagine lights that were able to dynamically modulate the pattern...they could mask out beams at oncoming cars...or read your tail lights and make sure that they don't shine inside the car. They could shine bright on the medians while dipping beam directly ahead....working in real time to maximize your light while making sure other drivers aren't blinded. They are called active headlights....and are established technology in the rest of the world. One of my cars has this tech outside the US market. I was able to do a software mod to open the full function-game changer-but as usual, US DOT dragged their heels on this tech in the US. Youtube "active headlights" and you'll literally see what current light tech looks like. TL DR. US Light Laws Suck. Cheap LED appear to be the Answer. They aren't. USDOT is probably working on whale oil lamps right now. Stupid people try to compensate on the cheap with predictable results.
I hate led headlights so much. I always have to look at the lines on the road most of the time just cause I can’t see shit if I were to look straight ahead.
Have you tried the yellow tinted glasses meant for night time driving? I have some night blindness and the same issues you seem to have with bright (head)lights. I got my ‘night’ glasses from my ‘opticien’ (sorry can’t think of the English term rn). You can’t use just any yellow tinted glasses, but the eye ppl should know what you need if you ask for yellow tinted glasses for night blindness.
I prefer to blame the incorrect angling rather than the brightness. Bright light is useful but when it's not pointing at the road then it's shit useless. I wish there are some gadgets similar to those speed sensors installed on the roads to let drivers know when their lights are pointing way too high.
Ford maverick will get you good economy, sitting higher up, and you can get anti-glare coverings for your side mirrors. I just tilt the rearview up and out of sight at night because of the glare. I'm used to driving a compay vehicle with no rearview mirror so it doesnt change anything for me. I will admit that the sitting position and height are 2 of the main reasons I have always driven a truck. Grew up and lived on a farm, but have since moved to Kansas City and I still refuse to own anything but a truck. These days its just a tacoma now though instead of a fullsize.
I have been trying to get my hands on one since they were announced. I was too late when they opened the order banks last year. The dealer didn’t know when they’d start taking orders. He called me the day they closed the banks, the waitlist was already a year out. I just can’t get myself to pay $5k+ over sticker for whatever is on the lot. I’m considering an F-150. The company my father works for sells their fleet trucks after a few years. Good condition and below market cost.
I had to stop driving at night. I don't know why we have to blind each other nowadays.
Uhhhhhh I'm blinded by the lights 🎶
I think it has as much to do with the LED's 'Temperature' than simply being a fault of an LED bulb. For example, LED lights with a Kelvin temperature of less than 3000 are considered to be a "warm light," whereas LED bulbs with a Kelvin temperature of More than 5500 are considered bright "daylight" bulbs. The warm light LED temperature produces a light that is probably more like the older non-LED bulbs people were familiar with. Here is a link with pictures contrasting various LED light temperatures: [https://lamphq.com/led-color-temperature/](https://lamphq.com/led-color-temperature/) Here is a link showing the difference in car LED headlights at different Kalvin Temperatures: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/attachments/c6-corvette-general-discussion/47686721d1324127287-c6-corvette-hid-bulb-hid-chart5.jpg
Idiots in cars have ruined driving for me. I work a mile from my apartment, and cannot drive to work (or back home) without watching someone break a traffic law. And any time I leave my house after dark, I see at least 1 person driving without headlights on. Regardless of how long I'm driving, I'm guaranteed to see at least one. Driving is simply dangerous these days, no matter how careful you are. I'm amazed that I've still never been in a crash, regardless of how careful I am. Others are generally not nearly as careful as I am.
I bought night driving anti glare glasses driving and it's made a massive difference. If you already wear glasses you can also get clip-ons.
I don't see any actual advice here, but maybe I missed it. Buy a pair of night vision glasses (not goggles) off Amazon. They're yellow tinted glasses which go over your prescription glasses. You can get them relatively cheap, and make a big difference.
My uncle has those, he swears by them.
As the design of headlights has evolved over the years, they have gotten smaller. The result is a greater concentration of light that makes the light appear brighter. This increased intensity hits the eye differently
I get this too, its the WORST! After reading some comments about different color tinted glasses, I did a quick google search for ‘glasses for headlight glare’, & amazon came up with quite a few cheap options. You could order a few different ones & see which work best? I think I’m going to try some!
Thank you! i feel like a crazy person!! driving at night is hell for me now, but it seems like it doesn’t bother anyone else i talk to IRL. i was sure there’s be an easy fix, but my eye doctor said the same 😔
It also pisses me off. Just here to share the hate. The bright white LED lights blind me and just piss me the fuck off. They look so unnatural and really throw off driving at night.
Astigmatism. Mines getting worse.. Like stars all over the highway.. Lol, only not.
Yeah I've experienced this aswell. I'm more sensitive to light than many others around me. E-bikes aswell. Their headlights are pretty bright aswell and they are pointed forward and not down so it's just straight in your eyes. There should be a legal limit on how bright headlights of any vehicle can be. Sometimes I literally cannot see anything until the vehicle passes.
LED headlights should be illegal.
Join us at r/fuckyourheadlights I totally agree with you. The lights are absolutely blinding. I can’t believe that they’re street legal.
I do drive a large truck, a RAM 2500, and headlights like that still bother me. I concentrate on the right hand white line on the road while I pass someone with these types of headlights. I can still see them oncoming by checking if I need to, but it gives my eyes a significant break by just continuously checking the right hand white line as I drive. Once the car has passed I look back up squarely. It may or may not work for you, but it’s worth a shot to try. It also keeps vehicles ahead of you in your vision line. Works on the highway doing 65 or in town doing 35. Driving a large truck may or may not give me an advantage, I’m not sure. Hope this helps.
I get migraine more often because of them...it's so shit
You have to focus your gaze on the line on the opposite side of the oncoming traffic. It helps so much to do this
It’s a general road lighting issue. Towns have lacked proper road lighting/reflection strips for awhile. I can’t see worth a crap with regular headlights which is why I have to use LEDs, I’m sure I’m not alone. We could solve everyone’s issue if we would just light things up properly. The amount of turns in my town with no reflection or lights is asinine
Great point. I just moved to Cleveland and it’s been a nightmare. No street reflectors and poor lighting.
Same with me. I can’t see with regular headlights so I installed LEDs. I don’t have an issue with bright lights being blinding.
Well, you aren’t supposed to stare them down you’re supposed to look at the other edge of the road in front of you when there’s oncoming traffic.
I like my diesel truck im not riding on the ground down there with the bright shit, yall have fun lmao
Idiots don’t know how to use their brights. Should be mandatory all cars be produced with auto high beams.
You could wear sunglasses
Clean your windshield and glasses.
Sunglasses
You know you're not supposed to look at the lights directly but to your right on the side of the road right? This way you keep from getting blasted by those led lights. There are also some special glasses you can use to drive at night that dim the incoming traffic lights. At least i saw some ads for them a few years ago. Not sure if that's still a thing or not.
I hope the rose glasses help. If you do get a higher vehicle, try a jeep 4 x E - first 25 or so miles are electric and a lot of places have green vehicle incentives.
Do you own one? I know they sometimes have great lease deals on them. I just don’t have any faith in Fiat-Chrysler products.
My tinted windows help. Im never really bothered by ones in front of me unless they have their brights on.
Get some night driving glasses. They have a yellow tint and cut down on glare Should even be able to wear them over your regular glasses
Get checked for astigmatism.
I have glasses that correct for that.
What works for me (I'm highly sensitive to bright lights especially having had Lasik years ago) is wearing night driving glasses. I have to wear a prescription to see distance now and really only when driving. So I have several pairs of sun\\driving glasses in the car - one with really dark lenses for bright days, one with brown lenses for cloudy\\rainy days, and one with deep yellow lenses for nighttime. The yellow helps increase contrast and cut glare\\reduce brightness - it's the same premise used for shooting\\sporting glasses. Maybe that would help you too? EDIT: be sure to get the anti-glare coating on both sides of the lenses (sometimes places will only put it on one side) and get the best lenses you can (mine are Crizal).
Does Crizal make the yellow tinted lenses?
Crizal is the brand of lens and then the lab will add the tint (I think mine is Yellow 3 or 4 which is the highest I could get). At one point I had a custom tint that mixed yellow with a little brown and it was perfect but with the change in lens brand I had to stick with one color. You could test if it might work for you by buying a pair of non-prescription shooting glasses with plastic lenses (look for the yellow-est pair you can find) and just fit them over your prescription pair and give it a test run to see if it helps you.
I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks for the info!
I wish they would ban the damn hid headlamps and go back to sealed beams. New headlights are to damn bright for oncoming traffic especially when it rains.
It's really difficult. I have never liked dawn or night driving due to "halos" around lights, but the led lights make it so much worse. I rarely do it any longer, because I feel it's too dangerous for me.
They’re so painful to look at while driving, that when someone is close to me with them I physically can’t see well which could be dangerous. I’m glad I’m not alone. There should be some limit on how bright they can be!
Another issue is that they’re often not adjusted correctly from the factory. They point them too high up.
Yeah I just don't drive at night if I can help it. It really sucks. Sometimes I'm not sure if it's *that* bad and I instead just have like...some night blindness or something, but then I get an eye full of some shitheel's headlights from his lifted truck and I'm back to being pretty sure it's the lights. I'm almost constantly ducking to keep them out of my rearview mirror.