Submitted by CruchyBunches t3_10e42sq in Washington
I don’t know what the deal is but it seems like recently headlights have become much brighter. I can’t tell if half of the people just don’t turn the brights off or if they just have incredibly bright low beams but it is really annoying. My brother suggested people are switching to LED and they are too bright.
I have encountered a number of people on the freeway that just cruise with the brights on which is so damn annoying.
[removed]
Welcome to small car hell. People are buying the LED head lights with the very small warning on them that say “for flood lights only”.
I'm glad I'm not the only one! The other day my husband was like "why is everyone driving with their high beams on and not turning them off when we pass??" But then we realized they were all just seeming brighter but blamed it on us getting older haha
I drive a school bus and those lights are just as bright high up. They are dangerous and need to be regulated.
The new projector and LED beams work well in a flat plane. Real roads aren’t perfectly flat so the projectors are crazy bright when the vehicle is on a slight rise.
I'm about to call my legislator's office and start a campaign to get these regulated. I live on a rural road and when it's raining hard, I am going onto the shoulder or almost taking out mailboxes because I am blinded.
[removed]
it is a known issue. look it up on the internet. so far, no solution except look to the lower right (away from incoming traffic), keep your windshield clear (to avoid glare), and, if this fails, don't drive at night. utterly unhelpful.
​
some newer cars come with the feature that they'll turn off the high beams if they detect an incoming car.
Can confirm the same experience in the city/suburbs. Every gated-community dwelling accountant has a lifted truck with 6 lights so it's almost impossible to see road markings and pedestrians.
Glad to know they can see tho, cause I sure can't
Both
Could be both!
[removed]
I’ve had the same happen near me, already ran into a ditch twice because of people blinding me.
At this point I’m ready to resort to honking at some of these idiots
This sounds like an even more complicated version of auto high beams which already don’t always work
For anyone in a lifted truck or with some stupid EBay light bar I just strobe my brights no stop at them
it is a combination of both, new cars come with led lights which are fine if adjusted right, but I have also encountered a lot of people driving with their brights on and cops are not pulling them over or ticketing them, my only suggestion is flash your brights at them to get them to use low beams and if they ignore you use your brights on them that is what I do and my car has HID headlights.
It's not just you. If it's not the actual headlights, it's a much larger vehicle shining their headlights directly into the rearview mirror, a newer car's auto-high beams not detecting vehicles in front of it, or some combination of the three. Drives me insane.
[removed]
I think it’s a combination of lights being brighter/more blinding and driving in rural areas without lots of city lights around to make the headlights seem less harsh
My favorite is when some jackass has brightly colored headlights. I’ve seen so many of those lately.
I've been annoyed by this for awhile now. It's not just when they are coming at you. I drive a midsized sedan and my windows are tinted. As dark as the state of Washington will allow. When I have someone come up behind me with their LED lights shining so bright... I feel exposed. Usually I never have to flip that little switch on your rearview mirror. I have had to more and more.
Your last statement: my dad’s 1956 Cadillac did that. 😉
Same and when these types tailgate it blinds all the mirrors! I feel strongly about this!
I manage a bar and, thus, drive home late at night quite often. At first I thought it was my astigmatism getting worse—known to cause night blindness issues. But, I had to drive my moms SUV during the last ice storm in Tacoma and it was much much much less of an issue for me. Some cars need a dimmer switch and to turn it down a bit.
Yeah, about 15 years ago when LED headlights started to appear I noticed that they absolutely nuked my night vision. Now they're everywhere and driving at night is kinda scary because you know that unless something is explicitly illuminated you won't see it until it's on top of you.
I think it's their white violet color that makes them a huge problem, though. Because I've definitely caught yellow brights from a pickup late at night on the highway and it wasn't as bad as getting an eyeful from a late model car as they went over a hill. I'd like to see a bill that makes blue light filters mandatory on vehicles.
Not only have lights seemed much brighter, but also noticing way more people just refusing to turn their lights on at all. It's like all or nothing lately.
I did that once and it turns out their brights weren’t on…when they flashed their brights back at me it felt like i was staring at the surface of the sun
The yellow ones are the WORST
I'm one of em people flash brights at me all the time, it's annoying. So typically I'll put my brights on and they stop lol.
Yep. Not just small cars. I drive a mid sized SUV (older, my lights are not ridiculously bright) and I have this same issue with other headlights.
Just like the insane horsepower wars, car manufacturers are in a war to come up with ever brighter lights. It’s ridiculous and antisocial.
Its becoming pretty normal for cars to use LEDs. I hate it. I never had a problem with night blindness until the last few years, and I know its from all the lights. Granted I have an astigmatism in my right eye, but I live in a rural area where its bright and clear and not dark at all when its just me on the road and I refuse to switch to LED lights, they're so unnecessary.
It’s not just you. It’s everywhere and I too hate it. I try to avoid driving at night but that’s impossible this time of year. I think people need to be responsible and check the brightness of their lights. I’ve found shifting my rear view mirror so it reflects back at the person behind me has been helpful. One person tried to lower their lights and only turned it off. It was at that moment I think they realized how bright their normal lights were. It wasn’t even their high beams. But short of holding a mirror to flash oncoming traffic, there’s nothing to do but hope you don’t crash. Maybe once enough people die from it then something legislative will happen. Since that seems to be how the government works.
Well we’re know for trees fish and assholish drivers.
The giant trucks are the worst. And it’s not just the experience while driving. I walk my dog last thing at night…same problem, blinding 🤬🤬🤬
Congratulations on being an asshole. I hope you have the day you deserve.
I'm an asshole for having headlights that came with my car? You sound like you have a tiny cock
[removed]
I have also witnessed a lot more people simply driving with their high beams on even in the city. Sometimes (roughly like 1 a week) a car behind me will be blinding me in my rear view mirror and when they pull up next to me at a stoplight I can see the high beam symbol on their dash. On a few occasions I have rolled down the window and pointed that out to them and I have been met with “yeah I know.”
It’s not just annoying, it’s dangerous. We need some regulation on this
Pretty sure this has been standard in Europe for a few years and people don’t seem to have an issue with it. I at least appreciate their attempt at fixing an issue.
Get off my lawn!
... but yeah, I agree with you 100%
I have practiced for years with keeping my eyes on the white or yellow lines in those situations. If there are no lines then I just scream "Jesus take the wheel"
As much of a problem as this may be I fear the people who don't turn on their lights. Worse ore the ones that have headlights on but not taillights. Make sure your taillights turn on when driving in the dark or rain. For your own safety.
it does make driving at night scary, i'm so glad i'm not the only one who's been feeling this way!! i have astigmatism too so driving at night is already a little uncomfortable sometimes... a quick blinding doesn't help
It's not just you. They are so bright now, and sometimes when a car goes over a bump behind me, for a split second I think they've flashed their lights at me.
I've noticed folks whose headlights are not working properly who use their high beams. For example: someone with one headlight out. I'm "that bitch" who will blast my high beams right back at jerks who fail to dim theirs for oncoming traffic, and sometimes when I do that the other car will turn their beams off and I can see that only one of their regular headlights is operational.
As someone who is light sensitive and drives for a living, it sucks and sucks a lot.
I thought so too until I saw bright blue ones.
Real roads are perfectly flat, but only in places like Utah where everything is flat.
Somehow it always seems to be the spotlessly clean giant truck with an empty bed, no passengers, and nothing on the hitch.
Bro, you don't need a fucking Ford F9000 super-blinder to pick up groceries.
Thank you for your service
This has me wondering now how I could legally mount a good sized mirror on the back of the car to help show them the folly of their ways and encourage some following distance...
Everything flat...Utah...?
Have you been to Zion, Bryce, Salt Lake, Flaming Gorge, Kanab?
Stares in Wasatch
As well, the new Tesla and Rivian brake lights are so bright they’re like laser beams that burn your eyes
At least they have them on
I just turned up my headlight dial. Really helps with the nights.
My great grandma lived in Provo and that's my memory of Utah.
But how else will they compensate for their teeny-tiny ding-a-lings?
[removed]
Maybe it has something to do with the crazy amount of darkness we get in the winter. I hear ya tho, my eyes are really sensitive so I always think ppl have their brights on!
Try wearing yellow safety glasses at night. It cuts down glare, and can help enhance contrast. That’s what my optometrist recommends. Works pretty well for me day or night.
I have aftermarket LED headlights for my Jeep with color changing halos. Jeep headlights already sit higher than average vehicles so people flash me all the time. So now I just use my halos and fog lights. I use my regular headlights when I really need the light and people flash me anyways but I don’t give a fuck anymore. I just flash people back and they still flash me haha 😂
This has been a complaint since HIDs first hit the market in the early 2000s. Now that LEDs are taking over, it’s the same debate.
Hell, I think my dad said the same issue came up when halogen became dominate…
I get it. I do a lot of driving at night, and I get blinded by 90% of the cars on the road. I either look towards the fog line or put up a hand (or middle finger) to block the glare from the oncoming lights. Or use my hand to block it if they’re lights are shining in my side view.
There’s no real good way to “fix” it, other than we have to find a way to deal with it.
Our local ambulances have those LED lights *and* the elevation to point them right at my retina. I must have blinked my high beams at them half a dozen different occasions before learning to recognize them. I mean, I'm happy that they can see into the future with those damned lights, but I just want to see outside my vehicle.
Not suddenly, no.
Could be cataracts. How old are you?
Always has been.
Buy a Porsche. Angle the headlights up, so we have the same problem. 😂
lol I love it. Most of my kids are great. And for the ones that aren't, my supervisor has my back.
It's also called people failing to turn off their high beams. People often don't understand how to use them or forget to turn them off.
[deleted]
Yea, I don't count high beams when the car is coming over a rise and is angled up relative to me.
That said, lots of cars, including newer Toyotas and Teslas, seem to have lights angled upwards more than others, or the drivers actually use high beams thoughtlessly.
Most people don’t know you can adjust your headlights and where they aim—not high beams.
In my recent experience almost every Tesla model 3 appears to have their brights on all the time. I can be looking at a big line of oncoming cars and see a few that seem to have their brights on…they’re almost always all Tesla Model 3’s.
I’ve also heard a rumor that some people don’t like the auto-high beams because they flip on/off too much, so they put tape over the light sensor. That would keep the high beams always on. I can definitely see people doing something this dumb
I’ll join you!! I’m so tired of driving around with big sunspots in my eyes. It’s dangerous
It really is.
[deleted]
OK, Kansas then.
It’s a little silly to say something about an entire state if you’ve only seen one part of it right?
Unless you’re from vermont ofc. Everything else in America is flat land in their minds lol
Good to hear!
It seemed like when I would ride the school bus as a kid a lot of the riders were absolute menaces (using rubber bands between fingers as a slingshot to fire bent paperclips or pens at each other regularly, several times embedding them into seat backs... the usual yelling of obscenities and "DON'T TOUCH ME AHHHH", etc.)
May your luck in passengers never fade, buddy!
I drive a leveled (front lifted 2”) full size pickup, but I adjust my headlights after the left was installed, as most responsible people do. That said, even sitting up higher I’m blinded multiple times per day by cars with brights in (or ridiculously bright low beans)
That is good but few of us will live long enough to see the end of the current crop of lights being sold.
A part of the problem is that people are changing out halogen bulbs and putting in LEDs that are not designed for the car. That can make them horrible to oncoming drivers.
They’ve definitely gotten brighter and drivers have gotten more obnoxious. I don’t know why any car needs 6 fucking headlights but I’m getting tired of being blinded by that. Thinking there needs to be some regulations of this. If people can’t exercise restraint and consider the safety of others, then the option to have multiple/extra bright headlights needs to go away.
Post here if you start a campaign. I’m already on board with you.
yep, I'm constantly having to guess if people are flashing their headlights at me or if they hit a tiny bump
Will do!
Or the bastardized hybrid. No headlights on, but the lightbar is at max brightness. Saw that little gem yesterday.
Was literally thinking this yesterday. It’s so bad that I feel like I have night blindness, and I live in the city where overhead/city lights should technically help a bit.
You're not the only one. I hate it too, and my professor (American who now lives in Europe) said it's the mentality behind the"rugged individualism."
Cars that ppl make, cater to, or add on, to make themselves safer are illegal there because it makes others less safe because but everyone has it and in an accident the heavier car will inflict more damage to others. A brighter light for yourself is the same. They don't care about blinding other drivers. They only care that they can see better, so it's safer for them.
We need some kind of regulation that makes the roads safer for everyone and not only for the driver.
That’s good to know because it’s such a pet peeve of mine that I’ve been thinking about getting up larger and taller car.
The last set of halogen lamps I got seemed really dim and I upgraded to some LED lamps. They are bright AF, but they have a sharp cut off so they don't shine up to high on level ground. I love them and I'm never going back.
They are especially great when the sun is bright and it's raining. Love yellow for for driving/riding.
I'm sure it's even worse for small cars, but seems to be a problem for everyone.
I really struggle with this too
This happened to me exactly one time years ago and I still think about it every time I'm tempted to flash brights at someone. Felt like I saw god.
My dad bought a new truck a few years ago that has "auto dimming highbeams" so he used to just leaves them on at all times.
I think about that every time I get blinded by some new monstrous mother fucker and it like flickers in my face as they drive by.
Oh noes, not the honk! Careful and stay safe!
Agreed. Great for motorcycling, bicycling, etc.
And you can buy amber safety glasses for $10. Also come in bifocal and in polarized.
Or when it's a lifted truck, if their headlights aren't adjusted (which they never are) then they are pointing directly at the cars in front of them.
My astigmatism and migraine disorder make night driving bad enough without a supernova of light from a lifted pickup truck tailgating me. If anyone has advice for ways to mitigate this other than flipping up all my rear view mirrors to avoid staring directly into the sun, I welcome it
I...don't think you've been to Utah
hahaha that is very funny. thanks for letting me know. Well, it's also found on recent cars as a middle to high end feature.
Agree. They’re way brighter than they used to be
Trucks and SUVs are getting bigger and taller each year. Combine that with the LED headlights they all sport and it blinds the rest of us driving reasonable cars. I just flash my high beams at them when they blind me.
You can look into nighttime driving glasses. I found a pair on Amazon for 15 bucks. But the lifted trucks are so prevalent now that you're forced to wear the glasses all the time. Cops don't seem to ever pull over large trucks and SUVs.
Check out r/fuckyourheadlights Many people share the hatred for those LED headlights.
Rugged individualism seems like the American way of things. I've been in quite a few arguments with truck and SUV owners online. They do not care about other cars on the road. They only care about their own driving experience. It doesn't matter to them they are making the roads unsafe for the rest of us. "If you don't like it, buy a truck too" is their scripted response.
Look into nighttime driving glasses. I did and they really help.
I see one truck on my morning commute that always drives with his fog lights on. We rarely get any fog.
They are brighter. Also, my new car had a “feature” for auto lights. That means it kicks brights on and off by sensor. Sometimes it blinds you. Sorry.
Interesting! I’ve never heard of those but will have to check them out!
I bought a pair on Amazon for like 15 bucks. I don't have astigmatism but they really do help if you're sensitive to someone x-raying your eyeballs with their LED beams. They sure do help me as I don't think there's anything that can be done to fight those bright lights they have.
Tesla headlights are crazy bright... I get high beamed all the time. Sorry.
Some vehicles the brights sit toward the center more, I see those more central lights on all the time. Definitely high beams. I have pretty sensitive eyes at night, and what’s a person to do? If I wear something to help, I can’t see. If they won’t regulate lights, I’ll just tint darker.
They burn my retinas. Though, honestly, since moving here from WI, my driving phobia has gotten way worse. Drivers here are nuts in general. So I'm just avoiding being in cars in general.
A lot of 18 wheeler lights flicker, It’s an intentional safety feature
You’re not crazy! It’s been annoying me too.
It's a pretty common problem: r/fuckyourheadlights
In that case I adjust my mirrors to reflect the light back at them. 😅
No, your not crazy. I’ve noticed the same thing and it’s horrible. I hate it.
This. My eye doc recommended as well. Game changer.
[removed]
I moved from the east coast. It's chill af here to me -- WI must be amazing!
One of my favorite features with my ‘23 Odyssey is the automatic dimming of high beams whenever another person or car is oncoming. It keeps my ability to see intact but removes the human error or delay. I hate being blinded by high-beams, too. I don’t know if this is a standard newer car feature, but I can only hope it’s a widespread thing.
WI has its share of horrid drivers too. Mostly alcoholics but there's way less people, traffic and the drunks were easier to avoid.
Most cars are SUVs/crossovers now and up higher. In a small car on a bumpy rural road it is so hard to deal with.
Add a fart pipe exhaust and mount a spoiler on the tailgate?
Q-Beam pointed at your side mirror.
It's a Jeep thing.
It’s aftermarket LEDs that are the problem. Factory LEDs are adjusted properly so they aim down and don’t blind oncoming traffic.
Interesting. Now I just need to find a pair that will fit over my existing glasses and I could be finally driving at night again! I gave up when we moved to the country and became surrounded by large trucks with extra-brights.
I have a pair of prescription yellow glasses. Totally worth it.
[removed]
[deleted] t1_j4ow7xs wrote
[removed]