Do those blue (halogen?) headlights, getting more and more popular, often blind you from an approaching vehicle? I seem to be finding them more and more disturbing. If this is really a problem, why are they legal and how did they get popular? Are they that effective for the driver using them?
Comments?
You never responded to any of the posts for your previous question about printing photos.
philo wrote in news:n902k3$410$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:
The responses told me the photo file I had received lacked the information needed to enlarge it without distortion so I decided not to do so.
OK, as to the blue headlights, I have not seen any but it sounds annoying...I suspect they are not even legal
Per KenK:
Devil's Advocate Question: Could age-related loss of eye function be a player ?
I flat-out do not drive at night - and I even avoid driving late in the afternoon because there's something badly missing in my night vision. Can't put my finger on it.... technically, I think I *see* things, but it's just not the same as in daylight.... part of it is peripheral vision, part of it is speed/distance judgment, but there is lots more and I'll check into a motel rather than drive home if I get caught down the shore when the daylight window for the trip home has closed.
Sucks to be you!
But yes, age is a factor. I'm in my late 60s and do not like to drive at night. I can and I will, but I know the chances of being in an accident are greater, so try and make necessary trips in daylight. IOW, know yer limitations. Duh. ;)
nb
Changes in the eye are more pronounced as we age. The lens gets cloudy (eventually, cataracts). The iris can't respond as quickly. Other pathologies (e.g., macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy) are more prevalent (than in youth). There is less *available* light in the scene (d'uh... it's DARK!) There is less RANGE of light intensity in the scene (think: contrast) "Vision Anomalies" are also more commonplace and pronounced (things like astigmatism).
My vision (as measured by my "refractive correction"/Rx) hasn't changed in ~40 years (I've kept records of all my "prescriptions" over the years -- from more than a dozen opthamologists and optometrists). But, I see "less well" than I did 40 years ago.
I've always relied on EXCESS light to see well; I can recall tussling with my college roommate over whether or not to leave the overhead light on in the "well lit" room during daylight hours as it made a difference to how well I could perceive fine detail. (and, my bathrooms have always been lit with an overabundance of light -- enough to keep the room uncomfortably warm!)
I've learned to use my *eyes* (and not my brain!) when taking eye exams as I can too often "reason out" what I am seeing even though the visual image is ambiguous. This has led to disappointing Rx's in the past.
[I had one eye doctor (can't recall if opto- or optha-) who used LARGE images (instead of the ever smaller lines of text) at a distance and asked which image was "crisper" -- one being set on a RED background, the other on GREEN. As such, it let me keep my eyes at rest -- not bring focusing power to bear (e.g., squinting) to bias the result. Unfortunately, I've never found another who used the same technique!]
NOT all (quartz-)halogen. Halogen bulbs have been around for decades and are not bluish unless... [see later]
HID headlights are more recent and (some, at least) have a *slightly* bluish tint. As a result, some drivers, wishing to give the impression that they have these fancy latest-technology, (originally) high-end-vehicle lights, have adopted blue-tinted halogen bulbs that are in many cases more blue than HID lights.
If headlights blind oncoming drivers, that is far more likely to be because of misalignment than because of the particular light-generating technology that is used.
Some of the most blinding headlights I have encountered recently seem to be extremely white, not blue at all.
(Every advance in headlight technology seems to have resulted in complaints about blinding oncoming drivers. It happened with the transition to HID headlights. Before that it happened with the transition to quartz-halogen headlights. Before that it happened with the transition to sealed-beam headlights. Before that it happened with the transition to systems where the driver's-side headlight remained illuminated in the "dim" mode instead of leaving only the passenger-side headlamp illuminated. I wasn't around at the time, but I suspect that there were similar complaints about the transition from carbide to electric lights, and even before that from oil lamps to carbide.)
Perce
Exactly. We routinely have folks flashing their brights at us AS IF our lights were misaligned on our FACTORY NEW vehicle.
After bringing it in to the dealer to *check* said alignment, we were shown that the lamps are "spot on" -- other drivers just see *three* bright white "dots" on each side of the hood ornament and THINK the brights are on. So, when we flash OUR brights in response (and they see *5* white dots on each side, two of which are aimed higher than the other three) they realize the error is theirs.
There also seems to be some tie-in to the height of the lamps above the pavement -- and proximity to oncoming cars. Headlights target a fixed point some 100 feet from the vehicle. So, headlights on a "tall", oncoming vehicle closer than that have more spillage into the oncoming driver's field of vision.
[The lights on our new vehicle are almost a foot "higher" than on our older vehicle. The lights on my buddy's pickup are higher, still!]
More than you probably wanted to know...
I hate those fu####g blue headlights..... I have gone so far as to complain to the D.O.T. When they were first coming into the market, I had a car behind me with them, and he either had loose bulbs or very bad shocks. That made it look like a police car was pulling me over. I pulled over only to realize it was some asshole with blue headlights....
I have also seen similar bulbs in pink and green tints. (Not much better).
I know my eyes are not what they used to be, but those blue bulbs are terrible. Yet the worst of all, was when I had just reached the top of a hill, and some pickup truck had white headlights AND fog lights at the same time, and apparently had his brights on too. I literally could not see anything, and that part of the road has a sharp curve. If it was not for the fact that I know that road, I may have ended up in the ditch. I still slammed on the brakes, because I could not see anything at all. Since I was nearly stopped at that point, I called 911, and told them the location and what happened. Whether anything happend, I dont know, but they said they check into it.
Blueish ones are aftermarket stuff. Factory are a white color. Kids seem to like the blue. Personally, I really like the white light as things look brighter. My interior lights are LED, even my new refrigerator is nice bright white when y ou open the door..
I'm 70 and have no problem if I'm the only car on the road. Add a lot of other oncoming cars and it is getting more difficult. Add rain and I'd rather not drive at night. Never bothered me when I was 20.
"Night" doesn't bother me as much as "twilight" -- the time between when my "day vision" (color) fades and "night vision" (mono) kicks in. Heaven help a guy on the roadside with a recumbent bicycle!! :-/
Strictly speaking those after market lights are mostly illegal. There are other things too like driving without lights after sun down, broken headlight, tail light, loud noisy cars, not flashing when turning, changing lane, etc.
Blue-white headlights are either HID or LED. OEM stuff isn't too bad
- although they CAN be irritating. Virtually all "aftermarket conversions" are both illegal and terribly irritating
Cateracts will do that to ya.
(PeteCresswell) posted for all of us...
Yes. Do you have cataracts or any other eye problems?
Macular degeneration?
The city uses low pressure sodium on some streets, spaced out pretty far. Add in pedestrians with dark clothing and it gets interesting.
There is a law bicycles have to have lighting. Sometimes I think that's counterproductive. On dark roads with no traffic I find I fix on the blinking LED. Like motorcycles, you go where you're looking.
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