Driving is becoming complicated. Is it due to headlights that are too powerful.

I also have Cataracs that need attention, but
still so many of the blinding vehicle lights with
day and night driving.
 

Sunkist said:
Do you live in one of the states where people aren't required to take Driver's Ed.?
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best I know teens here require state approved drivers training
to get their first driver's license.

But adults 18 plus can skip the course I think, but still must pass
the driving and knowledge tests (I think)
 
In my youth, most cars had 6 volt systems. They were adequate but nothing like the flamethrower headlights some folks put on their vehicles today. Also in my youth rural traffic was so light you could drive for miles without having to dim your lights for oncoming traffic. Today it seems diming your Uber bright highbeams is a concept foreign to younger drivers.
 
Llynn said:
In my youth, most cars had 6 volt systems. They were adequate but nothing like the flamethrower headlights some folks put on their vehicles today. Also in my youth rural traffic was so light you could drive for miles without having to dim your lights for oncoming traffic. Today it seems diming your Uber bright highbeams is a concept foreign to younger drivers.
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I agree Lynn.
 
LadyEmeraude said:
I also have Cataracs that need attention, but
still so many of the blinding vehicle lights with
day and night driving.
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That's much of your night time suffering. I had mine done and it made a big change in how painful it was to drive at night.

Although recently I did see that some states are making those higher powered headlights illegal and are keeping an eye out for misaimed headlights.
 
You bring up a very good point and one I have wanted to complain about as well. For a number of years now there are increasingly a higher number of these harshly bright headlights, as older cars get retired and the newer ones with LEDs, HIDs and projection lights take over. Our free enterprise market drives this along with all of the manufacturers scrambling to keep up with each other. Also consumers demand better and better products.

That leaves us of the older generations having to adapt to the new way things are done. And there you have it, whether we like it or not.šŸ˜‚
 
Hi Robin416, so good to hear that that it made a big difference
for you, and for driving at night. Glad you shared that. I know
so many whom have benefited from the cataract surgery, with
me, I might be waiting until April for the go ahead with things.
It is painful for me to drive at night so about a couple weeks
ago, I completely stopped. Only daytime driving.

robin416 said:
That's much of your night time suffering. I had mine done and it made a big change in how painful it was to drive at night.

Although recently I did see that some states are making those higher powered headlights illegal and are keeping an eye out for misaimed headlights.
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some states are making those higher powered headlights illegal and are keeping an eye out for misaimed headlights. I am glad to hear about this!
 
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jhummel73 said:
You bring up a very good point and one I have wanted to complain about as well. For a number of years now there are increasingly a higher number of these harshly bright headlights, as older cars get retired and the newer ones with LEDs, HIDs and projection lights take over. Our free enterprise market drives this along with all of the manufacturers scrambling to keep up with each other. Also consumers demand better and better products.

That leaves us of the older generations having to adapt to the new way things are done. And there you have it, whether we like it or not.šŸ˜‚
Click to expand...

Yes, it appears that we are no longer in the 'driver's seat'.
 
I again agree...
jhummel73 said:
You bring up a very good point and one I have wanted to complain about as well. For a number of years now there are increasingly a higher number of these harshly bright headlights, as older cars get retired and the newer ones with LEDs, HIDs and projection lights take over. Our free enterprise market drives this along with all of the manufacturers scrambling to keep up with each other. Also consumers demand better and better products.

That leaves us of the older generations having to adapt to the new way things are done. And there you have it, whether we like it or not.šŸ˜‚
Click to expand...
 
The lights only bother me when itā€™s raining at night.

My biggest concern with night driving is being able to see pedestrians, pets, etcā€¦ that seem to pop up out of nowhere.

Theses days I donā€™t drive after dark or on the major interstates and toll roads.

I also try to limit my weekend driving.

Iā€™m fortunate that everything I need is within a few miles of home and easily accessed using quiet residential side streets.

Iā€™ve become the person thatā€™s always seen standing outside of the store waiting for it to open so that I can get in and out before the rest of the world finishes their coffee. šŸ˜‰šŸ¤­šŸ˜‚
 
Lady Em, the cataracts definitely make night driving worse. Those bright lights will still be there afterwards though it wonā€™t be as bad.

There are also yellow tinted glasses that you can wear over regular glasses. They help in the fog and rain. You could try a pair when youā€™re the passenger.
 
I do think headlights on some vehicles are super charged! I avoid driving at night if at all possible!

I've also noticed they are going nuts on even the break lights on some of the new cars - I mean how many break lights do you need?
 
LadyEmeraude said:
Are headlights blinding many drivers?
All those glares could put you in the ditch.

Having trouble seeing the road?

Daytime, nighttime driving?

As for me, I very much dislike/hate them.
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I can't drive at night, haven't been able to for many years. The glare of the headlights blinds me, and it is much worse if it is raining. I have been to 4 ophthalmologists, and they all stated there is nothing wrong with my eyes.

Here is a reputable website that discusses many things, including headlights: Headlights
 
The older halogen bulbs have been replaced by the newer LED bulbs, which when measuring lumens could be as high as twice as bright and some manufacturers of the LED lights crank up the lumens even higher.

I have a similar problem to Aunt Beaā€™s issue with driving at night in rainy weather. I can barely see the erased white lines. In Virginia, it was really bad, but here in Florida many of their roads have reflectors mounted into the highway surface to aid drivers with seeing the lines. Itā€™s much better now. There are ā€œspecialā€ glasses drivers can buy, which do aid in night driving. Thatā€™s their claim, even though I have never used them.

Night Driving Glasses
 
LadyEmeraude said:
I also have Cataracs that need attention, but
still so many of the blinding vehicle lights with
day and night driving.
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After having cataracs corrected I noticed a huge improvement. Years ago my brother taught me a little trick to use when meeting a vehicle with glaring bright lights. He told me to force my focus slightly to the right and below the the center of the glare. I've found that it works very well with night time driving.
 
I'm very seldom out at night and it's been that way for years. When my wife was still here, we went out to eat in the daytime, then we had all afternoon to go to a mall, a movie, or whatever else we wanted to do. But I know a couple well into their 80s, and they think nothing of driving 60 miles to some out of the way place to have dinner at 9 PM, then get back home around midnight.
 
Been There said:
The older halogen bulbs have been replaced by the newer LED bulbs, which when measuring lumens could be as high as twice as bright and some manufacturers of the LED lights crank up the lumens even higher.

I have a similar problem to Aunt Beaā€™s issue with driving at night in rainy weather. I can barely see the erased white lines. In Virginia, it was really bad, but here in Florida many of their roads have reflectors mounted into the highway surface to aid drivers with seeing the lines. Itā€™s much better now. There are ā€œspecialā€ glasses drivers can buy, which do aid in night driving. Thatā€™s their claim, even though I have never used them.

Night Driving Glasses
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Yeah the headlights are not only much brighter and piercing, but they are whiter. I liked the softer hue of the older headlights.

Thanks for the link re nighttime glasses. I'd heard that yellow tinted lenses brighten up things in the low light, but also protect against the sharp headlight glare.

I rarely drive anywhere at night, but when I do my slightly impaired vision is unsettling.
 
Yes, some of the new lights are blinding! There are a few states restricting these overly bright headlights. If yours is not one of them, maybe contact your state representatives and suggest a law regulating this.
 
I live in a very rainy area add rain the glare is worse. the lights and many have a colored light too, yellow and blue sometimes it is a lot in evening it is hard to judge distance with the bright lights as well.
 

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