Head lights

[erikbloodaxe]

If you drive when it's dark and flash your headlights to say thank you to another driver for waiting while you pass parked cars or similar, Please Stop.

It's not helpful, you are blinding other drivers and it's dangerous.

Pisses me right off......every fucking time!

I'm not sure high beams on an old car are that much more dangerous than modern lights?? I drive a small car, I'm concerned with the environment, the crazy bright lights are dangerous for me.

What do people do, do they just accept life in a small car, or an old car should be filled with danger...and drivers of new flashy cars should be afforded safety? * dazzle and frighten everyone without crazy lights. Because money buys privilege?

Or do we campaign for the stupid lights to be illegal. Shouldn't everyone have the right to drive in safely?

My car is a small car and the lights are not on the bonnet so I don't think my car is blinding people. However, what I am saying is that people buy a car not knowing if the lights are adjustable. I didn't know until after I bought it that modern cars often do not let one adjust the light position.

I drive with dipped beam and don't flash people. I think you've misunderstood me.

I think it's the manufacturers to blame..

Large 4 X4 s are bad but so are the minis with lights on the bonnet high up and some other designs like that.

ARGH yes I hate flashers.

If everyone just assumed a gratitude so enormous that the other driver will be renaming their first born child after them, for the pause in someone's day to give way to traffic that had flipping right of way anyway, the world would be a much better place.

You're not polite, you're a flashy tosser.

@grass67 Looks like you’re beginning to get to your point.
Small old “caring for the environment” cars flicking their high beams to get back at drivers of “new flashy cars” because money is “privilege”

Very illuminating.

When it's dark, how are you expected to see someone's 'Come on through' or 'Thank you' hand signals? It does blind me sometimes, but there is no other way.

What irks me is someone with their full beam on behind me. In those situations I want to have a giant mirror installed on the lining of my boot lid and have the boot lid open to bounce the light right back at them.

@Verv
Well there's no posturing on my part. I have dozens of friends from many different backgrounds, I'm also a really good person who tries to have as little impact on the planet as possible. I give a lot of time for charity. So I'm never going to feel bad about my self. I'm a great person, I give more than I receive and I contribute to society. I feel good about myself.

YOU are an aggressor ,because you stated in your post that you would nuke the hell out of other drivers, you would use your car as a weapon. I mean?? are you Putin?

You definitely don't need to spell out slowly that you chose a car with stupidly bright headlights, I get that, I will say it fast...I chose I car with normal headlights!

Please don't speak to me in a slow manner, like I'm stupid. I'm not.

FYI get your lights dimmed, then you won't have to suffer all of the abuse. Abuse because you are blinding everyone else.

How can you tell they are electric cars in the dark whilst you are blinded by the light?

Your friend is stupid. What does she hope to achieve?

Another one with very pale blue eyes who finds driving at night excruciating.

@verv, honestly I could drive anything I wanted, money is no issue. I'm very concerned with the planet, have been for decades. My children will be lucky to enjoy anything like normal, their children...well the planet is dying.
That's why I drive a small car. It's not envy I can assure you. I'm a firm believer in treating people who you want to be treated. The planet needs everyones love.

Please don't speak to me in a slow manner, like I'm stupid. I'm not.

In fairness, you think these lights should be regulated - they are, heavily. Do you think manufacturers can fit lights of any brightness, height etc that they like?

You also suggest getting lights dimmed, yeah that’s not a thing. The cars are type approved with the lights, modifying them would be illegal.

Halogen lights are on the way out, expect more and more cars to be fitted with LEDs in the coming years. I can’t think that there are that many decent cars available with halogens these days, anything you’d want to own comes with basic LEDs as standard and then full matrix LED or laser as the optional upgrade.

When I was learning to drive, I was taught that you don't assume you can go because someone gestures. There's too many people trying to be overly helpful that causes issues actually these days. I don't mean, don't be courteous but stopping the flow of traffic behind you because you decide to stop and flash someone else out from a side road is a pain in the ass for most people around. It's better to mind your own business, rather than try and police the road like that.

People should exit when there's a gap. People should stop if they don't have right of way.
Less flashing all round is probably a good idea.

Hate to deliver this to you on the back of you apparently not being stupid but read what I said again. In fact, let me repeat it back to you verbatim with some notes.

“Despite that I still come across people who think that it’s cool to high beam me when I’m driving along on low beams and minding my own business.” <—- This states that I am driving with
my low beams on. This is not an aggressive act.

“I think if it’s deliberate in future” <—— This implies that I have never, as yet, responded to anybody aggressively high beaming me.
“my response will be to not ignore itand mutter an apology for my lights” <—— This states what I currently do.
“but to throw my full beams on and treat them to the searing white light of a fecking atom bomb.” <—- this is the consideration of a retaliatory act which would follow an aggressive act like your “friend” deliberately using their headlights to blind me out of spite when I was using a low beam.

Unless you can read properly, wind your neck in.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/nearly-one-in-four-drivers-think-most-car-headlights-are-too-bright/

I think flashing lights on the dark should be illegal. It actually could kill someone. Hazards can be flashed quickly as thanks. That is different from continually for hazard. I learned to drive 23 years ago. My driving instructor then told me never to flash anyone as I could blind them and kill myself. Still don't.

Unless they flick the leaver the wrong way. It's literally a quick flash of the lights.

I was always taught to dip my lights to say thanks or invite someone to proceed, not flash them to high beam.

OP does a dip also cause issues with your eyes? Or just the high beams?

Your friend is stupid. The answer to being blinded, while travelling at speed towards a vehicle also travelling at speed, heading towards you. Hmm. Never going to be smart to blind that person too now, is it?

This is one of the reasons for our suv. I get flashed often and it infuriates me. Despite driving on country roads, my lights are dipped. I do this because people seem to flash a lot. So I know my lights annoy. However, I cannot help their position. I do live rurally. In Scotland. High. I need my suv to help my family function in winter weather, in spring flooding, dutto autumn. I need it for caring for mil all year round. I just need it.

I do not pick my car to be a twat and get up your nose, but to go about our business.

If you are blinded by my lights, it sucks. I am sorry our cars are at incompatible heights. But do not flash me. You will blind me and if we collide, you will be responsible because you did a deliberate thing to blind and to hurt me, I just drove my car. I am trying to look out for you.

My car is like a wee tank. Anti roll bars etc. Who will come off worst?

My car is like a wee tank. Anti roll bars etc. Who will come off worst?

I’m not sure you know what anti-roll bars are?

Yet new cars have a anitglare coating which is a game changer. Its like a yellow/green film on the windscreen and mirrors

@sleepyscientist that's good news though can't say I've noticed yet. Maybe it's higher spec vehicles?

I'd imagine that most people who are flashing those of you with very bright headlights are doing it because they think you have your full beams on as a reminder to turn them off - in the same way as they might flash someone driving in the dark with no lights on. Despite a pp saying a friend does it to people to piss them off on purpose I don't suppose that's too common. No point getting annoyed with the people you are blinding.

I know I flashed someone in possibly this same situation last week. It was on a dark lane with no streetlights on. The kind of road you would put full beams on if no one ahead so maybe it was stupid car design or maybe they had forgotten to turn them off. I don't know. It didn't occur to me that they could have been normal headlights as they were so bloody bright I had to almost stop - there's no way I could have seen a pedestrian or cyclist at the side of the road with those coming towards me. Even if they were normal lights then maybe if enough people flash them it will prompt them to see if they can have their height adjusted (or if not then go and complain to the car company that your lights are causing problems to other drivers!)

I am just learning to drive so don't have a lot of experience with cars but the other day I was having a fiddle in the car and found that I could move the position of the headlights down a bit. I wonder if cars come out of the factory with the headlights pointing straight ahead and the driver is supposed to position them a bit more towards the road when they are doing things like moving the wing mirrors etc.?

I did my theory test at the beginning of the year and it does say that you shouldn't flash your headlights to give thanks or encourage another driver to do something. It also says you should only use hazard lights if you have to stop in a dangerous place or to warn the driver behind about an upcoming hazard but people use their hazards willy nilly around here