full beam headlights are just for when there is no traffic coming the other way, right?

[BellaBearisWideAwake]

So many drivers seem to be using their full beam headlights at the moment, and I keep getting blinded by oncoming traffic!

I wonder if they think they are foglights?

I wish there was some recognised signal for 'DIP YOUR HEADLIGHTS!!!!!!'

Grr.

Travelling for 2 hours in minus 14 last night I had full beam on at times on dodgy bits even if traffic coming the other way. I only put them on briefly but a full beam makes detecting ice and snow much easier. If other people want to flash their lights at me fine, I mainly put my full lights on when they wouldn't be dazzling me if they put their full beam on anyway as many motorists do this. It still improved my visibility on the dodgy bits (and I was never over 50 on the motorway so not exactly speeding along)

2rebecca, it's not easier to detect snow/ice when someone's driving at you with full beam on though.
And it may be brief, but when you get dazzled you get that blindness lingering for ages after.

Rebecca you are completely irresponsible and I am shocked by your actions.

I also fail to see how the fuck temperature affects your decision!

I really hope you don't cause an accident but I fear even if you do you'll blame someone/something else.

You should have your license rescinded because given your above description of your driving style you're not fit to be allowed behind the wheel.

I'm embarrassed on your behalf.

Alpine - have you woken up in a bad mood this morning?

What a strange thing to say.

I don't like dangerous drivers - if Rebecca were coming towards you with her full beams on how would you react? Would you say "there there you poor ickle thing?".

She's a danger to other drivers. Would you advocate her having a wee dram for the road before climbing in to her car?

Fine I'll lie in future and go with the flow on mumsnet.

FFS 2rebecca you selfish caaah. You can't put your full beams on if people are coming towards you. You just can't! If you dazzled another driver and caused them to crash, how would you feel? You could even dazzle a driver and make them crash into you... did you ever think about that?

The fact that "other people do" is no justification.

Joking aside Rebecca, my father's eyes aren't very good and his reactions are slow - yet like you, he has a legal right to drive.

If you were to dazzle him with your full-beams and cause him to smash in to you and perhaps kill your child who would you blame? It's a horrible thing to think about but driving dangerously really is no joking matter. 50mph is fucking fast if you yourself admit you don't know how to drive!

And now for a sensible suggestion - why not do one of these "advanced driving" courses and learn how to drive properly?

Umm because it was just 1 evening of extremely icy and snowy roads and I used my headlights on full beam for under 1% of that particular journey. Some of you have gone OTT and assumed I permanently drive on full beam rather than reading what I actually wrote.

In your post you clearly state that you didn't dip your beams for oncoming traffic and fail to see anything wrong with that.

Rebecca - Using fullbeams in a blizzard or fog is actually not helpful towards you yourself. I understand you don't give a damn about anyone else on the road, but whilst firing your fullbeams in to snow you're actually having that light reflected back off the flakes and so it's just like looking into a lamp - doesn't actually help your sight any - in fact if anything, it hinders you.

Learning to drive is very important - especially if you already have a license. You've admitted you don't know how to drive with snow and ice, I dread to think how many other things you don't know how to do with the car. :(

'I wish there could be more lighting too on dangerous, dark roads, but I guess it's not environmentally friendly.'

No, please NO MORE lights. I do my share of driving in the dark but we don't need any more.

I love looking at the stars. It's nearly impossible to do it these days. Light pollution is dreadful. When the shooting stars were here in the summer is was so hard to find a way of looking at them because of all the light. And we live in the country.