To be happy about this...re headlight glare..link attached

[Ihateboris]

Finally something is (hopefully) going to be done about these bloody awful and dangerous headlights. I hate driving at night as these lights literally blind me for a few seconds.

BBC link here:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn971jlpvvro

Great news! My poor daughter has very sensitive eyes and has already said she won’t be able to drive at night when she learns (she’s nearly 16). I hate it and like others, thought it was my age and my astigmatism, but good to see it might be remedied.

Finally!!!!

Last year I bought a NightVision coat - they are the ones that look silver/grey but at completely retro-reflective so reflect significant amounts of light directly back. Absolute game-changer for me running & walking the dog - there's no way anyone can say they didn't see me, and everyone suddenly starts driving much better around me. It also seems to reduce the number of drivers who think they don't need to dip headlights for pedestrians, presumably because they are getting most of the full beam now reflected back at them.

You don’t get to choose your lights though. They come as is on your car.

I too will be pleased if the standardised angle is slightly lower, or the brightness slightly less.

However a good chunk of the problem is people driving too close. Even when you adjust your rear view, if the car behind is too close it’s still overpowering.

So back off! Pedestrians should be safer from the cars with brighter lights, but in practice it makes us lose night vision for the pavement by our feet.

Ditto on everything you’ve said!
I do a lot of night driving in the countryside and it’s so dangerous!
also as you say they get you from behind aswell, it’s ok saying to flip your rear view mirror but you get the glare in your wing mirrors too

Goes off to find out what's so hilarious about astigmatism.

Yanbu. It doesn't feel safe at all. I often feel temporarily blinded

Good! I'm a confident and very experienced driver, but I have avoid driving at night as much as possible for a few years now. My little car has standard lights and I can see fine with them, but those blinding high up lights coming towards me are ridiculous. Add in astigmatism and I might as well be at a firework display!
(When I rule the world huge great SUVs will also be banned😁 I don't care if you live rurally/have a dog/ kids etc... I had all of the above and managed in an estate car with normal lights!)

It's people coming towards me too.

Apologies...I was not making fun of the condition, I was taking the piss out of myself as i didn't know what it was. Now I do, I'm even more passionate about something needing to be done about these god awful, dangerous and intimidating lights. Sorry for anyone who has this condition💓

Its part of the reason I dislike driving on country lanes at night. Your eyes are constant switching from bright lights to just your own headlights, then you have idiots trying to drive on your boot if you dare to be driving at 50 not 60 (as you are leaving time to be able to see the corners... if a lorry appears its like an interrogation chamber. Then other people leave their full beams on because of the bright lights. And then unlicensed off road bikes...

If I can avoid it, I will, especially in the rain or very hilly journey

They’ve said this before and nothing happened. I can’t drive at night I find the lights so bad. Astigmatism doesn’t help apparently

Awesome news! I really hope they do end up forcing the manufacturers to change their headlight specs. And while they are at it perhaps they can make indicator lights bigger (some are minute!) and not hidden amongst the super bright front lights. Ohhh... and make them put the rear lights on if they have daylight running lights. Sick to death of following drivers who think their rear lights are on because their dash and fronts are lit 🙄

One thing I've noticed with a newer car is that if you put on full beam, the default setting (in mine anyway) is "automatic" so it dips the headlights for you....but even as a middle age woman I dont think its responsive enough. If you're on the brow of a hill or a bend, for example, if you're doing manually, you can see the first bit of light coming and dip before the other car is directly in view but I feel the auto setting does it a few nano seconds slower than i generally would.i notice it in my own car but also with cars coming towards me, that they are slow to turn off full beam (i rarely drive anywhere especially poorly lit, that i need them, but going to read the manual to see how(if) i turn off the auto setting.

My new job which I start in two weeks time I will be driving home 16-17 miles in the dark for the first 4 months. I was ok with driving 1.5 miles for my previous job. Not looking forward to the night driving. Before anyone asks there are no jobs on my side of the county! Plus unemployed for over a year,

I have a visual condition called Keratoconus which my corneas are coned shaped so more of the cornea exposed, more intolerant to glare.

Bought some night driving glasses which go over my glasses. This has helped with the glare. Also when it has rained heavily past few hours. As for me it’s like driving on a mirror- esp with sun bouncing on it!

Some headlights are too bright and some drivers drive on full beams. Should only drive on full beams on unlit roads and put back to normal when oncoming traffic or go through villages.

Thought it was just me and my menopausal eyes.. I drive a 2 seater low to the ground car and I’m completely dazzled from all directions.

Even went to the optician about it but they said my eyes were all good. (and don’t tell me to give up my car - I love it too much )

I find night driving more stressful anyway (age) so these make it even worse.
I can’t drive on unlit roads/roads without good cats’ eyes/markings at night any more. So it’s just as well we don’t live out in the sticks…

I have a car where people sometimes think my dipped headlights are full beam. I've been flashed before by oncoming cars, and I have to flash back so people realise I'm genuinely not driving with my full beams on. I've looked into stickers to try and reduce the glare but haven't found any yet that seem to do the trick. It's frustrating as I think it's because they're LED and the car sits up quite high (Hyundai Kona). I bought it second hand so didn't have a choice of headlights, I didn't choose it on purpose!

I think this is two issues. Astigmatism causes a flare of light. So makes the light appear like a star around it (I have this).

The glare of the lights is simply because the lights are far too bright and at the wrong angle.

I do live in the sticks and often drive many miles on country roads at night. I find if I look to the left of the middle line on the road and NOT at the cars coming towards me, it really helps.

@Xiaoxiong The beam is probably set too high. Good cars have adjustment but your garage could sort it out if you cannot. You need to see a clear pool of light in front of you with a very obvious edge - leading them to darkness. The dipped light should be in front of your car, and pointing towards the kerb. The lights should not be aimed at cars coming towards you so adjustment is badly needed. It is your fault if you don’t do it!

This is a good thing however poorly lit roads are a big factor. I don’t necessarily mean streetlights but cats eyes and decent road markings would help visibility (and give my eyes somewhere to focus instead of oncoming headlights).
I have no idea how bright my own lights are though, I don’t think the visual check making sure all bulbs are working gives the same effect as approaching lights burning into my retina.

Hm I'll have to take it to the garage then. I have investigated this before and there is a little dial to adjust the headlight height, but it's already set to the lowest setting (which paradoxically is the highest number on the dial, according to the manual).

I have a proviz hat which helps. I've been toying with another proviz item to be honest,
Uniqlo should make their moon bags reflective 🤔. I'd buy another one for winter.

And yes I absolutely agree that my headlights shouldn't be aimed at cars coming towards me but this is the whole point of the thread, that the headlights on newer cars are far too bright even on the dipped setting!!