To think a fine would sort this problem out

[Fatandknowit]

Headlights.

Far too many cars aren't dipping their headlights. I know of several people (directly and indirectly) who dont even know what the little wheel with numbers does!

Driving home this evening and was on a notoriously quiet but dark and narrow road with parked cars either side. A mini pulled in and allowed me to pass. Their headlights were so unbelievable dazzling that I physically couldnt see my surroundings/parked cars. It was like putting a torch inside my eyelids. I took my time and thankfully got through with no bother but they flashed to tell me i was too slow or I have room as I was creeping past, which is how I know they didnt have high beams on by mistake. They could obviously see me just fine - because mine are dipped - and probably thought I was a brand spanking new or overly cautious driver or something (I'm really not!)

There's nothing wrong with my eyesight or spatial awareness.

Another example, driving through a dark tunnel and the car behind was blinding me through my rear view mirror, so much so that I had to move my mirror.

Im not talking SUVs in these examples, we all know they're terrible for it due to height differences regardless, I'm talking ordinary hatchbacks/saloons.

I think I can confidently say that everyone these days hates car headlights, but if people knew how to set them correctly that would at least help. Would the threat of a fine reduce these occurences?

IABU - Nope. Nothing to do with end user. All headlights are shite. End of story.
IANBU - Yep. That would actually help or at least reduce some of the issues.

Fines in general don't work.

Rich people don't care, poor people don't pay which incentivises both to ignore the rules.

Middle income people are most affected and least likely to break the rules because of this.

Plus it's a manufacturing issue - not the choice of drivers.

Thanks everyone. Opinions on the fine are closely split but at least pretty much everyone agrees they're a problem so I feel better about posting! It just gets to a point where you start thinking hmhow can we bloody sort this out!

Also, just for total clarification - some PPs realise that the wheel with numbers I referred to was indeed the angle - I'm not talking about auto-dipped lights. My car does that too. Nor am I talking about how to turn full beam to dipped via the stalk. It's the angle of the dip that a lot of people dont realise can (and often should) be changed. Especially with newer cars who assume its all automatic.

Roll on new legislation!

Yeh loads of people flash at me to dip mine when they are dipped. Just v bright and very white light. It is annoying

The headlights in my car adjust their position automatically and they're matrix lights - the sort with lots of leds that operate individually and dim in sections. This is the same for lots of more modern cars. I've been flashed a couple of times.

The only time I've felt dazzled by an oncoming vehicle has been by trucks or tractors with big, high lights. I find it hard to look around them like I can with cars, vans etc.

I drive a very low sports car. Everything dazzles me as I'm in the headlight beam of most cars!
Especially from behind.
I've tried yellow anti-dazzle glasses but they don't work as the whole night world turns orange.
Just live with it.
Fines would be unenforceable - how many cops are cruising dark lanes? Modern bulbs are very bright even when 'dipped'

You dont mean dipped, I think you mean poorly adjusted. Most problem lights look like main beans but its actually maladjustment of the normal "dipped" setting. To pass an MOT headlamps must point down and to the left. God knows how so many cars are driving around with this set wrong! Totally agree something needs to be done about it.

New cars dont have an MOT for 3 years do they?

Yeah it’s this. My mini used to utterly enrage people.

I had the lights checked. They were calibrated to be how they should be legally. I obviously wasn’t going to mess around with that and have no idea what dial you are talking about.

There’s a little dial that angles the lights up and down so if you have a huge weight in the boot that tips the front of the car up you can lower the headlights. Most people never touch it

As a side note. All hail to my Volvo. It has intelligent auto lighting.

It decides automatically based on ambient light whether full or dipped is appropriate.

It then senses other cars and blocks them all.

So I can be going down a busy dark motorway (with no street lamps) and have full beams on. It blocks out all the light from moving cars, both in front and oncoming like little moving black boxes.

It’s quite impossible to describe if you haven’t experienced it. But my god it’s like some kind of genius level invention.

Incredible!!

Never been flashed in that car. Not once.

Ahh I see. I never knew that existed. But then I also didn’t drive around with heavy boxes in my boot.

As above I have a Volvo now. It’s god like in its lighting abilities.

My car’s lights are so bright I’m always being flashed. It’s embarrassing

The little wheel is for adjusting the angle of your headlights if you are towing a caravan etc. The weight of the caravan pulls the back of the car down making the headlights point up. You then use the wheel to adjust these back down to a normal beam angle. If you havent got something attached to the tow bar you can just use the usual dipped/main beam on the stork.

I agree with you OP, it's very noticeable lately.

Yanbu about the problem of people leaving their headlights on bright setting, but I do not think a fine would make a difference. How can it be proven? Wouldn’t the police have to witness it and have some lumen measuring radar to prove the headlights were not correct (similar to their speed radars and cameras)? How clear are the rules regarding adequate reaction time to adjust headlights?

I think it is a problem better solved by automotive engineering. They should work on headlights that automatically adjust brightness using sensors. They are most of the way there with headlights that automatically turn on at sunset or in a tunnel.