Driving in the dark

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mainbeam
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Driving in the dark

Postby mainbeam » Fri Dec 04, 2020 10:14 am

I have been driving a lot more in the early mornings and evenings recently and have noticed how much my vision is affected by the lights of oncoming traffic on unlit country roads. The bends and crests in the road worsen the problem. I tend to look to the edge of the road, nearside, because that is where a pedestrian or even a cyclist may be and of course slow down if necessary. Is there anything else I could be doing?

martine
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Re: Driving in the dark

Postby martine » Fri Dec 04, 2020 12:21 pm

Might be worth getting your eyesight checked? Apologies - that's really not meant to sound sarcastic but our eyes change as we get older and being more easily dazzled is one of them.
Martin - Bristol Advanced Motorists: IMI National Observer, Group Secretary, Masters (dist), DSA: ADI, Fleet, RoSPA (Dip)

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Horse
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Re: Driving in the dark

Postby Horse » Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:09 pm

martine wrote:Might be worth getting your eyesight checked? Apologies - that's really not meant to sound sarcastic but our eyes change as we get older and being more easily dazzled is one of them.


As we age, our eyes dim. Hands up all those who have bought reading lamps ...

Also, it could be the beginning of cataracts.

It's a bugger, this getting old :(
Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.

Gareth
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Re: Driving in the dark

Postby Gareth » Fri Dec 04, 2020 5:08 pm

mainbeam wrote:Is there anything else I could be doing?

Buy a vehicle with excessively bright lights?

Quite some years ago I drove a GTV6. The standard headlights left a lot to be desired so I got some second-hand headlight mounting rings from the US because, I'd found, they allowed the use of sae fitting 5.25" headlights. Then I bought twin Cibie SC headlights and the best bulbs I could find. A big improvement but, then, a real shock to find a car behind me cast such a bright shadow to my front that I couldn't see the area right in front of my car, the area that my headlights were meant to be illuminating.

These days I most often drive a Mk1 Octavia with factory xenons ... and find I have the same problem. Modern LED headlights are much brighter than standard xenon headlights.

It's not just that modern lights are much much brighter, it's also that they appear to illuminate with an exceedingly sharp cut-off, whereas older lights would roll off the brightness. In addition, I reckon many if not most LED running lights are brighter than the permitted illumination from headlamps above the cut-off line, making them glaring to on-comers when headlights aren't.
there is only the road, nothing but the road ...

Gareth
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Re: Driving in the dark

Postby Gareth » Fri Dec 04, 2020 5:10 pm

P.S. you'll know it's got really bad when drivers don't flash when you don't dip ...
there is only the road, nothing but the road ...

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Horse
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Re: Driving in the dark

Postby Horse » Fri Dec 04, 2020 7:13 pm

Gareth wrote:
These days I most often drive a Mk1 Octavia with factory xenons ... and find I have the same problem. Modern LED headlights are much brighter than standard xenon headlights.

It's not just that modern lights are much much brighter, it's also that they appear to illuminate with an exceedingly sharp cut-off, whereas older lights would roll off the brightness. In addition, I reckon many if not most LED running lights are brighter than the permitted illumination from headlamps above the cut-off line, making them glaring to on-comers when headlights aren't.


I'll admit to being a hypocrite here, I'll complain about the glare as Xenon-equipped cars come over a crest and the auto-levelling didn't adapt - but the LED lights on my Leon are superb.

FWIW, the LED DRLs reduce brightness when the headlamps are switched on.
Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.

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jont-
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Re: Driving in the dark

Postby jont- » Fri Dec 04, 2020 8:27 pm

Gareth wrote:It's not just that modern lights are much much brighter, it's also that they appear to illuminate with an exceedingly sharp cut-off, whereas older lights would roll off the brightness. In addition, I reckon many if not most LED running lights are brighter than the permitted illumination from headlamps above the cut-off line, making them glaring to on-comers when headlights aren't.

It's worse if you drive a low sports car given the increase in SUVs with higher lights :cry:

I find it odd that Xenons mandated headlight washers, but LED lights don't.

But I can agree that LED headlights are excellent, especially with separate main beam elements. Probably brighter than the Cibie oscars I ran on the rally car.

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Horse
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Re: Driving in the dark

Postby Horse » Fri Dec 04, 2020 8:33 pm

jont- wrote:
But I can agree that LED headlights are excellent, especially with separate main beam elements. Probably brighter than the Cibie oscars I ran on the rally car.


My only experience of them is the Leon's.

On main beam the dips stay on, but the levelling raises them slightly.
Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.

Jonquirk
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Re: Driving in the dark

Postby Jonquirk » Fri Dec 04, 2020 8:54 pm

During my motoring career nothing has lit the way ahead as well as a pair of driving lamps on the roof of my Land-Rover.

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Horse
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Re: Driving in the dark

Postby Horse » Fri Dec 04, 2020 10:51 pm

Jonquirk wrote:During my motoring career nothing has lit the way ahead as well as a pair of driving lamps on the roof of my Land-Rover.


And on dip? No point driving up to what main allows to then find the world has gone dark on dip.


'Nothing has lit the way like .... '

For me, motorcycling, it was a 6" dia Cibie 'Z beam' unit.

That, as the name implies, had a 'Z' shaped dip cut-off, which (unlike dip cut off with just a flat and a 'kick' on the nearside) had a 'drop' on the offside. That meant it could be adjusted higher without dazzling oncoming drivers.

One of the mags did a set of comparisons, the Z dip shone further than a factory fit 750 Yamaha main beam.

However, that was 40 years ago so I doubt that it would compare to current Xenon and LEDs.
Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.


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