Bright Headlights

[corpsman]

Here's my latest rant...  I'm so tired of these super-bright LED headlights.  Also tired of the multitude of drivers lately that are driving with high beams on all the time.  I wish law enforcement would at least enforce the laws on the books.

[Ron D]

x2
I think it started happening when auto makers moved the high-beam switch from a foot operated button on the floor up to the turn signal arm.

Now drivers mistake the illuminated high-beam indicator lamp on the dash to mean their headlights (low beam) are on.

Idiots. Nobody reads the owners manuals.

[SteveKfl]

It is not just LEDs causing the problem, nor the switch location, but those combined with "projector beam lighting" mis-aligned or reacting to surface level changes are blinding.  Some of the vehicles also have auto "light sensors" that may be covered over or malfunctioning to add even more hazards.  Then there are the drivers that ride with their blinker or hazard lights on indefinitely???  One can't "forget" when a "Willys' one-hand signal" was "standard equipment", and 6V lights were never "too bright".  Ahhhh the good ole days...

[Ron D]

It is not just LEDs causing the problem, nor the switch location, but those combined with "projector beam lighting" mis-aligned or reacting to surface level changes are blinding.  Some of the vehicles also have auto "light sensors" that may be covered over or malfunctioning to add even more hazards.  Then there are the drivers that ride with their blinker or hazard lights on indefinitely???  One can't "forget" when a "Willys' one-hand signal" was "standard equipment", and 6V lights were never "too bright".  Ahhhh the good ole days...

Agree.
The design engineers and bean counters took something simple that worked and made it way over complicated (probably so the idiots would have more time to play with their so-called "smart phone" while driving).

Like a wise old plumber friend once said: "The more complex the drain, the easier it is to stop it up."

[corpsman]

I hate the ones that have the auto-dim feature because they blind you until you are right up on them.  Still not as bad as the idiots that ride around with brights on 100% of the time.

[derekredmond]

LEDs are a contributing factor though, and not just because they may be brighter.  The higher K lights (bluish daylight color) create more glare because blue light with a shorter wavelength scatters more in the atmosphere (which is why the sky is blue.)  I don't understand why car makers and owners seem to want these blue lights -- just for the novelty?  I would like to see carmakers and regulators standardize on the warmer tungsten color, which can still be produced by an LED.