I've been thinking about this stuff since I moved to a place where nights are very dark and people use high beams much more liberally (and inconsiderately)
It's it possible to have some sort of lumen-activated glass tinting? Something to protect the receiving end?
I think ive heard of glasses that do something similar in the sunlight. I think auto makers will be hesisitant because if it fails to revert back the low visibility could be hazardous and result in a lawsuit. I think we can solve this problem with proper regulation rather than add even more tech to new cars. Along with lumen limits the "warmth" (kelvin) of the lights may be regulated as well.
My understanding is that thwres a a federal limit of like 30% light being blocked for windshields, with most states having stronger regulations.
My state, Mass, only allows any tint in the top 6" for instance. BUT, its really easy to get a waiver, overriding that. All it requires is taking a doctor's note documenting photosensitivity to the DMV.
Back in highschool, my friend's mom had glaucoma, and got her car tinted. Because he was on his parent's insurance, that made her a registered user of his car, and also entitled him to tint his out. He had his windshield tinted to about the darkness of a medium pair of sunglasses.
Enforcement would help. The biggest problem in my locality is lifted trucks that become retina destroyers to reasonable-height cars. I don't think I've ever heard of someone getting a ticket here for having too-bright headlights.
There was a time when all cars in the US had round headlights. That's because there was only one headlight and all cars were mandated by law to use it. That law can be reimplemented at any time. It would fix the headlights as soon as it goes into effect.
Car makers would hate it. It would ruin a lot of their styling and marketing having to use the one and only headlight. Which would make it an effective deterrant. Any major government using sealed beam laws as a threat would make the industry self regulate quickly.
So let’s get this straight: you’re driving along at night, a car driving toward you on the other side dazzles you with excessively bright lights, you roll down the window and grab your baseball bat, lean out the window and smash their headlights with the bat.
But what do you do about the lights on the other side of the car? They’re not so easy to reach from your side of the road!
Calculate how many headlights need changing and how much it will cost
Create a fund for that amount.
Announce that in a 1.5 years headlight regulation changes and all cars need to adapt.
During annual checks verify the lights. If they don't comply with the regulation send driver to regulate/change them for free (covered by fund established in 2)
After 1.5 years do random checks. Each car that still doesn't comply gets towed. The owner can either pay for the tow and fixing the lights and can't recover their car.
Just saying there are new requirements would be unfair to poor people that bought a car before the new regulation. They would have to spend extra money now to fix something they are not responsible for.
Saying that car manufacturers have to fix all their cars would be unfair because they were selling car that complied with all regulations. This would not stand in court.
That's why there's no quick fix. Doing it fairly will be complicated and it will cost money. It's easier for politicians to ignore the issue.
Most of north america doesn't do that. Some place require a safety check to initiate insurance, after that most just wait for things to break or get pulled over by a cop/ministry of transportation.
Im also a little iffy about #2. We already subsidize drivers enough, making them pay for their lights or at least partly pay sounds reasonable.
I think a middle ground solution would be add the regulations for new cars and enforce the regulation when a noncompliant car changes owners. This way buyers of used cars should be able to research if that cost is likely to impact their model or not. It doesn't take all the headlights off the road at once but it starts phasing out the problematic cars.
Just put the onus on car and bulb sellers going forward, then tack on a req for antiques that goes into effect in stages, probably paired with registration renewals. That way it's not an all-at-once burden, and most people can know about the transition well in advance. No surprises.
You don't just not beat your dog because it doesn't kill it.
These lights are too bright, they cause discomfort and stress out blinded drivers, and make driving at night impossibly for many who could otherwise drive safely before they were introduced.
For many night driving has become a rather traumatic experience, and that negatively effects them and other people as a result.
Imagine wearing a shocking dog bark collar and not knowing when it's gonna go off, but knowing it could, and you are also operating a 2 ton vehicle at 60mph on a busy and notoriously deadly stretch of road with your adorable 3 year old twins buckled in the back seat.
They've spent their entire lives bedazzling everything from hair to toenails to purses and beyond. They're not finding the way to de-bedazzle the lights, because they're not looking for one.
53 Comments
FireRetardant@lemmy.world · 73 pts · 195d
Headlight height regulations and lumen limits. If a transport truck can have reasonably placed head lights, so can the f250.
Kn1ghtDigital@lemmy.zip · 14 pts · 195d
I've been thinking about this stuff since I moved to a place where nights are very dark and people use high beams much more liberally (and inconsiderately)
It's it possible to have some sort of lumen-activated glass tinting? Something to protect the receiving end?
FireRetardant@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 195d
I think ive heard of glasses that do something similar in the sunlight. I think auto makers will be hesisitant because if it fails to revert back the low visibility could be hazardous and result in a lawsuit. I think we can solve this problem with proper regulation rather than add even more tech to new cars. Along with lumen limits the "warmth" (kelvin) of the lights may be regulated as well.
ZiemekZ@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 195d
God I wish it was 3000K max, just like good old halogen bulbs.
ebolapie@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 195d
I believe any kind of window tint on windshields is illegal in the United States. Even electrochromic tint that is 100% transparent most of the time.
axexrx@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 194d
My understanding is that thwres a a federal limit of like 30% light being blocked for windshields, with most states having stronger regulations.
My state, Mass, only allows any tint in the top 6" for instance. BUT, its really easy to get a waiver, overriding that. All it requires is taking a doctor's note documenting photosensitivity to the DMV.
Back in highschool, my friend's mom had glaucoma, and got her car tinted. Because he was on his parent's insurance, that made her a registered user of his car, and also entitled him to tint his out. He had his windshield tinted to about the darkness of a medium pair of sunglasses.
henfredemars@infosec.pub · 42 pts · 195d
Enforcement would help. The biggest problem in my locality is lifted trucks that become retina destroyers to reasonable-height cars. I don't think I've ever heard of someone getting a ticket here for having too-bright headlights.
albbi@piefed.ca · 16 pts · 195d
I don't understand how lifted trucks where the bumpers are lifted as well and are well above those of all the other vehicles on the road are legal.
Tarquinn2049@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 195d
They are legal by being buddies of the police, or by being the police while off-duty.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 195d
they are illegal, but just not enforced.
Gerudo@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 195d
It's not that they are too bright, it's that they never realign the beams to the correct angle for the height increase.
mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 195d
nope, it's both
hildegarde@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 27 pts · 195d
There is a quick fix, sealed beams.
There was a time when all cars in the US had round headlights. That's because there was only one headlight and all cars were mandated by law to use it. That law can be reimplemented at any time. It would fix the headlights as soon as it goes into effect.
Car makers would hate it. It would ruin a lot of their styling and marketing having to use the one and only headlight. Which would make it an effective deterrant. Any major government using sealed beam laws as a threat would make the industry self regulate quickly.
CADmonkey@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 195d
I support a return to round sealed beam headlights. Especially if we can have pop-ups again.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 195d
Pop ups are dangerous for pedestrians.
CADmonkey@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 195d
So are big ass pickups with grilles that are over 5ft high
umbrella@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 195d
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net · 2 pts · 195d
All headlights would magically change? Even the millions installed in cars already? Wow, that's a powerful legislation.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 195d
Alternative response: retroreflective mirror
Witchfire@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 194d
I keep a reflective umbrella in the passenger seat, it's been quite useful
mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 195d
unfortunately you'd need a quite large surface for it to be effective
01189998819991197253@infosec.pub · 3 pts · 194d
Not if they're slightly hyperbolic.
mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 194d
.. that's already handled by the retro reflective nature
01189998819991197253@infosec.pub · 1 pts · 194d
But if you combine both together.....
mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 194d
then you get an even smaller effective area
sirico@feddit.uk · 11 pts · 195d
90% they have every light on people don't take the time to figure out their cars so drive about with fogs on full blast 24/7
BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 194d
This! People who don't spend 5min to figure out their lights and just leave them on auto.
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 11 pts · 194d
Have you tried baseball bats?
rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 194d
This article is from the UK, and nobody plays baseball over there.
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 5 pts · 194d
Cricket bat, croquet mallet, whatever 🤷‍♂️
rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 194d
AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 194d
I maintain that Americans made baseball because no one had time for a game that lasts a week.
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 194d
So let’s get this straight: you’re driving along at night, a car driving toward you on the other side dazzles you with excessively bright lights, you roll down the window and grab your baseball bat, lean out the window and smash their headlights with the bat.
But what do you do about the lights on the other side of the car? They’re not so easy to reach from your side of the road!
Typotyper@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 194d
That's why knights of old had such long jousting sticks. Knock those shinny fuckers into the dirt
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 194d
One hand on your jousting stick, the other on the baseball bat, knee on the steering wheel. Love it!
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net · 10 pts · 195d
Ok, here's how you fix it:
Just saying there are new requirements would be unfair to poor people that bought a car before the new regulation. They would have to spend extra money now to fix something they are not responsible for.
Saying that car manufacturers have to fix all their cars would be unfair because they were selling car that complied with all regulations. This would not stand in court.
That's why there's no quick fix. Doing it fairly will be complicated and it will cost money. It's easier for politicians to ignore the issue.
FireRetardant@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 195d
Most of north america doesn't do that. Some place require a safety check to initiate insurance, after that most just wait for things to break or get pulled over by a cop/ministry of transportation.
Im also a little iffy about #2. We already subsidize drivers enough, making them pay for their lights or at least partly pay sounds reasonable.
I think a middle ground solution would be add the regulations for new cars and enforce the regulation when a noncompliant car changes owners. This way buyers of used cars should be able to research if that cost is likely to impact their model or not. It doesn't take all the headlights off the road at once but it starts phasing out the problematic cars.
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net · 2 pts · 195d
Clearly, a solution for civilized countries :)
But I agree, you can either pay and get the problem solved faster or pass the cost to drivers and wait a decade or more to phase out problematic cars.
FireRetardant@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 195d
I bring up north america mostly because it has the most egregious offenders with high hooded SUVs and trucks.
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net · 2 pts · 195d
Yes but US regulates so few things they will obviously not even try to solve this issue. With current administration it's even less likely.
exaybachae@startrek.website · 4 pts · 194d
Just put the onus on car and bulb sellers going forward, then tack on a req for antiques that goes into effect in stages, probably paired with registration renewals. That way it's not an all-at-once burden, and most people can know about the transition well in advance. No surprises.
Sakurai@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 195d
Interesting stats, if caveated
hildegarde@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 195d
Collisions dropped suddently in 2020. What could have possibly caused it???
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net · 5 pts · 195d
Everyone had 20/20 vision that year, duh.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 195d
Seriously?
ebolapie@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 195d
I do not think they are being serious. The triple ? is a dead giveaway.
Sakurai@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 195d
Look at least they didn’t blame congestion tax
exaybachae@startrek.website · 2 pts · 194d
Death is not the only concern.
You don't just not beat your dog because it doesn't kill it.
These lights are too bright, they cause discomfort and stress out blinded drivers, and make driving at night impossibly for many who could otherwise drive safely before they were introduced.
For many night driving has become a rather traumatic experience, and that negatively effects them and other people as a result.
Imagine wearing a shocking dog bark collar and not knowing when it's gonna go off, but knowing it could, and you are also operating a 2 ton vehicle at 60mph on a busy and notoriously deadly stretch of road with your adorable 3 year old twins buckled in the back seat.
Sakurai@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 194d
Idk, as a cyclist I’ve been blinded at night by other cyclists as often as cars.
Don’t mistake me, I have plenty of reasons to share the “fuck cars” ethos, but LED headlights aren’t even in the top 10.
mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 195d
idk man a hammer to the headlight seems like a pretty quick fix to me
LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 195d
In my daydreams that sounds like a great idea. In reality I think the law would probably close in on me for doing that.
mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 195d
between flock and doorbell cams, you'd certainly need to take precautions carefully
hopefully someday soon we reach a critical mass where the average person realizes how fucking shit and assholey these LED headlights are
bryndos@fedia.io · 3 pts · 195d
I was disappointed by the scene in 'fight club' where they hit the modern vw beetle with baseball bats.
They did virtually no damage.
Make sure you use a big pointy hammer.
01189998819991197253@infosec.pub · 3 pts · 194d
They've spent their entire lives bedazzling everything from hair to toenails to purses and beyond. They're not finding the way to de-bedazzle the lights, because they're not looking for one.