Are we OK with how bright headlights are getting?

[MossRoad]

We have to cars with hid headlights and a truck with regular headlights. The hid are brighter and whiter lights and they also have a much wider and higher pattern but only on brights. My truck with regular headlights has a much narrower pattern even on brights. I think the truck shines down the road far enough but not wide enough. In town it doesn’t matter much but out in the country it does, mainly for deer.

One thing I especially notice with the better headlights is going down a steep hill you notice instead of the headlights being buried into the bottom of the hill they shine up the other side some. My wife’s car actually moves the lights some such as hills and around corners.

Our Subaru has the lights that move left or right on curves. They don't go up and down. Kinda interesting, when you start the car facing a wall, you can see the headlights come on, move full cross-eyed, then full Marty Feldman, then back to center.

 

[Oaktree]

Why is the dash illuminated? Is it because it's a modern screen panel? I think that for all of our cars (only one of which has a central screen for cameras & "infotainment") the dash - all analog dials other than the center driver info on the newest car - are dark unless the lights are on.

That "feature" has been around for quite a while. I rode somewhere with someone who had a Honda, and the dash lights were on all the time, this would have been over 20 years ago.

 

[Jstpssng]

That "feature" has been around for quite a while. I rode somewhere with someone who had a Honda, and the dash lights were on all the time, this would have been over 20 years ago.

It's a real PITA at times.

 

[dodge man]

Our Subaru has the lights that move left or right on curves. They don't go up and down. Kinda interesting, when you start the car facing a wall, you can see the headlights come on, move full cross-eyed, then full Marty Feldman, then back to center.

Yes when your driving you can’t really tell the headlights move but when you start it you sure can.

 

[Hay Dude]

I didn’t read all the responses, but has anyone added that older guys eyes get more sensitive to headlights?
AI:
Yes, older adults often experience increased sensitivity to vehicle headlights due to age-related changes in their eyes, such as reduced pupil dilation and clouding of the lens, which can scatter light and enhance glare. This makes it more challenging for them to see clearly at night and can affect their driving safety.
are older folks eyes more sensitive to vehicle headlights at DuckDuckGo

 

[ponytug]

I didn’t read all the responses, but has anyone added that older guys eyes get more sensitive to headlights?
AI:
Yes, older adults often experience increased sensitivity to vehicle headlights due to age-related changes in their eyes, such as reduced pupil dilation and clouding of the lens, which can scatter light and enhance glare. This makes it more challenging for them to see clearly at night and can affect their driving safety.
are older folks eyes more sensitive to vehicle headlights at DuckDuckGo

Cataracts, retinal disorders certainly make it worse for some older folks, but there are big genetic differences in how fast people's eyes react to being photobleached by a bright light, like oncoming headlights. That can start before folks learn to drive.

All the best, Peter

 

[kozal01]

My issue isn’t so much the newer headlights, it’s every jack wagon that levels their trucks but never bother to re aim their headlights. Oddly enough it’s almost always a GMC/ Chevy truck. The other are the ones that throw LED bulbs into their regular headlight housings, glare city. But it’s a trade off, as someone who drives sometimes a thousand or so miles a week I really appreciate the amazing headlights on these newer vehicles. I’ve avoided A LOT of dear that I wouldn’t have been able to see in my older vehicles.

 

[Oaktree]

My issue isn’t so much the newer headlights, it’s every jack wagon that levels their trucks but never bother to re aim their headlights. Oddly enough it’s almost always a GMC/ Chevy truck. The other are the ones that throw LED bulbs into their regular headlight housings, glare city. But it’s a trade off, as someone who drives sometimes a thousand or so miles a week I really appreciate the amazing headlights on these newer vehicles. I’ve avoided A LOT of dear that I wouldn’t have been able to see in my older vehicles.

I haven't noticed any particular brand distinction when it comes to headlight glare. You make a good point about people putting LED bulbs in housings that aren't designed for them...especially reflector housings. The LED's light distribution is different than a bulb filament (which was what the reflector was designed for), and that negates a lot of the design that went into that housing. Not as big a problem with projector style housings.

The real solution would be better headlight design, but until the rules change that ain't gonna happen.

 

[Hay Dude]

Cataracts, retinal disorders certainly make it worse for some older folks, but there are big genetic differences in how fast people's eyes react to being photobleached by a bright light, like oncoming headlights. That can start before folks learn to drive.

All the best, Peter

Ever consider that this website, and very likey the OP, are made up of mostly older men?

 

[dodge man]

It’s been years since I read a Consumers Report review of a car. It always seemed like they criticized the makers for headlights that weren’t bright enough or were to bright.