Lights that are too bright?

[coobie]

There is absolutely no reason those lights need to be that bright.

Kind of a catch 22 situation.I worked out on the roads for 37 plus years(see my earlier posts)seen every dang fool know to man driving like idiots.They pay NO ATTENTION to bright or dim lights.They drive like a bat out of **** with there cell phone in one hand and foot on the gas.These individuals have one thing on their mind they have to get to there destination at any cost.Now what should we do?

 

[bcp]

This comment shows a definite lack of knowledge. The complaint is that the lights are so bright that you can't see anything. Basically the bright lights have defeated the purpose of having lights.

Everything becomes invisible. Can't see the patrol car, trooper, dead cow, road, center or side line, washed-out bridge, or upsidedown car: nothing but those lights.

Bruce

 

[dave1949]

When your life depends on these lights, you betcha I want them as bright and flashing as ridiculously as possible. Many of you stated that you had to slow down or stop to be able to see anything, well thats the point!

I slow down and move over. I'm going to do that no matter how bright the lights are. The problem is you have a blinded, disoriented driver coming at you who is vainly trying to see you and any other obstacles. I think you missed the point.

 

[aczlan]

When your life depends on these lights, you betcha I want them as bright and flashing as ridiculously as possible. Many of you stated that you had to slow down or stop to be able to see anything, well thats the point!

If (on a dark night) your lightbar is at my eye level, has multiple strobe heads each throwing out more light than a high beam and they are all flashing randomly, its CAN be too bright and it CAN cause more harm than it will prevent.
I can see that light setting in the daytime, or if its foggy/rainy/snowy out, but even then, there is a point where there is too much light and adding more will just blind people.

I slow down and move over. I'm going to do that no matter how bright the lights are. The problem is you have a blinded, disoriented driver coming at you who is vainly trying to see you and any other obstacles. I think you missed the point.

Here is an example from the first generation of LED light bars on the NY State Police Tahoes:
11PM on the side of a country back road (straight and level for a mile and half back), as I drove up the back of the Tahoe on the side of the road at 1 MPH, I was blinded to the point where I couldn't have seen the officer if they walked out from between the Tahoe and the car they had pulled over and stood at the RF corner of my car.
Between the glare off the windshield, the glare off of my glasses and my eyes having adjusted to the level of light from the lightbar, I had to stop past the car that was pulled over and sit for a couple of seconds to let my eyes re-adjust (which probbaly made the officer very uncomfortable).

Aaron Z

 

[Bird]

I'm watching our local news tonight and another cop was hit on the side of the road while he had another car pulled over. I see this more and more often these days. I'm convinced that the LED lights the cruisers have whaling on top of them are to blame for many of the accidents. I think they cause a "moth effect" and blind oncoming traffic, and thus people are drawn into the lights. Has this ever been studied in any other state ?

Has it been studied? Yes, about 35 years ago by the CHP before the days of LED and strobe lights.:laughing: In those days, it was red, white, blue, and amber lights. And, yes, the "moth effect" certainly existed, especially with drunk drivers. That study concluded that the safest thing was to have nothing but amber lights showing to the rear. The assumption was that EVERYONE knows that amber means caution. In fact, their conclusion was that it was even safer to have NO lights to the rear than to have red/white/blue. But that just didn't go over very well, because if an officer got hit with no lights on . . . well, you know what would happen.

Of course much has changed since the CHP did that study; don't know if any more recent such studies have been done.

Texas, as well as states already mentioned, does have a law requiring you to move over one lane or slow to 20 mph under the speed limit.

And as some others have mentioned, I rarely get out during the hours of darkness any more myself.:laughing:

 

[Zick]

Kind of a catch 22 situation.I worked out on the roads for 37 plus years(see my earlier posts)seen every dang fool know to man driving like idiots.They pay NO ATTENTION to bright or dim lights.They drive like a bat out of **** with there cell phone in one hand and foot on the gas.These individuals have one thing on their mind they have to get to there destination at any cost.Now what should we do?

That just helps prove my point. It doesn't matter if you make the lights 10x brighter than the sun, there is always going to be someone not paying attention. We can't fix stupid.

But for the majority of the people that do actually pay attention, why would you want these lights so bright that it actually makes it harder for them to see the important things around them (I.E. police office standing in the road)?

 

[SARG]

The companies that make the strobe systems should have them able to run at 2 different power levels. A reduced power level for ordinary weather and a more powerful level for fog or snow. Running any kinds of lights at blinding levels does not make anyone safer.

FYI ... All the new LED lightbars have the capability of a High & a low setting. They just have to activate the "blue" wire through a switch.

Halogen strobe lighting is pretty much obsolete.

 

[coobie]

That just helps prove my point. It doesn't matter if you make the lights 10x brighter than the sun, there is always going to be someone not paying attention. We can't fix stupid.

But for the majority of the people that do actually pay attention, why would you want these lights so bright that it actually makes it harder for them to see the important things around them (I.E. police office standing in the road)?

Proves my point also,60% of the knuckle heads on the road don,t give a chit if you have bright or dim lights.They have one thing in mind(GOTTA GET THERE)at any cost.I guess we are beating a dead horse?

 

[Jstpssng]

Proves my point also,60% of the knuckle heads on the road don,t give a chit if you have bright or dim lights.They have one thing in mind(GOTTA GET THERE)at any cost.I guess we are beating a dead horse?

So you prefer to render the remaining 40% (by your reckoning) blind also?
With all due respect that's overcompensating, much like a Harley rider who puts straight pipes on "So that people will hear them".

 

[Zick]

Proves my point also,60% of the knuckle heads on the road don,t give a chit if you have bright or dim lights.They have one thing in mind(GOTTA GET THERE)at any cost.I guess we are beating a dead horse?

Fine...you win I guess? :duh: