Seems to go in waves around here, and I've been seeing a significant increase in the stupidity on the roads here.

You've got the people that drive around like a ghost with no lights on at all (no idea how you can see where you're going?!?), and they have no response to a high-beam flash, nor a quick off/on a few times to try to indicate that they've got no lights.

Then there's the DRL (daytime running lights) crowd. Cars with DRLs that are bright enough to pass for headlights. But, main issue with that is that there's no taillights. Again, no response to a flash of the lights at them.
This one I blame partially on cars that have the dash lit up full time, so even at night with just the DRLs, they can see all the gauges & can see where they're going fairly well.

Lastly, high beams. Most commonly, I see it with older cars that have pretty weak low beam lights to begin with. More of a nuisance that they have their high beams on, which are barely brighter than many modern cars' low beams.
2nd group here is the ones running with their high beams on because they have 1 or both low beam lights out. Sure, you can see now, but you're blinding everyone else.
Like the rest, no response to a flash.

An add on to these would be the (primarily) Dodge drivers that run around with just their parking lights & fog lights on.
At least they're visible to other drivers, even if they can't really see where they're going. Luckily, this is more common on city streets with lower speed limits than on the freeway.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: P250UA5,

Plus you've got these new cars with automatic high beams. They work - - sometimes.

Then there’s the assholes with the lit up bars of LED work lights on their truck driving down the highway.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
Then there’s the assholes with the lit up bars of LED work lights on their truck driving down the highway.

Luckily, there doesn't seem to be a lot of that going on, that I've noticed, around here.

But, tangentially, some of the road work crews have switched to blindingly bright LED work lights. No fun at 70MPH to be hit with those as you go by.

For whatever reason Ford trucks seem to have exceptionally bright lights to me. I've lost count of how many times I have given a polite "ya forgot yer brights are on" flash only to be melted toward the ditch when the dual sun beams come back. My retinas feel like ants under a magnifying glass when that happens.

As for those running without or just DRLs when tail lights are needed, I utter a short prayer that they receive a ticket. If I see the same one more than once, I usually up the prayer request to a flaming wreck that involves no one else. I need to find a better channel for my aggravation.

So, if I understand your rant, is that a lot of people from Arkansas are driving in Texas.

Yeah, I found some headlights from an Infinity Q-45 and put the projector assembly in my OEM headlight housing. Had to make my own CANBUS harness also. Now I'm somewhere close to 13,000 lumens. With the highs on, I can actually see the deer and have enough time to react. The fog lights are aimed to the sides of the road to illuminate the smaller critters. The only time I think I had inadvertently blinded someone was some dude in a lowered Miata (probably not the first time this had happened to him).

When done properly and kept in adjustment, there will be no glare or blinding of others.

If somebody slaps some Chinese bulbs in a factory headlight. It will be bad, they will see less, and it won't last as long.

Of course, there is the added plus of having something ready for the aforementioned LED light bar equipped motorist.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Then there's the DRL (daytime running lights) crowd. Cars with DRLs that are bright enough to pass for headlights. But, main issue with that is that there's no taillights.

Preach it all brother!

I'm wholeheartedly against this ongoing "arms race" in LED and DRL technology -- it's like a quest to see which manufacturer can make its lighting the most blindingly obnoxious, all the while not bothering to light the back end of the vehicle at all.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
Then there’s the assholes with the lit up bars of LED work lights on their truck driving down the highway.

Last night I passed one of these guys on my way home. Union Pacific truck. Had two sets on the front also lit.

I use to have a pair of Lucas Flame Thrower driving lights on my 69 Corvette mounted in the high beam location. They were 10K candle power and turned night into day.

The problem was that there were not many places you could turn them on.

They worked great if a person was going slow in the fast lane. If left on more than a microsecond, the vehicle would have burn marks on the trunk.

I noticed some of the newer cars have fog lights that shine to the side and are mounted below the main headlights.

I’ve seen all of what your is rant about 60-70 times in 8 different states over the last week. Would have been more but we covered a lot of daytime miles.
On the last leg of a 2600 mile round trip. Tomorrow my own bed! Hallelujah!

In the hotel as I write this because my “pissed fuse” shorted out at least 300 miles ago...again. People just don’t give a damn. My fave is the interstate numbskull that Will Not change from high beams because he’s alllll the way over on the other side of a 200(?) ft median and his brights should be no concern to me.
Worthless pricks.

Can agree with most of all those comments.
Add in on I75 the construction or service trucks that sit high and drive with their high beams on.

Just as aggravating as when you are passing someone and while in the fast lane some other arse decides you are driving too slow and feels that flashing his lights means you should immediately and magically move out of his way. Yeah. Should I drive on the shoulder? Double my speed? Perhaps just slow down just for me to go behind the car I was just passing? And yeah let’s see how close you can get to my bumper with your high beams on cause I don’t have brakes or a tactical flashlight with strobe to introduce you too.

Almost just as bad as the cars in the middle lane driving slow and won’t move over no matter what.

 
Speaking of DRLs, I've noticed that about every second GMC/Chevrolet based on the 1/2 ton truck (Sierra, Silverado, Suburban, Yukon, Tahoe etc.) has one DRL not working. It seems to be a trademark of those models.

The worst is someone that replaced the standard light with some high intensity light which may not be aligned correctly or he is driving with the high beam on.

In a truck with side mirrors, you are blinded right there. There is no place you can hide without seeing the side mirrors. The rear view mirror can be adjusted. Maybe the manufactures could add a remote control to the side mirrors for this problem.

In this condition, I slow down and let him pass or pull over to let him pass. It would be nice to have a hidden high intensity light under your rear bumper for these occasions and give him some of his own medicine.

41, I might have some information that will help you reduce side mirror glare. Here is a Car and Driver link on how ro adjust mirrors. It will likely seem strange at first, but once you adjust to it, your side mirrors pick up blind spots better, you'll know that if something is in the rearview you have plenty of room, and your glare changes significantly. It took me a week to fully embrace the idea, but now, I can see cars approach from the rear and then disappear into the side mirrors but not into blind spots.

Thanks FFIPS, it looks interesting and I will give it a try.

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
41, I might have some information that will help you reduce side mirror glare. Here is a Car and Driver link on how ro adjust mirrors. It will likely seem strange at first, but once you adjust to it, your side mirrors pick up blind spots better, you'll know that if something is in the rearview you have plenty of room, and your glare changes significantly. It took me a week to fully embrace the idea, but now, I can see cars approach from the rear and then disappear into the side mirrors but not into blind spots.

This is pretty much how I've had my mirrors for my 17 years on the road.
Just a slight lean of a couple inches L or R & I can see the door handles on my car.

Definitely helped tremendously when I was working for a Chevrolet dealer & the 5th gen Camaros came out.

Imagine life where every third car is a tourist in an unfamiliar rental car. Daytime’s bad but when the sun goes down real mayhem begins when half of them drive with DRLs.

And for all their smarts, none of the manufacturers can figure out that it would be nice to turn the danged DRLs off when the regular headlights are turned on. Grr.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
And for all their smarts, none of the manufacturers can figure out that it would be nice to turn the danged DRLs off when the regular headlights are turned on. Grr.

The ones on my Mercedes dim with the headlights on.
Our Flex has the fog lights for DRLs, so they stay on as well.

But, neither are bright enough to be of any use without the headlights.