Dazzling motorists

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
roubaixtuesday
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Joined: 18 Aug 2015, 7:05pm

Dazzling motorists

Post by roubaixtuesday »

From the thread on being followed too close

661-Pete wrote:They are also a help at night on dark country lanes, encouraging oncoming motorists to dip their lights. I dutifully and religiously switch my super-bright front lamp to low power whenever someone approaches, but that doesn't always seem to register....


Interested in others' experiences on this.

I've found that *unless* I have a front light which is dazzling for oncoming traffic on back roads, motorists more often than not leave their full beam on. Despite me being ultra visible in reflective everything. It's not they don't see me, they just don't seem to register that dazzling a cyclist is an issue in the same way, or worse, than dazzling a motorist.

Whereas if have have mine on full power and/or adjusted higher than advisable, they always dip theirs. As though once dazzled themselves they realise they oughtn't to dazzle me.

Which leaves me either blinded or feeling guilty that I'm dazzling motorists. A rock and a hard place. Generally I now leave mine on full but cover it up with a glove as long as approaching cars dip theirs.

My lighting rig is an Exposure Strada for main beam, plus a joystick flashing for visibility and a helmet mounted small falshing light too. And a plug in for the strada at the back (which is brilliant, ultra bright an no need to separately recharge), extra flashing rear light just to be sure and a helmet mounted rear flasher.
iviehoff
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Joined: 20 Jan 2009, 4:38pm

Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by iviehoff »

I have an Exposure front light, though the rather cheaper Sirius. That was the cheapest one that really lit the road up for me. It has a flexible handlebar fixing, so I can very easily manually dip it, ie point it slightly downwards, just with a little knock from my thumb, to avoid dazzling an on-coming motorist who has dipped for me. Though by the look of the bracket that comes with the Strada, maybe that doesn't work on that one.
kwackers
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Joined: 4 Jun 2008, 9:29pm
Location: Warrington

Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by kwackers »

IME most bike lights if they throw enough light to light the road throw enough light to dazzle oncoming traffic - unless they're pointed so low as to be useless.
It's a problem that's becoming worse as cheap hi-power lights become more prevalent.

I dumped my non-focussed lights a few years ago and bought a Busch Muller for mine and haven't looked back. It's focussed, puts the light were you want it and the non-flashing focussed light seems to make oncoming traffic think you're a small motorbike with all the advantages that confers...
Phileas
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Location: Bristol

Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by Phileas »

On a previous commuting route I was sometimes dazzled by motorists. Once or twice I tried putting my hand up to my eyes to indicate the problem - seemed to work. :)
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NUKe
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Location: Suffolk

Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by NUKe »

I commute regularly on country roads.I have A B&M Cyo which is fork mounted on the brake boss and pointing correctly. Very seldom have a problem with cars not dipping, no more so than I do in my van, the ones that do, tends to be the people that have forgotten they are on main beam. I don't believe the Cyo dazzles anyone . I think the current crop of idiots who ride with a powerful beam pointed at eye level are annoying to other cyclists as well as motorists. I quite often meet on my ride in and ride home to work, one such person that insists on pointing the light directly at eye level. Its just plain annoying.
NUKe
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iviehoff
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Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by iviehoff »

I don't think it is possible to have lights that enable to see where you are going properly and don't dazzle. Cars drive around with lights that have to be dipped to avoid dazzling on-coming drivers. You can't see where you are going properly with dipped headlights. If what you say is true, it ought to be possible to devise car headlights that enable you to see where you are going and don't dazzle. If that was possible, I'm sure it would have been invented by now. I don't see any essential difference between cars and bikes here.
beardy
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Joined: 23 Feb 2010, 4:10pm

Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by beardy »

iviehoff wrote:I don't think it is possible to have lights that enable to see where you are going properly and don't dazzle. Cars drive around with lights that have to be dipped to avoid dazzling on-coming drivers. You can't see where you are going properly with dipped headlights. If what you say is true, it ought to be possible to devise car headlights that enable you to see where you are going and don't dazzle. If that was possible, I'm sure it would have been invented by now. I don't see any essential difference between cars and bikes here.


I can so long as I am not dazzled by other vehicles lights, the secret is to slow down if you can not see far enough ahead at the speed that you are doing.
iviehoff
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Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by iviehoff »

beardy wrote:
iviehoff wrote:I don't think it is possible to have lights that enable to see where you are going properly and don't dazzle. Cars drive around with lights that have to be dipped to avoid dazzling on-coming drivers. You can't see where you are going properly with dipped headlights. If what you say is true, it ought to be possible to devise car headlights that enable you to see where you are going and don't dazzle. If that was possible, I'm sure it would have been invented by now. I don't see any essential difference between cars and bikes here.

I can so long as I am not dazzled by other vehicles lights, the secret is to slow down if you can not see far enough ahead at the speed that you are doing.

But that is slower than the natural roadspeed, because you can't actually see well enough. Even on a bicycle I want to see further ahead than dipped car headlights so as not to have to ride slowly.
kwackers
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Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by kwackers »

iviehoff wrote:I don't think it is possible to have lights that enable to see where you are going properly and don't dazzle. Cars drive around with lights that have to be dipped to avoid dazzling on-coming drivers. You can't see where you are going properly with dipped headlights. If what you say is true, it ought to be possible to devise car headlights that enable you to see where you are going and don't dazzle. If that was possible, I'm sure it would have been invented by now. I don't see any essential difference between cars and bikes here.

How fast are you going!?
I can see far enough at legal speeds to see where I'm going on dipped headlights.
I don't really follow your argument, the headlights are at hip height, they throw forward and level, unless there's an hill in front the beam lights up the road pretty well for a hundred yards or so and if there are any reflectives being worn, cats eyes etc then they're visible easily half a mile away.

If what you say was the case then I'd have to slow right down every time I took my headlights off main beam (i.e. every time a car came towards me) which would be painful in the extreme - not to mention annoying the crap out of those behind me...
old_windbag
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Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by old_windbag »

I must agree that dipped beam headlights work fine at all speeds up to legal limits and beyond by a big margin. When I drive my local rural roads I get annoyed with people requiring full beam on straight roads with catseyes! Perhaps their night vision is very limited but then that would mean they should have a check up for safety reasons. I rarely ever use full beam, normally if in back of beyond on a narrow twisty unknown road and only for small distances. On the bike I have a B+M Cyo Premium, it's excellent.... chap at the end of my street said "I thought you were a motorbike but then thought oh its just old_windbag"( for anonymity purposes ). His comment is not unique I've had 3 or 4 people say the same, when asked if it was dazzling or blinding he said "no it's absolutely fine". Another chap walking his dog said "thats a nice light", so I think the cyo premium gets the thumbs up.... and car drivers dip their full beams most of the time for it.
beardy
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Joined: 23 Feb 2010, 4:10pm

Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by beardy »

When I drive my local rural roads I get annoyed with people requiring full beam on straight roads with catseyes!


What about the pedestrians (or sheep) without catseyes? Or are they like cyclists on dual carriageways, so successfully driven off the roads that we can forget about them?
old_windbag
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Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by old_windbag »

I think you've misunderstood the reference to the catseyes... animals, pedestrians, horseriders etc are more important to myself than the grumbling of fellow motorists if I brake or slow for them. As a person who loves wildlife I take great care to avoid such mishaps/conflict when driving..... but this does not mean requiring full beam on to do so, I still see rabbits, foxes, hedgehogs without. Also I drive at the speed I feel fits the conditions rather than viewing the speed limit for a road as being the required speed, I'm sure many would agree that the 60mph limit of so many country roads would be insane to attempt, more so in the dark, yet legal to do. As for cyclists and pedestrians these are visible but I do feel there are many who'd benefit from using reflectives( armbands or sashes ) particularly when wearing dark clothes at night ( animal fur seems to reflect more light than a lot of human clothing ). But is that not common sense and self preservation?

One other point, when I walk the local roads I tire of the full beamers who blind me and don't switch them off even though I'm visible to them, right up to them passing me.
beardy
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Joined: 23 Feb 2010, 4:10pm

Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by beardy »

but this does not mean requiring full beam on to do so,


Yet you do see them a lot sooner if you do use your high beams. Though I agree that the only time I have difficulty seeing then in more than adequate time is when I am dazzled by the high beams or misaligned dipped beams of other vehicles.
The high beams just make it so much easier.
old_windbag
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Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by old_windbag »

Yes I catch your drift. You raise another point that is also annoying, the misalligned headlight brigade with one dim, one blinding. Surely it would be good to be allowed say two free alignments per year at a government vosa site. It would benefit everyone I feel.
beardy
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Joined: 23 Feb 2010, 4:10pm

Re: Dazzling motorists

Post by beardy »

I think that the majority of misaligned headlights (I meant vertically) are due to the owners winding up the level adjusters to maximum as soon as they leave the MOT testing station.
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