Brighter car lights recommended

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gilesjuk
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Brighter car lights recommended

Post by gilesjuk »

Article on the beeb about cars getting brighter lights to be safer.

So is this a new arms race in lighting? will cyclists need twice as powerful lights to get seen now?

"though sceptics fear they could result in pedestrians and bikers becoming less visible"

Not sceptics, people who think about other road users!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16215106
MattyDeez
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by MattyDeez »

I hate driving at night, or cycling at night even just because other car lights dazzle my eyes, some of the lights are not set properly too high resulting in a "high beam" effect.
snibgo
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by snibgo »

... tomorrow's lighting systems use cameras to spot oncoming cars, thus dimming the headlights.

Neat, but gets the driver out of the habit of dipping.
The cameras also spot pedestrians early, before targeted beams of light make sure they are clearly visible to the driver.

Oh, wonderful, zap the pedestrian with full force. Any prizes for guessing whether a cyclist is treated as another car or a pedestrian?
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7_lives_left
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by 7_lives_left »

Mr Plancke wrote:And using LED brake lights can help prevent accidents between cars travelling in the same lane, as they come on a split second earlier than ordinary brake lights, according to Mr Plancke.

"You will save 10m of braking time at 90km/h (56mph)," he says.

I have an alternative method for preventing rear end shunts that doesn't involve speed of light calculations and shaving nano seconds off drivers reaction times.
Stradageek
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by Stradageek »

Just when the new breed of bike lights were getting us ahead of the game!
Stupendously unnecessary vehicles (SUV's) with their high headlights are already a problem on a recumbent, I shudder to think how I'll see if the headlights get brighter as well.
PW
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by PW »

Right, I was intending to wire a dipswitch across the high beam of my twin Cyos. Now I won't bother. :twisted:
If at first you don't succeed - cheat!!
gilesjuk
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by gilesjuk »

7_lives_left wrote:
Mr Plancke wrote:And using LED brake lights can help prevent accidents between cars travelling in the same lane, as they come on a split second earlier than ordinary brake lights, according to Mr Plancke.

"You will save 10m of braking time at 90km/h (56mph)," he says.

I have an alternative method for preventing rear end shunts that doesn't involve speed of light calculations and shaving nano seconds off drivers reaction times.


I also find they turn off just as fast meaning you can miss that the light was on. Incandescent bulbs go off slowly as the filament cools down gradually. I think LED brake lights should come on fast but fade out over half of a second.
andy63
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by andy63 »

I really think car head lights are far to bright , especially those blue ish ones .
I live in a small village , so you have to drive down unlit country roads . When I do drive at night , I never have main beam on I feel dipped lights , light the road adequately .
So many times when on the bike I get blinded by cars .
Why do car head lights need to be brighter ?? So idiots can drive faster ?
In towns and lit roads there is no need for brighter lights .
However did we get around 20/30 years ago ??
gilesjuk
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by gilesjuk »

andy63 wrote:I really think car head lights are far to bright , especially those blue ish ones .
I live in a small village , so you have to drive down unlit country roads . When I do drive at night , I never have main beam on I feel dipped lights , light the road adequately .
So many times when on the bike I get blinded by cars .
Why do car head lights need to be brighter ?? So idiots can drive faster ?
In towns and lit roads there is no need for brighter lights .
However did we get around 20/30 years ago ??


It's part of the gradual improvements in car safety that ultimately lead to faster driving, thus eliminating the benefit.
cjchambers
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by cjchambers »

I was just wondering to myself just last week (riding home in the dark) whether the regulators might soon clamp down on those horrible blinding Xenon HID lights. Apparently not! :twisted:
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bikes4two
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by bikes4two »

Maybe there's a policy link between brighter car lights and the dimming of street lighting: the latter in the pursuance of energy saving?
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Laser rear lights anyone?
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jan19
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by jan19 »

Stupendously unnecessary vehicles (SUV's) with their high headlights are already a problem on a recumbent, I shudder to think how I'll see if the headlights get brighter as well.


Or indeed in any car. I had to drive to work today as I had several site visits to do, but driving home I had a Range Rover Sport as far up my tailpipe as he could go without actually getting into my back seat. His lights were so bright shining at hight into the back of my car that I was forced to slow down as I was distracted from the light from the back.

Don't suppose he was especially entranced at being forced to slow down to 20mph because the driver of the humble Fiesta in front of him was slowing down because the driver was distracted by the brightness of his lights beaming directly through her rear window.

At the point where the road divides into two lanes he swept dramatically past me.

Any brighter lights from behind and I think I would have been distracted to the point of complete inattention to the road ahead. Heaven help anyone who cycled/drive a motorcycle or walked across in front of me. My attention would have been totally on those bright lights blasting behind me.

Jan
andy63
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by andy63 »

Glad to see its not just me , he feels this way .
I do wonder how many accidents are caused by people being blinded .
It may make some people safer that they can see , but the person coming the other way can't see bugger all .
Stradageek
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Re: Brighter car lights recommended

Post by Stradageek »

gilesjuk wrote:
andy63 wrote:I really think car head lights are far to bright , especially those blue ish ones .
I live in a small village , so you have to drive down unlit country roads . When I do drive at night , I never have main beam on I feel dipped lights , light the road adequately .
So many times when on the bike I get blinded by cars .
Why do car head lights need to be brighter ?? So idiots can drive faster ?
In towns and lit roads there is no need for brighter lights .
However did we get around 20/30 years ago ??


It's part of the gradual improvements in car safety that ultimately lead to faster driving, thus eliminating the benefit.


I agree, endless safety improvements (in the USA especially) have seen little reduction in road casualties (despite everyone now driving trucks!)

In Northampton they've turned off loads of street lights (great for amateur astronomers like me) with an unexpected spin-off benefit - on the unlit roads people are sticking to the speed limits because they can't see to drive any faster! If they had brighter headlights I wonder what would happen?
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