Brucey wrote:......
Current EU rules for lighting permit (in fact encourage) as sharp a cutoff of the dipped beam as possible, and if it isn't aimed a long way up the road, you car will fail the MOT! It is as if bumpy/undulating roads don't exist in 'Lighting Regulation World'. Even if the lights are set correctly (which they are often not) oncoming traffic is often blinded by what are effectively bright flashing lights from oncoming traffic on such roads. I don't think that it is terribly difficult to see that this does not in any way improve road safety! astonishing is going on????
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But haven't (UN-)ECE lamps always had a sharp cutoff? That is the difference between them and US SAE lamps which seem to be regarded as more dazzling by allowing 2000cd per lamp above the horizon vs 625cd for a non filament UN-ECE lamp (filament ones are allowed 437cd, but are brighter in practice due to the higher alternator voltage vs test voltage ). Isn't the required degree of dip (the 1.3% plate on most cars) to take care of undulating roads? So if cars now cause trouble is that not because their dipped headlamps aren't dipped enough to be legal? Someone suggested speed bumps were knocking them out of adjustment now.
Did manufacturers in the past just angle lamps down more than they could have?
I would rather deal with short blips of dazzle (which may be predictable: eg due to speed bumps) than be constantly dazzled.
I remember reading that the cutoff in the prototype ECE rules for HID lamps was to be much sharper than for halogen, but that testers disliked it because they got no warning of a pending increase in brightness when a car when over bump: the brightness just went from a kitten to lion with no warning, so the standard abandoned that idea.
I agree some new modern rules seem stupid / unfair: why ban selective yellow headlamps but allow disagreeable cold blue-white ones?
Brucey wrote:.....Another gripe is car indicator lights; again they are now designed not with common sense, but to a bad set of rules. 25 years ago an indicator lamp would be designed with a prismatic outer face, amber in colour. Such lamps are clearly visible from all angles even in bright sunlight and furthermore you would easily know where to look for a flashing indicator light on the vehicle. Modern lights mostly have clear lenses and are NOT clearly visible over such a wide range of angles (or in bright sunlight) and in addition it is not clear where even to look on any given vehicle for such a signal. I am pretty sure that whoever designed the rules did so for the benefit of other motorists (an failed there too BTW) but they certainly never thought that the most vulnerable road users need to be able to see these lights at funny angles if they are to stay alive. If you have just been squashed by a left-turning car, it is scant consolation that 'they were in the wrong'....
I agree that clear filament indicators are usually rubbish in the sun (and relying on orange bulbs is a stupid idea that lets people fit the wrong clear bulb) but I wonder if the standard actually changed: computer designed reflectors may have made it possible to ditch the amber diffuser and styling won over functionality. However, it seems a pity the standard has not been updated to require the useful properties so easily provided by an amber diffuser and put poncy design/marketing persons in their place....