Blinded by the light

[ChrisButch]

The most extreme - and fortunately, as it turned out, hilarious example of this I remember happened in my commuting days through mucky narrow Devon lanes, when at the bottom of a pitch-dark dip I found myself approaching a large tractor with headlights on. Neither of us could pass the other, no room. I stopped, he stopped. He then put his cab-top searchlight thingies on full beam, at which point I could see nothing at all. A minute of noisy silence in which all I could do was make eye-shielding gestures, head down. Eventually he called out, not aggressively, 'I can't pass you when you're in the road'. I then pointed out (by this time he'd put the engine on idle so we could hear each other speak) that there was a wee problem with his multiple light show. 'Oh, I'm sorry, I thought the searchlights would help you see where to go'. Lights then turned off. After a few seconds for my eyes to recover, I managed to find a small widening at the edge, moved into it, and both parties proceeded amicably on their way.

[mattheus]

I'm dazzled more often by cyclists with powerful unshaped beams than cars, I can't work out if it's arrogance or they they see no issue with using them. It's worse than car headlight because of the time exposed, I can't stop it so have to find the best way to deal with it, peaked headgear helps, but sometimes for my own safety the only sensible thing to do is stop.

When this occurs on shared/cyclepaths, I take the option that ISNT available with cars; I ride straight at them (quite slowly!).
So far, every rider has given way to me - most often they actually stop. I hope SOME of them understand the problem, even if they subsequently do nothing about it ...

[Ayseven]

Here in Canada Daytime running lights are mandatory. It is a non-issue. We don't care - better to be seen than not seen. Choose your battles. But hey, that's just me.

[Bmblbzzz]

Here in Canada Daytime running lights are mandatory. It is a non-issue. We don't care - better to be seen than not seen. Choose your battles. But hey, that's just me.

The thread is talking about night time.

[Pebble]

There are a lot of drivers in these parts that won't dip for me as a cyclist, and it is not me blinding them, I often cycle on minimun beam as I like the night sky.
My tactic now is to avert my eyes or partially cover with hand, this is the best way to preserve night vision. I used to try just closing one eye but that doesnt really work for me, if I loose my night vision in one eye the closed eye will follow suit. Don't know if that is normal or I'm wired up wrong.

As for the OP - get a camera. get this stuff on film, police and courts would take a very 'dim' view of someone turning around and purposefully bring the aggression to you.

[mattheus]

My tactic now is to avert my eyes or partially cover with hand, this is the best way to preserve night vision. I used to try just closing one eye but that doesnt really work for me, if I loose my night vision in one eye the closed eye will follow suit. Don't know if that is normal or I'm wired up wrong.

I find covering the right eye with my hand works very well - very little night-vision lost. Whoever first posted that tip - god bless you!

(Caps help a bit, but I hardly wear mine on the commute; and you have to dip your head so much, you're losing valuable forward vision! )

[WEBH]

Have always found it useful to focus on the nearside kerb/verge, and avoid looking directly at the lights, at least you can then maintain a safe position without - hopefully! - a visit under the wheels or in the ditch!

[Ron]

I've found that wobbling out into the road in front of them works very well, they dip immediately then.

That has worked well for me too .

[Pebble]

I've found that wobbling out into the road in front of them works very well, they dip immediately then.

That has worked well for me too .

confident they are not composing a text ?

[Jdsk]

...
I wiggled my front light at him in an attempt to make him dip to no avail.
...

Is it possible that the wiggling moved the bright part of the beam onto the other road user's eyes?

Thanks

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

...
I had to slow right down as I couldn't see anything and shouted at him as he passed to dip his lights. He then stopped, turned round and drew along side me yelling threats and obscenities.
...

Part of his yelling included "why don't you f******** dip your f******** lights, you little c*****"

Can you remember the words that you had shouted?

Thanks

Jonathan

[ANTONISH]

These situations rarely lead to a meeting of minds.
Most drivers aren't prepared to accept that they have done anything wrong.

[andrew_s]

The Exposure Sirrius is 850 Lumens. A car headlight is 1200. Depending on spread etc a Sirrius pointing ahead is in the same ballpark as a car headlight.

The Sirius will be more dazzling than a 1200 lumen car headlight, because the light is coming from a smaller area

[pwa]

Our car has headlights which can be on an automatic setting where they come on when needed. On that setting, you can have the dip/high lever forward, in the "high" position, and the lights will automatically dip when an oncoming car light is detected. It works well with oncoming car lights. It doesn't work at all with pedestrians. And I don't yet know how it works with oncoming cyclists. So far I have always manually dipped before the automatic dip might happen.

[offroader]

Our car has headlights which can be on an automatic setting where they come on when needed. On that setting, you can have the dip/high lever forward, in the "high" position, and the lights will automatically dip when an oncoming car light is detected. It works well with oncoming car lights. It doesn't work at all with pedestrians. And I don't yet know how it works with oncoming cyclists. So far I have always manually dipped before the automatic dip might happen.

I think this is a big factor.

In my experience full beaming is becoming more of an issue when driving and cycling. As a driver it seems like every second or third car I encounter on a bend doesn't dip it's lights until it sees the whites of my eyes. I've also noticed an increasing number of cars now seem to switch on main beams before they've actually passed me the driver. Either driver reactions are improving or auto dim lights are deactivating as soon as they think the oncoming light has passed.

As a cyclist about the same number of cars fail to dip unless flashed whereupon they usually dip almost instantly.


My experience of auto lights in my own wagon displayed the same behaviour and hasn't been used since that first 5 minute "wonder if it works" test - it patently doesn't!

I suspect that the latest seemingly nuclear powered headlights create so much reflected glare from road furniture that the dip sensitivity has to be reduced to avoid a disco strobe effect every time you pass a bollard