US Agency To Rewrite Rules To Finally Address Vehicle Headlight Glare (yahoo.com)
- Reference: 0186097080
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/10/11/0014241/us-agency-to-rewrite-rules-to-finally-address-vehicle-headlight-glare
- Source link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/us-agency-rewrite-rules-address-191731541.html
> NHTSA said it plans to improve rules for LEDs, dusk sensors, automatic high beams and replaceable light sources. The agency will also evaluate headlamp height and aim and how they impact driver visibility and address headlight glare and make appropriate changes.
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> Complaints about glare from headlights have increased and some lawmakers have urged the government to set a maximum headlight brightness standard. A growing number of taller trucks and SUVs on roads has also led to more complaints about glare. LEDs, which now account for most headlights in new cars, are much brighter than traditional halogen headlights... The issue still accounts for a small number of nighttime crashes, according to a study last year from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The study noted that headlight glare contributes to far fewer crashes than insufficient visibility...
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> Federal headlight standards for minimum and maximum brightness have not changed since 1997, IIHS noted. The study found that drivers older than 70 appear to be most affected by headlight glare. In 2022, NHTSA said it would allow automakers to install adaptive driving beam headlights on new vehicles. The devices adjust the headlight beam pattern to dim portions directed at other vehicles.
Thanks to Slashdot reader [2]technology_dude for sharing the news.
[1] https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/us-agency-rewrite-rules-address-191731541.html
[2] https://slashdot.org/~technology_dude
glare means light is being wasted (Score:2)
When bright headlights cause glare on the eyes of oncoming traffic that means that much of that bright light is not actually going where it would benefit the driver. While bright factory LEDs do cause glare, much of the problem seems to be from retrofitting halogen housings with LED. Such retrofits don't always actually improve things for the driver even if they look brighter. They are going to have to crack down on retrofit LED bulbs is they really want to tackle the issue.
Re: glare means light is being wasted (Score:2)
All that will happen is the aftermarket bulbs will be sold as "off-road use only." Same as already happens for the ones that are ever so slightly too blue. Nothing else will change.
Re: (Score:2)
Developed countries will check vehicles for illegal mods on an annual basis. While not anywhere near fool-proof, having annual inspections for safety means better safety for all.
Re: (Score:2)
While you're right about retrofits, the problem does include many/most new OEM lights.
Another retrofit that they need to crackdown on is the dazzler LEDs that "buzz"/shimmer/quiver for attention. Also, flashing brake lights need to be outlawed. I can't stand following some clapped out and smashed up minivan with a don't-know-how-to-drive, brake riding idiot that thinks F1 flashing brake lights are the shit.
Re: (Score:2)
Flashing brake lights for attention when braking hard, i.e. an emergency stop is a BIG improvement to safety and reduces the number and severity of chain collisions. Hell, this should become mandatory. It's such a little change for a big improvement.
Those "F1" style aftermarket junk needs to go though.
Re: (Score:2)
That's not necessarily true. It could very well be you're getting glare while the lights are still pointed down at the road. That's one of the side effects of every moron with a micro-penis buying a monster-truck. The headlights are physically mounted higher on the vehicle and while they point down to the benefit of the driver, the point right in your face.
Entitled assholes (Score:2)
Some entitled people out there - they want their enormous vehicles to have headlights brighter than the sun for their personal safety, in the same way they want ten feet high, two ton cars
Maximum Brightness (Score:2)
Please set maximum brightness limits a good 20% less than what Ford is currently using in their trucks.
Also, please do not forget to set the same brightness limits on emergency vehicle lights. In fact, an aggregate limit would probably be good too, so that they can't circumvent the limit by using even more lights. There is zero need to be visible from ten miles away during a heavy downpour and fog. The current excessively bright setups are actually increasing the danger level, not the safety level.
Brights (Score:2)
I suspect a bunch of people just drive with their main beams on.
Some cars are already doing this... (Score:2)
I notice one EV brand actually actively doing that, where I can see the light on the road everywhere... but the oncoming car, which is overall a good thing. I hope more car companies start doing this.
Time to stop the cuteness and force standards (Score:2)
And not just for headlights, but for taillights. Far too many vehicle designers are indulging some artistic/creative whim at the expenses of human factors and thus safety. All headlights and taillights should be designed to a handful of fixed templates (to accommodate vehicles of different widths and heights) that specify the distance between the lights, the shape of the lights, the size of the lights, the brightness of the lights, the frequency at which turn signals blink, etc.
Fixing all of these -- a
How about height above the ground (Score:5, Insightful)
It pisses me off when some asshole in a lifted truck gets behind me at night, shining his headlights directly into all 3 of my mirrors.
Re:How about height above the ground (Score:5, Insightful)
I propose new legislation. If the hood of your vehicle is higher than your shoulders a CDL will be required.
Re: How about height above the ground (Score:2)
There are legislation about the maximum height of the lamps. Only position lights can be at any height where they can indicate the dimensions of the vehicle at night.
Re: (Score:2)
Shoulders? There's barely a reason for a hood to be higher than your belly button, even on a work truck. At least back in 1960 we had a reason to make a Ford F150 the size it was, engines were piss weak and bigger = more power. Utterly pointless today.
Re: (Score:2)
That was true when I was young, but my belly button is a lot lower than it used to be...and hoods are higher.
My first car was a 62 bug, it was remarkably capable on unpaved areas ignoring it's skinny tires and it's ride quality was better than a Model Y I had recently (the worst car of my life). The immense size of current trucks is marketing combined with terrible law making. The upcoming Telo, if it delivers, will be an interesting data point on what a smaller truck can do.
Re: (Score:2)
Or the LED headlights that flicker in your peripheral vision!