Are the LED Headlights Really Bright or Something?

I think it's because the led headlights use 2 projectors so it looks like u have both ur low beam AND high beam on..

I agree that hids have made a huge difference in making it safer for those that have it .. I change every car I have owned to hids if they have a projector.. It's those people who put hids in non projector headlights that cause a problem..

 

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And this is where science and real world clash. These new lights with the same colour temp as the sun might be great in theory but on a dark road with no street lights, they're much harsher. On a nice bright, level road with no bends there is no issue. On an S bend you can get totally blinded by the oncoming car as these LED/HID lights are ultra bright outside of their aim or beam. And that's the problem. If they're set up 100% on a flat road, then great. If they're slightly faulty or on a bumpy on winding road, then you get blinded when the aim goes off. On some of our bumpy roads it's a bleedin nightmare if you get some Audi behind you. This can happen with traditional headlights but they're not half as bright outside their beam pattern/aim.

Also, isn't there something about the ultra white, sun colour which ruins your night vision more than the older, more orange but softer glow of old headlights? This matters on dark winding roads.

Perhaps if you live in a city or urban area, then this whole HID/LED issue just isn't an issue. But if you live in a busy but more rural area it is?

So science says there's no problem with these lights, but there are thousands of reports from many professional drivers who say there is an issue. Welcome to Lightmare.org

 

How can a light be bright outside of its beam?

Also, science and reality don't collide, they are one and the same. Now, there might be bad science, sure. But honestly, if you want to rail against bad lights, rail against
1) people installing fake HID kits
2) people leaving high beams on when there are others in front of them
3) people driving with improperly aligned lights
4) people on pickup trucks whose "low beam" lights shine directly into your rear view mirror.

Those with factory installed HID and LED systems are the last on my list of headlight offenders.

 

i have noticed this over the last few years, cars coming toward me seem like they have their high beams on, but i'm not quite sure. i think some are too bright, or aimed incorrectly. i liked the old days when one light meant low and two meant high.

 

Where I live on/around coastal SC, we have many people of a certain age group who apparently dont' see well at night, and therefore think it's their right to have hi-beams on at night. Multiple hi-beam flashing won't deter them. I find however, that when flashing doesn't work, I will turn my on until they turn their's off - works every time! It's gotten so bad on certain roads that when I have my hi-beams on and I'm approaching another vehicle with their's on, I won't turn mine off until they do.

 

Let's not forget those that feel it's ok to leave their high-beams on and blind people because one of their low-beams burned out.

 

I can't stand it when stupid people do this!

 

They're signalling Uranus for a replacement.

 

Bingo, I believe that this is the simple answer. I used to get flashed all the time while driving with my foglights on in my old Integra that had them positioned inboard of the low beam lights. People would see 2 pairs of lights and assume that my high beams were on.

 

I'm not so sure this is the reason. From a distance it looks like 1 light.

The LED projector lens is smaller than ur traditional projector & the are setup really close to each other so from a distance it look like 1. When u get closer it looks like 2, but then to the untrained eye it might not

 

Two of them on the way home tonight.

 

I had 3 on the way to work this morning at 4am x3

 

the same age group tends to have trouble with glare from oncoming headlights. The cornea collects minute scratches over time, and eventually they are trying to see through the equivalent of a pitted windshield in the afternoon sun. They blame the oncoming car's headlamps, instead of their own worn out lenses. I'm 44, and I've noticed that I'm a lot more susceptible to glare from oncoming headlights than when I was younger. I try to keep one eye closed when I'm on a dark road and have a car approaching, to preserve the night vision in that eye.

 

Any yellow, white, blue or green light will ruin your night vision. (they all destroy visual purple, which forms in the eye after 20-30 minutes, and is mostly responsible for "night vision") Some wavelengths are more harmful than others, and obviously, the brighter they are, the more damage they do. A soft red light is about the only thing that won't ruin your night vision, which is why military flashlights all come with a red filter for reading maps at night, and cockpit illumination is usually red on military aircraft.

 

Hmmm, I don't seem to have that problem yet and I'm 55. Of course maybe I don't know if I have a problem - LOL. I think part of the problem is seniors tend to drive less, keep their vehicles longer, which means their headlights are older and maybe not as bright due to oxidation of headlight covers, etc. Low beams are pathetically weak, but their hi-beams still blinding to oncoming traffic.

 

I have been driving my Prius with LED low beams for about 3 1/2 years and have had no problems with people thinking my lights were on hi beam when they were not. Mine were adjusted too low when the car left the factory so it is possible some are too high also. They are easy to adjust, check post #15 of this thread Shaded lights are getting me down | PriusChat

If they are adjusted correctly the auto leveler may not be working and you can check that by putting something heavy in the back and see if the lights adjust themselves down as they should.

From my driving experience I do not think properly adjusted LED or HID/xenon headlights are a problem for oncoming traffic but if they are maladjusted or do not have a working auto leveler they can appear very bright if they shine in peoples eyes.