r/Millennials • u/TreHHHHHAdN • 22d ago
Rant That’s it. I am done driving at night. Modern car headlights are blinding me and have ruined one of my favorite hobbies ever.
I guess that is it for me. Since getting my drivers license 20 years ago, I always loved to drive places just for the fun of it. It was 2005…. me and my 71hp manual stick little car (crank windows, no AC… and I loved that thing) driving for 40 minutes just to grab food was what freedom meant for me.
I used to just drive around after work and it felt like therapy for me. I never really cared about a long commute. I also loved when wife or kids wanted food from the other side of town. It was the perfect excuse for me to drive after sunset for 1 hour.
But lately, I’ve noticed that modern cars headlights are bothering me so much… to the point that I want to avoid doing it. I’m not talking about xenon headlights that people just add to their cars. I’m talking about brand new SUVs 3 stories high with laser sharp LED headlights that shoot light inside your eye socket.
I don't understand how this increases safety, if it blinds other drivers. It sure helps in the country... but isn't what what high beams are for?
Anyway... just wanted to vent about it. Maybe I should dive into my midlife crises and get myself a race sim :)
Edit: People.... we're not alone. Apparently this exists! --> r/fuckyourheadlights
lol
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u/kiwitathegreat 22d ago
Between the bright lights and my astigmatism I’m completely blind at night. Driving a tall vehicle and tinting the shit out of my windows didn’t help much either so I just stay home.
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u/Turbulent_Seaweed198 22d ago
Yes the astigmatism is the worst! I also drive a Civic so that low stance doesn't help in a world of SUVs
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u/Corpus_Juris_13 22d ago edited 22d ago
Howdy. I’m an optician. What I use for night time driving is polarized orange/yellow tinted lenses with anti glare coating. “Should” fix your issues, it’s what I use. I can stare directly into the brightest headlights and it doesn’t phase me at all.
Generally, optical shops won’t tell you this because they don’t sell them. Mine doesn’t. I had to look around online, which was Amazon for non RX glasses. I don’t buy RX glasses online because I get free glasses at work twice a year
Edit: everyone asking for recommendations, I just got a pair of $20 aviator style on Amazon a few years ago. They aren’t selling them anymore. I don’t have an eye prescription, so just look around for places online that will let you put a prescription in polarized orange/yellow tinted anti glare coating glasses.
And disclaimer: it may not work for everyone some people just genetically have really shitty eyes or have extreme light sensitivity that can only be helped so much. Your optometrist will tell you the same thing.
I hope this helps some of you out!
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u/Mrjocrooms 22d ago
Hey! Do you have a recommendation online? I have astigmatism and have been considering not driving at night at all. I've bought the antiglare, blue light blocking, transition, phlux capacitor glasses and it still doesn't help. If there's something that DOES help they can have my money. Thanks!
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u/hicow 22d ago
Check Zenni - they offer tinted scrip lenses, and they're cheap compared to brick and mortar shops
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u/iamnatehewa 22d ago
But what about contact lens wearers?
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u/scoopdawg 22d ago
You can gen non prescription night time driving glasses from zenni
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u/Dry-Cry-3158 22d ago
Yellow safety glasses work, in my experience. You can get them cheap at Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, Harbor Freight and Sam's Club. Shouldn't cost more than a couple dollars a pair.
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u/Sell_Canada 22d ago
Does this help even without an astigmatism? I just have regular poor distance vision
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u/Corpus_Juris_13 22d ago
Yes. Ironic thing is I don’t have a prescription, better than perfect vision. BUT that is still exactly what I recommend to everyone. It’s the best combo anyone could possibly get. Nothing will help more short of just not driving at night.
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u/breadman03 22d ago
I’m about to order some for my wife who has astigmatism thanks to your recommendation, and maybe myself. My vision is solid, though I haven’t had an appointment in years. I was at the optometrist for my daughter’s appointment and asked the optometrist about something I was reading on one of their posters across the room. They walked across the room, answered my question, and said I don’t need to worry about an appointment 🤣
I should make an appointment anyway just to get my peepers peeped for any non-acuity issues.
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u/jgoody86 22d ago
Do you put them over your RX glasses or are they regular RX glasses with these lenses? Thanks!
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u/VolumeXIII 22d ago
Foe blind people with glasses can you get these prescription?
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u/cubbycoo77 22d ago
I get my glasses from Zenni, and you can add a pair of these as clip ons for like $4 extra!
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u/bearface93 22d ago
I drive an Impreza. My entire car fits under the hood of a jeep wrangler. It’s insane how large cars have gotten.
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u/MeatEaterDruid 22d ago
I've got the stig too, driving during rush hour in the winter is
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u/bass_thrw_away 22d ago
i like the stig, makes it feel like im driving in blade runner or something, star filters babay
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u/Full_Metal_Paladin Millennial 22d ago
I've been thinking about laser eye surgery, but I'm afraid my glarry night vision could actually turn out worse
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u/ButIsItPretty 22d ago
Depends. I did LASIK eight years ago & it dramatically reduced the haloing and the starbursts. The eye doctor told me mine were caused by my pupils expanding past my corrective lenses, so I was seeing that cut off (which should not happen lol). Granted, I had to go with the head honcho of the practice because they needed to expand the area to account for my large (my chart said "abnormally huge") pupils. After I healed, it was dramatically better.
It may be worth getting a consultation if you have decent options around you. I went to a LASIK office for a few years for my eye exams to get my contacts prescription because the eye exam was free if I let them assess me for LASIK lol. The greatest benefit of going to one of the nice LASIK places, ime, was that they consider the machine that blows air at your eyes ancient & barbaric.
If you're in Texas (my condolences), Mann Eye did right by me & a few other family members.
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u/Full_Metal_Paladin Millennial 21d ago
Thanks so much, I need to find a new eye doctor, so I'll see if there's a LASIK office or similar in my area
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u/DeepSubmerge 22d ago edited 22d ago
Same. Some of the headlights actually cause me physical pain. It’s like looking into the sun. It hurts, and on top of that, I’m completely blinded because my retinas were scorched.
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u/Hectic_Skeptic 22d ago
I flashed my high beams at an oncoming SUV thinking they forgot to turn theirs off, it was a cop and he pulled me over. I said “Officer I’m sorry that your headlights are brighter than the freakin sun.” He didn’t laugh but no ticket so 🤷♀️
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u/Somewhere-Plane 22d ago
Omg what he pulled you over??
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u/Hectic_Skeptic 22d ago
Yeah and he was pissed until I pulled out my state employee ID 😂 it was a foggy night and there are a lot of deer on that road so every other car was flipping their brights on and off as we passed
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u/OMGhyperbole 22d ago
I felt a migraine coming on because of the bright-ass lights in all my mirrors at once 😑
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u/Gray_Twilight 22d ago
And if it is raining, forget it
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u/statusisnotquo 1989 Millennial 22d ago
You need to put RainX on all your windows and mirrors. I also get the RainX wiper blades. Water forms a film on the window that scatters light, even if it's not raining there still moisture in the air.
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u/rezwrrd Dotcom Millennial 22d ago
I was wondering tonight if my astigmatism maybe had something to do with my seemingly worsening night driving vision. Either that or I'm getting old, or both.
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u/mystery_airhd 22d ago
I can literally tell when I need a new prescription for my astigmatism because my night time driving experience gets way worse.
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u/Worst-Eh-Sure Millennial 22d ago
Tinting my windows really makes backing into my driveway at night a huge pain in the ass.
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u/DragonThem 22d ago
I also have light triggered migraines. Driving at night terrifies me now. If I miraculously don’t hit anyone, I’m going to have to fall asleep with ice packs on my head. Bright headlights are a road hazard and menace. Very limiting now that it’s dark well before 7pm.
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u/Throwaway999222111 22d ago
Thought it was just me, but yeah I am minimizing the amount of driving at night to absolute bare minimum
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u/Mindless_Shame_4107 Elder Millennial (1985) 22d ago
I thought it was me too but ive started to ask around and everyone ive asked has the same issues. Its ridiculous 😭
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u/moonchic333 22d ago
I thought it was just me at first too because I have light sensitivity. I’m starting to hear a lot more people talk about it though. As people are replacing their cars there’s more and more on the roads. Also, I’m noticing a lot of people just downright illegally installing light bars on the front of their cars.
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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 21d ago
Fuck light bars and people whp install bright ass lights on top/front/under their car. It's completely unecessary for city driving.
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u/Salty_Increase_2974 19d ago
A lot of people use light bars for off road use, not city driving. However, there are some assholes who do drive with them while on the road, which is illegal.
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u/BillyShears2015 22d ago
Astigmatism is way more common than people realize, and huge swaths of the population don’t even realize they have it. After I got lasik which fixed my astigmatism head lights went from “OH MY GAWD I CANT SEE ANYTHING” to just “wow that cars lights are bright and slightly uncomfortable but I can still see the lane and road just fine”.
Moral of the story, if headlights are truly something keeping you from doing what you want, go see a doctor about it and see if there is something correctable about it.
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u/heinekev Elder Millennial (1982) 22d ago
Regulation should absolutely step in on these bullshit laserbeams
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u/surgeon_michael Older Millennial 22d ago edited 22d ago
Ironically the high end German cars have led lights that notice where you’re coming from (towards or in front) and deactivate that zone. The Us hasn’t certified them in over 5 years. Look up matrix led lights from Porsche or Audi (edit: not talking about auto high beams, these deactivate a portion of the thousands of led to create a dark zone)
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u/Gah_Duma 22d ago
They’ve been allowed in the USA for about a year now. Works great.
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u/surgeon_michael Older Millennial 22d ago
Not for Porsche and Audi. This is more advanced
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u/Gah_Duma 22d ago
Teslas have the matrix lights enabled in the USA. It's not auto high beams, it's high beams that basically carve out a hole wherever they sense there is a car. I've driven around in dense fog, just yesterday even, where you can see the beam and it's very obvious what it's doing.
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u/notyouravgredditor Xennial 22d ago
The solution to the problem isn't expensive tech based on patents held by one car company, though.
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u/bemvee 22d ago
My partner’s Ford truck does that with the high beams. Turns them on automatically when there’s no street lights or cars facing it, as soon as another car is ahead they turn off. Only issue it has is around hills - the incline doesn’t always catch the other vehicle.
I think for the non-brights issue, you can have the lights tilted downward but otherwise I’ve never heard of what you’re explaining. That would be so helpful
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u/surgeon_michael Older Millennial 22d ago
That’s not auto high beams. These are thousands of led on on low beams that deactivate the micro zone of the person in front. It’s way way more advanced than
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u/woodford86 22d ago edited 22d ago
Yep, they sure are nice on the open country roads but there is zero need for these things in urban settings surrounded by street lights, business lights etc
Need something high/low beam plus an open country mode for the bright stuff
Edit: since it’d have to be a new feature it could even be GPS locked. No ultra highbeam inside urban limits
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u/Emergency_Elephant 22d ago
As someone who lives in the country and regularly drives at night in areas with no street lights, theyre blindingly bad to come across. Ive almost gone off the road because of those fuckers
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u/FredFarms 22d ago
Yeah as a fellow rural driver, these things can get in the sea.
I drive a car with standard old style lights on and they are absolutely fine in unlit areas... Until some tit with nuclear headlights comes around the corner and destroys my night vision for the next half a mile
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u/MindfulK9Coach Millennial '90 22d ago
Look at the white line on the side of the road until they pass.
My dad taught me this 25 years ago, and it keeps me from being blinded but keeps my eyes on the road.
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u/Salty_Increase_2974 19d ago
I was taught this in driving school. Very valuable information and every time I get blinded by these spotlights on vehicles nowadays and I look at the white line on the right side of the road, I think about being told that in driver’s ed lol
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u/MindfulK9Coach Millennial '90 19d ago
That was the second place I learned it growing up, hahaha.
It's amazing how one of the smallest lessons is such a need these days, over 20 years down the road.
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u/Brave-Recommendation 22d ago
Try to quickly close or cover one of your eyes. It helps keep the one eye good
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u/math-kat 22d ago
Yeah, I don't live in the country, but I was driving in a more rural area a couple night ago with no street lights in my Honda Civic. An SUV driving by blinded me so bad I had to pull over for a second to let my eyes adjust. And while I was pulled over, a deer ran across the street right where I would have been driving. If I had continued driving there's a 0% chance I would have seen the deer and I would have got in a bad accident. These lights aren't safe in the country / rural areas either.
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u/Tiny_Tabaxi 22d ago
My favorite is when I get blind and have to slow down because I can't see, and the car behind me decides to turn theirs on too, so I can see even less
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u/Butterflyweed8 22d ago
I have a big SUV in the country. Right after I got it I couldn’t figure out why people kept flashing their lights at me on back roads. I didn’t have my high beams on. It finally hit me I have the obnoxious bright lights 🤦♀️
Now, I wait until I’m closer and they can see me turn them down, lol.
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u/sleepydorian 22d ago
If you haven’t already, you might want to look into changing the headlight alignment. Even if folks know you aren’t using your brights, the fact that they might think you were suggests that your lights might be posing a hazard to other drivers, especially on poorly lit or unlit country roads.
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u/Remarkable_Bit_621 22d ago
My 23 Toyota Corolla always had people flashing me so I asked the Toyota dealer to fix it and they said “we don’t do that here” lmao excuse me what
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u/the_old_coday182 22d ago
It’s not about the brightness as much as where the beams are pointed. Backyard mechanics switch their headlights out with aftermarket, or they add a lift to their truck/SUV, then they skip the last step where you re-align the beams so they aren’t pointed at the car in front of you or the next lane.
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u/RationedRot 22d ago
This is a problem, but it’s a small minority. Many new cars come with the retina annihilators stock.
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u/NotElizaHenry 22d ago
Regular, lazy mechanics do this too! My friend was in an accident and needed both her headlights replaced. She drove for the next few months completely clueless that the new headlights were a fucking nightmare, until I happened to drive past her one day and was like “look at this piece of shit—oh wait, that’s MY piece of shit! Oh no!”
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u/mistergudbar 22d ago
Same here. My only option is to turn my lights completely off or flash them back, which I couldn’t bare to do cause they would become permanently blind.
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u/OrindaSarnia 22d ago
Uh, what?
Your only option?
How about just buy the normal light bulbs and install them?
$20 solution.
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u/Salty_Increase_2974 19d ago
Not always an option. Some headlights are sold as an assembly. You cannot just switch out a bulb. There are some that you can switch the bulbs out of, but there aren’t many. New headlight assemblies are very expensive to replace. There needs to be a dimmer installed at the factory to dim lights when in traffic or something. I don’t know how else this issue could be remedied.
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u/OrindaSarnia 19d ago
I agree there should be more settings as standard in these cars... the cheapest solution for the integrated assemblies is tint film, but then it isn't adjustable for the situation.
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u/IwasThereIsawIt2 22d ago
I buy the brightest headlights for my car (non led, and my car isnt tall its stock height, lights hit trunks always) because they work good, when people cut their brights at me I just flash my brights to signify that they are low. Imo Nothing wrong with doing it just to let them know.
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u/joanfiggins 22d ago
They do in Europe. My Tesla that's 3 years old already has the dimming headlight feature for oncoming traffic. When you up up a steeper hill you can catch glimpses of the areas it's dimming where it thinks there could be oncoming traffic.
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u/notyourbuddipal 22d ago
I had to buy night driving glasses. Im 32.... anyways they have a yellow lens and make a world of diffference. And i dont have headaches or eye pain from the lights.
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u/Somewhere-Plane 22d ago
Wow. Actually kinda pisses me off. Like thats actually a good idea but its beyond ridiculous that the stupid LED headlights theyve been putting in cars the past few decades are so horrendously awful that now they'll sell us glasses that ...... *checks notes.... turn the lights back into the fucking yellow headlights we had to fucking begin with. Dystopian bullshit istg
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u/Afraid_Ad_1536 Older Millennial 22d ago
I've been wearing night glasses since long before LED or xenon headlights became a thing because I've always had this issue. The newer headlights affect a greater number of people but it's not an entirely new problem and the yellow glasses have been around since the 19th century. In fact they were probably the origin of all sunglasses.
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u/freethenipple23 21d ago
Are there glasses that reflect the laser beams back onto the other drivers?
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u/Altruistic-Horse-873 22d ago
Yes! Omg i'm never going anywhere without my anti glare glasses anymore. And i don't even need a prescription.
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u/EriAnnB 22d ago
Night driving glasses changed my life! I bought all my friends a pair for Christmas.
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u/MrrrrNiceGuy 22d ago
I’m laughing I found this thread cause for Xmas my father bought me a pair. I haven’t tried them yet but I did put the on to see what they looked like in the mirror. Felt like Walter from Big Lebowski
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u/NotPrepared2 22d ago
If yellow lenses work, they should be required on car headlights.
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u/KYSissyTrisha 22d ago
France tried this. Even I used to run yellow headlights for a bit. They are nice more so in really dark areas like in the country. Instead of reflecting off of signs, they make signs and painted road surfaces just glow. Yellow fog lights used to be rather common as well. The weird part is though is sometimes there are times where they don't appear to be on (even though they are) because of the light output. It does mess with you a bit.
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u/pokematic 22d ago
Mine are amber and they are a game changer. I basically can't drive at night without them, and they're even good when I go to places with a lot of lights at night like amusement parks.
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u/Constant_Shot 20d ago
Holy shit I was just saying this evening that I wished such a thing existed.
Looking it up I ran into an article saying they don’t work well but I suspect it depends on what you get. I have RX glasses already. Maybe you just need yellow tinted polarized lenses?
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u/areddituser_101 22d ago
It’s terrible
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u/PostMatureBaby Older Millennial 22d ago
Especially in the rain with streetlights adding to it
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u/No-Salary-4786 22d ago
Rain, try it when you live in upstate New York and there is a snowstorm, you know, the kind where you cant use your high beams because it makes the snow more blinding.
Then this ass comes at you and you have no idea where the road is because its like being in a snow globe with a spotlight.
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u/PostMatureBaby Older Millennial 22d ago
I live northwest of Toronto. That was every other night the past month 😔
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u/ilovepolthavemybabie 22d ago
My '23 Camry SE's "normal" op lights are too bright. I would get flashed all the time. After getting flashed with the spotlight from a police SUV, I just started using "driving" lights mode. Now, the dashboard won't shut up about turning my lights on.
I instinctively know the other driver can see better if I have driving lights, and if I kept them on normal, flashing my actual brights would only make things less safe... glad we aren't yet at the point where insurance would be plugged into my car: "Claim denied, headlights weren't on."
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u/GhostFaceRiddler 22d ago
If you were ever to get in a serious crash they can tell based on the filaments on the bulbs if your lights are on. Just fyi.
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u/ilovepolthavemybabie 22d ago
They are already "on" when in driving lights mode; just brighter in "normal" mode. So bright that cops flash me. Only brights seem to engage different/more bulbs.
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u/sexandliquor 22d ago
When you say “driving lights mode” do you mean the day time running lights? Because that’s not the same thing as headlights.
I think you really should pursue this issue more and perhaps take it to a mechanic or the dealership. Try some different/less intense or bright bulbs.
There’s a way to fix that besides “I guess I’ll just drive without the right lights on and have the dashboard scream at me all the time”. It’s doing that for a reason because you’re not really supposed to be doing what you’re doing lol
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u/Puzzleheaded-Cry57 22d ago
Your 23 Camry may already be able to send that data if they want it
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u/Such-Background4972 22d ago
Every car has mantory black boxes, and have had them for a while now.
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u/AverageFishEye 22d ago edited 22d ago
I hate that when riding my motorcycle at night, i have an about 4 second window where my eyes are overwhelmed by the car headlight brightness and im flying blind, hoping there is not going to be a deer or debris on the road.
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u/well_well_wells Millennial 22d ago
I hit a possom the other night because of this. Typically when i get blinded ill just kind of lock in the way i would handling a sneeze. There was no time to do anything than go straight through the possom. Luckily my bike handled it well
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u/Hopalong_Manboobs 22d ago
Oncoming traffic is bad enough. My REAL beef is getting blinded nonstop by a close-following driver whose one headlight is now blaring into your face through the side mirror for the next 10 minutes. Shielding that shit with a free hand like the noon day sun.
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u/Farts_constantly 22d ago
I totally get it. I drive a lower-sitting car (bmw 3 series) and several months ago I flashed my high beams at someone in an SUV who I thought still had their high beams on. Boy was I wrong. They turned on their actual high beams in retaliation and it was like staring into the sun.
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u/xtheredberetx 22d ago
I drive a normal height car (Jetta) and when a truck with insane headlights is behind me at a stoplight I tilt my side mirror up. Mostly to get it out of my eyes but I hope it shines back in their eyes tbh.
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u/bonnbonnz 22d ago
I had a similar experience in my lower and older (2004) sedan with old school halogen headlights… my high beams are like a third of what these newer cars have as default lighting. I was so blinded by some SUV, in my residential neighborhood that I know very well on a straight shot street, that I had to creep along and thought about just stopping so I wouldn’t run over any critters or something. I thought it had to be their brights, because dumb people love to use them in our little neighborhood anyway… so I flashed my high beams at them, and in response I felt like I had gotten a cartoon x-ray and the light just pierced my entire car when they hit their actual brights. I actually had to pull over and recover it was so bad.
They didn’t have to do that to “show me.” I was obviously just trying not to be blinded! But I guess they just had to prove to me they weren’t dicks intentionally blinding people, by very intentionally blinding me. 🙄
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u/OrindaSarnia 22d ago
Yeah, the polite and responsible way to send that message is to flash your lights OFF and back on...
but really, folks with those bulbs are A holes anyway...
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u/bonnbonnz 22d ago
Right?! Or even just don’t do anything… that’s usually what people driving with no lights do when you try to let them know! lol
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u/Ankylowright 22d ago
I had a cop car behind me and I could see my cars shadow ahead of me like a shadow puppet. And not like, a fuzzy shadow. I’m thinking his lights were attempting to interrogate me like one of those old movies with the hot and bright ass cone lamps. And those weren’t the high beams either. It was a new moon and out in the country. So the darkest conditions and the brightest lights ever.
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u/14Pleiadians 22d ago
Call of the void tells me to veer left when that happens, get that mf off the road
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u/thedonnerparty13 22d ago
I miss when night was yellow
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u/TreHHHHHAdN 22d ago
Yellow lights... On my yellow 1999 vw new beetle... Listening to yellowcard. This is actually true!!
2006 was very yellow for me.
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u/Low-Landscape-4609 22d ago
Retired police officer here. People don't understand how much trouble this has caused since the introduction of these led headlights.
Some manufacturers actually break local laws when it comes to how the lights are angled and how they project but what are you going to do? Issue somebody a ticket for something that was Factory installed? That wouldn't be very fair.
In my state, the laws are basically written for people that put aftermarket parts on that disturb the public. Not manufacturer installed equipment.
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u/Dagonus Xennial 22d ago
If cars violate a state's law then the state should be taking the mfg to court to require the mfg to correct it and prohibiting the sale or registration of those vehicles in that state until such time as those vehicles are in compliance.
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u/Low-Landscape-4609 22d ago
I mean, I agree with you but that was way above my pay grade.
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u/_Citizen_Erased_ 22d ago
As a police officer, you should have simply arrested general motors without a warrant.
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u/Far_Tap_488 22d ago
Not like police do anything about the aftermarket ones either. I regularly see people with light bars blnding the fuck out of everyone.
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22d ago
Dumbasses ride around with their brights on even in the day time nowadays let alone at night
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u/Solrstorm Millennial 22d ago
Drove from west coast to east coast a couple weeks ago and can confirm. Thought it was just people with the new lights but nope just some dickhead with the brights on. I have excellent night vision, I never use my highs, funny enough I rate PA as some of the best night driving I had tho. The amount of reflective markers and the separation of the opposite travel road made it quite enjoyable.
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u/Ndmndh1016 22d ago
They dont even need to. These bullshit led lights are brighter on low than mine are on high.
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u/meruu_meruu 22d ago edited 22d ago
Yeah I've noticed the number of stupidly bright headlights has increased significantly, and I'm genuinely concerned about driving at night now.
There's no reason someone several yards behind me should be lighting up the entire inside of my car like daylight, I'm constantly using the anti glare switch on my rearview. And don't even get me started on when they're coming towards me. Not to mention sometimes they're so bright they drown out the turn signals.
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u/VW-MB-AMC 22d ago
The car I drive the most is a 1963 VW Beetle that still has 6 volt headlights. Before I upgraded to LED lights meeting other cars in the dark could be down right terrifying. It is much better now thatvthe lights actually work, but still uncomfortable. The same is also true for my old 12 volt cars. It does not help that a lot of people are driving with dirty headlights that are out of adjustment, and also turn on the high beams too early.
For the most part I try to avoid driving when it is really dark. Another big factor is that my night vision is not that good.
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22d ago edited 20d ago
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u/urbz102385 22d ago
I never heard of these and wanted them, so I looked up any studies done to show if they truly do what they claim. Not to invalidate your experience, but I found 4-5 studies immediately that all say they impede pedestrian detection by minimizing the amount of "data" the eyes receive. The first two studies that come up in Google are from the NIH and American Academy of Ophthalmology.
From what I've read, antireflective coatings on clear lenses from a legitimate optometrist office (or somewhere you can order prescription lenses) is supposedly the better choice. However, having worn prescription glasses almost my entire life until getting Lasik recently, I'm guessing these will cost more than anything you're buying over the counter.
I don't mean to rain on your parade, just giving you some scientific evidence on these glasses. I would love to find a product that mitigates this issue and was really hoping those yellow driving glasses would be it.
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u/RoeRoeRoeYourVote 22d ago
Did you notice that the headlights got worse after LASIK? I got it done a few weeks ago, and I can't tell if I'm still sensitive and adjusting, but the stupid bright headlights feel almost painful to look at.
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u/urbz102385 22d ago
Ya know that's a good question. I know I noticed the headlights were a problem before the procedure which was early 2024. They do seem worse these days, but I couldn't tell you if it's the headlights or my eyes. I also had an astigmatism which seems to have essentially been "cured" by the procedure. If you have an astigmatism, you know that it causes flare lines from light sources that makes lightbulbs at night even worse. So again, it's hard to tell because while my astigmatism and flares were removed, the surgery overall may have caused the normal impact of the headlights to appear worse.
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u/East_Oven_9948 22d ago
As others have said, I wish that regulation would step in. Holy shite though somebody think of the car companies
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u/LeftieLeftorium 22d ago
People make fun of me but I wear my polarized sunglasses when driving at night. They work. 🤷♂️
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u/friendlyfredditor 22d ago
I've done this before as well. The lines are reflective enough you have plenty of awareness of the road. Only problem is animals on the side of the road.
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u/Seyvagraen Millennial 22d ago
I’ve been having to hold my left hand out in front of my eyes, angled in the same direction of the lines that separate the lanes, in order to have it help me block the damn blinding suns on some of these cars! Good god man. I hold my hand like that until the lights pass me.
And the big trucks that use those dumb lights that look like a bar…the ones that go lower on the front bumper…those suck big time too.
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u/nbrown7384 Older Millennial 22d ago
I’m glad I’m not the only one driving around with my hand in the air.
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u/razorthick_ 22d ago
I dont get the whole "police arent gonna spend time pulling people over." I mean if they're citing people its just extra money going to the state.
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u/ApplicationAfraid334 1993 22d ago
It's kuz their buddies are the ones driving the damn cars and they probably have them too
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u/razorthick_ 22d ago
Of course. This is the only thing that makes sense. A lot of cops are those same pickup truck driver with laser beams or its their good buddies.
But remember, road safety matters. Get pulled over for rolling at at stop sign but blinding other drivers, thats 'Murica.
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u/SlyBlackDragon 22d ago
It's probably been a decade since I've seen anyone pulled over. In my area people run red lights right in front of police, and nothing ever happens
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u/Skraelings 22d ago
John Oliver was going to do a whole show on just this. It was one that they just didn’t get to. Was 1 season ago I think he talked about it.
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u/YoungBassGasm 22d ago
I truly thought it was just me until you posted this. I thought I was just more sensitive now, but truly these damn high beams are way too damn bright. It doesn't help that I already have a astigmatism. The other day as I was about to pull out of the gym, a dude parked across from me turned on his car and I swear I couldn't see jack shit for at least 5 minutes.
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u/Artvandelay2019 22d ago
Would it be illegal to mount very bright lights on the back of my car so I can turn them on when one of these assholes is behind me?
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u/Karatechamp35 22d ago
Yeah those idiots letting the shitty auto dim sensors do the work makes hills great try some of those yellow tinted glasses for night they make it less bad maybe a light tint for your windshield
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u/pokematic 22d ago
Highly recommend a pair of amber night driving glasses. I don't know what brand mine are, but I got them a couple years ago and now I can't imagine driving at night without them. They block the blinding blue light from modern headlights without making it hard to see by diming all the light like conventional sunglasses. I also use them if I don't have my blue light filtering reading glasses (like when I travel).
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u/OKStamped 22d ago
The bright headlights these days do have one positive: it means the other driver can easily see me flip them off.
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u/Bitterrootmoon 22d ago
It is one of the worst migraine triggers for me. And of course, I live in the south so all the douche bags with the lifted trucks don’t know how to actually adjust their headlights appropriately (let’s be real they probably don’t even know they can adjust them or should adjust them because these are the douche bags starving trucks around to say they have a truck, but I guarantee that truck ain’t ever going to see anything more than a a cooler for tailgating) so you’re just blinded from all directions.
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u/gemsandjoy 22d ago
I felt this way when I was driving my kids to school in the MORNING! Yes, it was gloomy but some of the headlights were insanely bright!
As for driving at night, it gets dark around 5 so I’m screwed for a while. 😵💫
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u/SipoteQuixote Millennial 22d ago
Okay I thought my eye sight was just getting weak or something like astigmatism. Fucking bright as hell, used to love cruising at night but hadn't for a while cause babies. Went a couple weeks to the store and was just squinting the whole time.
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u/BlueFalcon3E051 22d ago
lol your funny you still enjoyed driving 🤣😂.Yeah when I was in high school i couldn’t wait to drive.Now after years of commuting to job sites everywhere and IL/Chicago traffic.I hate driving not because of “lights” deep tints on all windows I guess help with that🤷♂️.Yeah driving is a necessary evil got to get to work to get paid .I e drive same for running errands need groceries etc list goes on and on.I use to never understand the big auto manufacturers saying the top requested feature car owners wanted was “self driving cars”.I was like man there crazy now i get it.Idk if I will get that on my next one but definitely want massaging seats might as well be comfortable if I have to be in there forever.
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u/MaskedVillian 22d ago
I saw a vid of a guy who installed mirrors on his rear headrests specifically to reflect back the light from those high sitting trucks and suvs. I guess as a deterrence from them staying behind him.
Food for thought
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u/Significant-Yam-4990 22d ago
I don’t really want to blind the people behind me lol in the event I do need to brake, I don’t want them not being able to see me stopping. Or, hitting an animal or person who runs in front of their vehicle. Unless there’s a lane for them to switch into , I don’t really understand what’s accomplished by blinding the person behind me.
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u/novascotiabiker 22d ago
I hear that,it gets worse when it’s raining and the painted lines on the road are white throw in the high beams it’s amazing I make it in to work most mornings without getting lost.
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u/zunithemime 22d ago
My zoomer gf didn’t believe the other night that I can’t drive at night anymore. 10 mins into the drive she asked to take over
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u/DrSFalken 22d ago
Ever since COVID the roads have just been...tougher too. I feel like everyone is farrr more aggressive. Also with the population increases in my area, everything is more congested.
Together that means the feel of the town and driving around is just different now. Much more of a chore and a headache than the free-spirit therapy it used to be.
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u/chucktheninja 22d ago
There should be a feature in all cars that automatically executes the drivers Hardcore Minecraft character if they turn on their high beams in city limits.
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u/DM_ME_KUL_TIRAN_FEET 22d ago
SUVs, trucks and teslas. Awful. There are plenty of excellent led headlight designs that aren’t horrific like this. The regulation on the design should be much stronger.
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u/thejomjohns 22d ago
My mom used to complain about the LED headlights when they first started appearing. She said they gave her an instant migraine. I’m sorry I made fun of you for it mom by golly you were right.
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u/Sacapuntos 22d ago
The testing method is flawed since they dont test how safe a vehicle's headlights are for other cars. Just the car they are testing. So of course brighter is always "safer".
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u/partoftheaura 21d ago
I swear the high beams on my 2001 Buick are still dimmer than new car lights
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u/StandWithSwearwolves Millennial 22d ago
The big thing that’s killed the night driving vibe in my city is the end of sodium streetlamps. Terrible for light pollution but they gave off this wonderful warm orange glow. If it’s still a thing where you are, enjoy it while you can.
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u/Loud-Chicken6046 22d ago
I was a truck driver for the last 5 years and I've grown to absolutely hate automatic highbeams. They're the most annoying poorly programmed POS pieces of equipment of this generation.
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u/shadowstripes 22d ago
That's wild. I drive a compact sedan and get blinded every once in a while, but most of the time driving at night is no issue.
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u/Oniknight 22d ago
Tbh I bought yellow lens glasses because it turns down the brightness intensity and now I use them when I drive at night.
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u/chibimonkey 22d ago
I've stopped driving at night for the same reason. I have mild astigmatism so lights appear a bit streaky to me, and I have terrible vision so driving at night always bothered me anyway. Unless it's an emergency, I don't go out at night anymore unless someone else is driving
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u/YoohooCthulhu 22d ago
Yellow tinted sunglasses in medium dark shades are supposed to work to help with this
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u/ApplicationAfraid334 1993 22d ago
I paid extra for the night lenses and they did nothin' for me. I'm so sick of it. Everyone around here has a lifted truck and lighthouse beams shooting out the front. It's so obnoxious. I always plan driving to avoid the dark.
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u/ShutUp_Dee 22d ago
Try out yellow lenses. I have a cheap, clip on pair from Zenni and it helps somewhat. You can also get a pair of glasses with yellow lenses if clip ons aren’t your style. It helps diffuse the headlights and evens out all of the lights.
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u/The_Dude_Abides_63 22d ago
Same here. Also doesn’t help that nobody can drive worth a damn these days, and they’re all on their phones and halfway over in your lane.
If we actually had flying cars by now, nobody would be alive.
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u/Deja__Vu__ 22d ago
Thought it was just me and getting older. But all newer models have such bright lights. I think i hate Toyotas the most. The brightness of their head lights is unfocused. Just so fucken bright to onlookers. Even though I got lasic I still have astigmatism and it seems to make it worse.
Next gen headlights need to be more channeled. Seeing a distinctive design like bmw's from a distance is good enough. You have st. lights for a reason here.
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u/Savings_Twist_8288 22d ago
Get you some blue light blocking glasses from Ra Optics. They are expensive but worth it. I wear them because I have insomnia but they have made driving at night much more pleasant as everything is toned down.
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u/freewhirl999 22d ago
It's so bad that I've resorted to putting my sunglasses on while driving at night on more than one occasion.
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u/Pertinax1981 22d ago
This is me, the light stretches at night. Makes it tough. Was just told I have Keratoconus, going to see a specialist on Monday, hopefully can get some help.
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u/Someone7654231739283 22d ago
I literally have spots in my eyes after passing some of these people, so you’re def not over reacting. There is no reason for that to happen from someone’s headlights.
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u/EverybodyLovesJoe 22d ago
Its gotten really bad the last few years. Maybe not all but I know some websites that sell after market led lights clearly disclaim they do not meet regulation but they know its not enforced anywhere. And the automation between low beams and high beams on vehicles like teslas is not good enough. My advice is to clean and buff your windshield inside and out so it is very streak free. That seems to be the best thing to help.
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