Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Comments
I agree, they should be usable without low beams. I had a car once that made this possible (I think it was my old Probe GT). By using both, you actually diminish the utility of fogs as your eyes accomodate to the greater light reflected back at you from the other lamps.
:P s-weasel, my man, where did you get such a silly idea!?
If they were indended for others to see, why place them close to the ground?
james
Back when I started driving all fog lights were yellow or amber in color which is very poor for using for driving but would let you be seen sooner by oncoming traffic in a fog.
The ideal to place a clear light low to the ground to increase your visibility doesn't make sense. If the fog is low and think enough to hamper the regular headlights its low and thick enough to hamper you seeing anything a low clear light will show.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I saw one cop in 200 miles, too.
Placing the lights low to the ground does make sense. It makes sense in the same way that you can see "better" in foggy or snowy conditions using your low beams than you can using your high beams. It is has nothing to do with light penetration as much as it does with light reflection. If you put the lights low to the ground and shine them on the surface, you are getting no light reflecting off the particles from your bumper on up to your windshield and thus you have less distraction through which you must look in order to see the surface. The intent here is not to be able to drive fast - it is to be able to drive safely. As long as you have a set of bright lamps on your vehicle, oncoming traffic can see you; that's not really the issue. If an oncoming driver cannot, it is likely because of the light reflection in front of his face that is drowning out your lights. If you don't believe me on that point, pull off the roadway on a foggy/snowy night and take a look around with your lights off - you can see oncoming lights much, much sooner than when you are driving toward them with your lights on.
When I turn my driving lights on in a heavy snowstorm, those buggers burn right through the falling snow and light up the road nicely, but the problem is that they are mounted right above my head and so illuminate the snow from there all the way to the road and I have to concentrate so hard just to SEE the darned thing (road) that it makes the ability to drive another 10-15 mph faster unworth the exhausting effort.
One really just needs to experience the different scenarios to be able to appreciate the benefits of one over another, but I stand by my original claim that turning the fog lamps (not tinted amber, but plain-jane halogens with clear lenses) on independent of the low beams would be a preferable option over linked beams.
I've had two aggressive, dangerous incidents with truckers tailgating to push me out of the way. In both cases I obtained enough info to call their dispatch and suggest they tether their dangerous driver. When I described the behavior both times the person seemed actually concerned.
I guess I'm going to have to program the local highway patrol numbers into the phone and start calling directly to the local Ohio State Patrol. Lots of good that will do.
Our real problem is we need to be able to use unmarked cars in our state for traffic control; currently that is illegal and has been for decades. Maybe if the truckers though they might be intimidating a policeman... wouldnt that help?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Plain wrappers are usually spotted pretty quickly by truckers and then they put this out on CB. Not very many 4-wheelers use CB anymore, but I do and it has been immensely helpful through the years. On interstates in my area, I think 18-wheelers for most part are responsible and professional. I do see exceptions at times, including some dangerous tailgating. But, I see more stupid behavior by 4-wheelers in vicinity of 18-wheelers than other way around.
Our Emphasis Patrol is in full swing especially in King, Pierce, & Snohomish counties. You are being observed... more than you know.
When driving in daytime fog or snog, try wearing a pair of polarized glasses. For me, they filter out the glare in the fog particles and help my vision. Also very helpful when skiing in a whiteout.
We have more than our share of truck accidents. Several of these guys have been prosecuted expecially in the fatal accidents. It's amazing how they always try to blame 4-wheelers for their accident. If 4-wheelers are so dangerous to be around for the truckers, I would think they would drive more carefully when there are 4-wheelers around them instead of cutting in and out and tailgating.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The WSP fails to get much cred from me. I still love how they denied recent fatality accidents had anything to do with speed limit changes north of Everett. Don't lie, not everyone in this dumbed down society is blinded by a badge.
I didn't see any bad truckers yesterday, save for when they bunch up when one is passing another, going .5mph faster,
Cheers!
Paul
We're taking our time using the back roads (mostly 2-laners), and because of the short daylight, we're driving a few hours into the evening.
What peeves me is *some* oncoming drivers have to "flash" me because they *think* I have my high beams on. I can't help it that my low beams are aimed somewhat upward. If I can react fast enough, I've been switching to the parking lights position, which also illuminates the much dimmer DRLs.
What else am I supposed to do? The car's not overloaded.
If I was coming the other way on a two lane I would probably flash you; to me, it would be inconsiderate, stupid, and probably dangerous for someone to put their high beams on and leave them on in "retaliation."
Actually... yes you can. It only takes a screwdriver. Not that I would do it for a single trip either...
I only flash if oncoming lights really seem like high-beams, and in your case I might have. It's something you have to accept; it's a bother, but they see you the same way.
You might check into adding air struts.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Since this is a one-time event (taking my son's worldly goods back from LA combined with my wife and I's carry-on bags), it wouldn't be cost effective to add air struts. Nor would I want to attempt a trial-by-error re-aiming of the headlights -- like where do I find a vertical wall next to a level surface?
My gripe is that people shouldn't assume my brights are on when they are not, and in fact, MOST oncoming drivers didn't flash me. Interestingly, NO ONE with their fog lights on flashed me (that would have been the nerve), nor did anyone with HID headlamps.
Seems to me that flashing should only be done when you are reasonably certain that high beams are on -- no longer easy to do like in the 1965-76 period when most cars on the road had 4 headlamps.
For this very reason, I never flash my brights at anyone, but just avert my eyes.
On a more serious note...
I'd do the headlight reaim. I do mine on a road or street (no traffic) and cover one light and move the other one down or up to put the beam where I think it should be. I like to do it on foggy evenings cause it's easier to see the bright parts of the beam in the mist as you drive so you can tell it needs to go a little left or up or...
I was giving brights today to people with fog lights that are aimed up. Only one driver had high beams on. We had a dreary and foggy day here in Western Ohio with the cold snow still on the ground with misting rain.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
You are kidding, right? If an on coming car thinks you have your high beams on, they have a right to "flash" you. They don't know that you have have a car loaded up causing you car to sag in the rear.
When I see a car with extremely bright lights I will flash them... if by chance they don't have their brights on, they will know that their headlights might need to be re-adjusted.
My 2002 Mercedes ML500 (just traded in) had bi-xenons... I was not aware they were positioned too high until I noticed a lot of people "flashing" me. I took the truck back to the dealer and they re-adjusted them and since that point I never had a problem blinding people. I would have never known unless people flashed me.
My new Land Rover LR3 has the bi-xenons, they seem to be correctly aimed, no problems yet.
In the event when I KNOW someone has the their brights on, I will flash them, if they don't respond, I'll leave mine on blinding them as well. It is amazing that when I do that, they will then turn off their brights :confuse:
Mark
Not only do you have the "right" to flash oncoming drivers who YOU KNOW have their high beams on, you will proceed to leave YOURS on if they don't dim theirs.
Remember in driver's ed when they said that 2 blind drivers makes the situation twice as bad?
Now pf flyer has the right idea, a "preflash" early if the highbeams appear to be on.
I still contend that it's hard to know for sure if brights are indeed on, in this day and age of high-riding PU's and SUVs, plus HID headlamps, and people who insist on using fog lights in clear weather.
For this very reason, I never flash my brights, but just avoid looking directly at the oncoming lights.
Kinda interesting on my recent west-to-east cross-country trip, when a train running parallel to the 2-lane road had THREE extremely blinding headlights aimed toward me. Because of slight curves in the road as I was approaching, I wasn't sure if it was a car or something else (low-flying aircraft?).
Suppose I should have flashed him? Do locomotives even have low beams?
Trains are pretty easy to see with their headlight configuration.. always in a triangle set up. I would go ahead a flash them! And give'm an honk too!
Mark
I'll only call them mildly inconsiderate for following SO close behind, but the simple height difference between the vehicles had their low beams looking like they had been installed in my rear seat!
The answer is yes. What surprises me is that they don't have HID.
Anybody else come across that story?
Driving back from Nashville I find most people seem to have taken Prozac before starting. Driving to Nashville and back were very nice drives compared to other trips. Generally courteous drivers who intend to go somewhere without dawdling. Two major speed traps in Kentucky on I-65--from other trips through KY with 85 mph truckers and truckers tailgating or bumping the rear of your car at 80 mph (almost) because you're in their lane, I can't believe they actually have patrol cars on the Interstate.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Do they really have switchable beams!!!?
I like driving along the older highways where a track parallels the road!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
There is a place not to far from here where the road is parallel to the tracks for some distance before the road crosses the track via a bridge. We used to wait at the beginning of this stretch and race the train to that crossing. Now before anyone starts to yell at me, I did say that he road crossed the tracks via a bridge.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
There is no sound like a steam engine.... it's awesome!
And, the engineer was very inconsiderate because he left his high beams on! :P
Mark
Two of my vehicles, my 1967 Catalina and my 1985 Silverado (that's an old pic with Granddad standing by it when it was new...I'm not THAT old!) have stacked headlights. Oddly, the UPPER headlight is the low-beam and the lower is the high beam!
Now on the Catalina it's not so bad, because the upper light isn't really much, if any higher than on most cars, and certainly not higher than any truck. But on the Silverado, the upper light is pretty high up. Often when driving the truck I'll get flashed with just my low-beams on because people think I have the brights on, because the light is high up. Although still, it's probably not any higher up than many full-sized trucks and SUVs these days.
Would it be rude, then, to flash my high beams at them in response, to let them see for themselves that the other lights ARE my low beams?
Also, the more I think of it, why did they make the stacked headlights like that anyway? Wouldn't it have made more sense to make the higher light the high beam?
When I get flashed more than once (unusual, as my lows are actually set lower than most, but some people just automatically flash HID lights), I have no qualms showing them their error. I always assume they then feel a little sheepish.
I just have trouble with HID light since if is so blinding when they bounce up. It's nice that the people driving that car can see, but they're not safe if they blind oncoming drivers.
You sound like you realize that the HID lights are brighter and a few people are going to think you have high beams on and flash you.
I wonder why they haven't been controlled by laws but then the driving lights aimed up masquerading as fog lights that are on with low beams are still out there blinding oncoming traffic. HID probably are better aimed than those driving lights on many cars. Bonnevilles and GPs seem especially bad; maybe it's because there are so many of them on the road.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Yes Andre, I think that is an excellent idea. I usually flash first and if they don't dim their highbeams, I leave my brights on. I would say that 99% of the time, they will turn them off.
If they flash me showing they DON'T have their brights on, then I know for sure. Hopefully, they know that they need to adjust their lowbeams especially when they are driving their Toyota Camry across country loaded to the ground in the back blinding every American from here to Timbucktoo! :P
Andre, it's neat that you have a picture of your grandfather next to the truck that you still own. You can NEVER get rid of that truck! You should have it redone in his honor! :shades:
Mark
I don't usually keep my brights on when someone won't dim their own. I just flash them a few more times. If, however, someone thinks my lows are high beams and turn their own highs on, and keep them on after I flash them once, I have no regrets blinding them with both my low and high beams.
No, it wouldn't be rude. Just make them quick flashes.
I've probably flashed drivers who simply had high or bright low beams before. They looked like high beams, so I don't feel bad about letting them know that they're being annoying. Up to them to decide if they want to re-adjust them.
High/bright low beams are worse when they're behind me. But I don't have a way of telling the truck behind me that they're blinding me, short of crashing. As if they'd care.
I suppose that lights that don't hurt oncoming drivers' eyes (low beams) are always going to be too low, so that it's easy to overdrive them. In lit urban areas there should be no need, but in truly dark areas I'm more tolerant of high beams. Sometimes they really do hurt though.
I don't know the answer to your question; maybe some states had some kind of regulation then. But stacked headlights have always operated this way as long as I can remember (low beams on top) starting with widespread use on the '63 full-size Pontiacs. So you can blame GM if there were no state regulations on this. (This definitely predates federal safety standards.)
BTW, the last time I watched Bullitt, I noticed the '67 Ford cop car was running around with only its bottom beams illuminated! Go figure.
Off topic, think that "the moment" in Bullitt is when bad guy sees Bullitt in his rear view mirror.
Hey, I see the tongue sticking out, but still I gotta protest! My Camry wasn't sagging that badly, and I'd estimate only about 5% of the oncoming drivers flashed us on the mostly 2-lane roads we were using. Besides:
1. These roads weren't exactly crammed with traffic, especially in the wilds of Nevada and Utah (US Routes 6 and 50). Ever hear of the loneliest road in America?
2. I thought of bringing rudimentary tools with me on the flight to L.A. to start the drive, but thanks to Osama and pals, they would have been subject to confiscation. And I'm not about to buy anything when I've got a whole toolbox full at home.
3. Seriously guys, how many of you would have refocused your headlights in 15-degree weather at 10 PM in a motel parking lot in Ely, NV? It was more fun to go the neighborhood watering hole and shoot the breeze with the locals.
4. And finally it's spelled "Timbuktu," and no we didn't make it there!
I just don't think you should be upset that people flashed you. They don't know you don't actually drive around with your hi-beams on, but they did have reason to be upset.
Speaking of adjustments, most of the times I get blinded by a headlight... it's only one of the headlights. Which (I assume) means an adjustment problem.
I'd bet that only 1 out of 20 car owners, at best, know about headlight adjustability at all. I really don't think they'll EVER find out that they have a maladjusted light.
So many times when I see the "offender" coming my way, it's usually an older person driving their GM product, usually a LeSabre, etc. My parents had one and I can see how the problem starts... The high beam control works off the turning signal indicator switch. It is very easy to accidently click it on without knowing it.
My Dad was driving the '99 LeSabre Ltd down one of our major streets when he came to a red light. The gentleman in front of my Dad got out of his car walking towards my Dad. My Dad let the window down and the guy said "you are blinding me with your high beams".. my Dad said "oh, sorry, I didn't realize they were on." (my Dad is 84 yrs old).
Not long after that my Dad totalled the LeSabre and now has a Mercury Grand Marquis that has a much better lever for the high beams.
Mark