# people with high-beams on **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602 "2002-09-09T02:47:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/21 "2002-09-10T14:35:16Z")
I don’t know, but all cars I’ve ever driven have a rearview mirror that you can flip up so the brights don’t blind you. Anyone driving behind you can see you flip it up, so that usually helps them turn it off in 25% of all cases. If not, then the anti-blinding position still displays the headlights, only dimmer (I don’t know how that works, but it does). And you can still see the car in your side mirrors. In any case, I prefer to think the danger’s ahead of me, not behind me. I’m not going to waste time looking in the rearview mirrors. ---
**Author:** ![Feynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/22 "2002-09-10T15:27:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mort Furd \* > \*\* > My brother and I used to use a similar trick. We had an old flatbed truck that we used to haul hay. Since there were plenty of days where we finished a job after dark, we had loading lights mounted all around the bed and up on a rack. If somebody didn’t dim his headlights after being blinked with our hi-beams, we’d give 'em a shot of the loading lights. Everbody got the message then. Since we had lights pointing towards the back, it worked just as well for tailgaters with hi-beams. \*\* Once upon a time there was this guy driving home from the city and he came up behind a slow moving pickup. Since the truck was moving well below the speed limit and the highway was clear, the guy (let’s call him Feynn) decides to pass. Imagine my surprise, shock, and terror when the back of the truck lit up like the surface of the freaking sun and I was completely blinded. I had to hit the brakes and guide my car to the shoulder from the left lane… completely BLIND. Try this when you’re doing 70+ mph. And no… I didn’t have my highbeams on. The other consequence of this is that the guy with the rear facing halogens had his truck’s lighting modified a little later so that they wouldn’t pose a hazard to other drivers. Sure… I could have just let it slide but since I knew who owned the truck and where he lived and had a crowbar and some wire cutters I figured it was my civic duty to prevent this from happening to someone else. :mad: My vehicles also have that amazing little mechanism that Coldfire mentioned, the rearview mirror can be tilted with the flick of a finger so that you are not blinded by the lights from the cars behind you. Use it. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/23 "2002-09-10T17:40:53Z")
If the car behind you has his bright lights on, the official, approved, recognized around the world method of getting him to dim them is to flick your own headlights from low to high and back again a few times. At least that is what I was taught in Drivers Education many years ago. I was taught the same thing by my father long before I entered drivers ed, and have seen this practice employed all over the USA. If the inconsiderate moron behind you doesn’t dim his lights, don’t attempt to blind him in any way and don’t let him pass so that you can “pay him back.” Instead, slow down and let him pass—then drive slow until he is far enough ahead of you that you may safely resume your previous speed. If none of that works, energize the rear-facing twin lasers and burn the bastard’s eyes out of his head. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/24 "2002-09-10T18:40:36Z")
Excellent LouisB. I always figured those big flat shiny rear bumpers that many pickups have were designed to reflectively blind anyone that came too close. They do work, although they’d look silly on a Beetle. ---
**Author:** ![LolaBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@LolaBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaBaby)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/25 "2002-09-10T20:09:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LouisB \* > \*\*If the car behind you has his bright lights on, the official, approved, recognized around the world method of getting him to dim them is to flick your own headlights from low to high and back again a few times. At least that is what I was taught in Drivers Education many years ago. I was taught the same thing by my father long before I entered drivers ed, and have seen this practice employed all over the USA. \*\* 😕 If you’re in _front_ of him, he’s supposed to notice your _front_ headlamps? 😕 Is this done in the hopes that he’ll notice the roadway in front of you darkens momentarily? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/26 "2002-09-10T23:11:47Z")
If you’re driving in the dark, you’re probably going to notice the car in front of you switching on the high beams. I would, anyway. There’s a huge difference in the amount of light. You shouldn’t do this with oncoming traffic, as you might blind _them_, but that goes without saying. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/27 "2002-09-10T23:23:50Z")
STEP ON THE FREAKIN’ GAS PEDAL AND PUT ABOUT 5 MILES TWIXT HIM AND YOU!! And, Yes, rear-facing white lights are very illegal, at least in my state. I thought everyone knew this, but I guess not. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/28 "2002-09-10T23:46:00Z")
Well, except for reverse lights. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/29 "2002-09-15T14:55:18Z")
**LolaBaby,** the technique I describe IS, in fact, in wide spread use. It is predicated, of course, on the assumption that the driver of an automobile is in control of that automobile and is aware of his surroundings–in front of, behind, and to the sides of that automobile. This concept presupposes that a driver’s attention will be on driving and will not be diverted by blaring stereos and/or cell phone conversations. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/30 "2002-09-15T15:09:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mooch \* > \*\*Wow, totally not what I thought this was going to be about. > > -waiting for cooler weather- \*\* Done that one [Women’s Clothing and Prominent Nipples](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71555&highlight=nipples) ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/31 "2002-09-15T22:02:07Z")
1. If it’s dark, turn all your lights completely off. You can still see the car behind you, but to them you have suddenly disappeared. It will totally freak them out. I know cuz someone did it to me once. 2. To discourage a tailgater, turn on your windshield wipers and squirt lots of fluid. The dirty fluid will blow from your car onto their windshield and they’ll have to turn on their wipers. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/32 "2002-09-15T23:49:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lainaf \* > **1. If it’s dark, turn all your lights completely off. You can still see the car behind you, but to them you have suddenly disappeared. It will totally freak them out. I know cuz someone did it to me once.** Why would you have suddenly disappeared if they have their high beams on and you turn all your lights off? Surely it wouldn’t make any difference to them, or have I got the wrong end of the stick? Funnily enough I had this happen to me on the way to work yesterday. I just flipped the dimmer on the rear view mirror (I thought all cars had this now), and used my gizmo to point the side mirrors upwards. If all else fails, press the button marked “smokescreen” (what do you mean you haven’t got this button?) ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602/33 "2002-09-16T01:03:21Z")
Tapping the brake lightly a couple of times, as mentioned by broys, has worked just fine the couple of times this situation has happened to me. Personally, I’ve never found the need to use my high beams _at all._ The regular amount of light always seems sufficient to me, and it sure beats turning my high beams off and back on every time a car comes by in the opposite direction. That’s a very easy thing to forget to do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-high-beams-on/127602.md?page=1)