You hi-beamers! You know who you are!

The BBQ Pit
1

[rant]

I’ve just completed a round-trip trek from the Baltimore area to southern New Jersey and was reminded of one of my all-time favorite peeves: people who have their hi-beams on at inopportune times. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s bothered by this, either.

You know the situation. You’re driving down the highway (expressway, turnpike, parkway, what have you)and all of a sudden, behind you are the brightest lights you’ve ever seen. You look at other cars behind you, in other lanes, and their lights don’t seem nearly as bright. So you flip your rearview mirror to night vision, still a mite perturbed.

An offshoot of this phenomenon is the car with only one headlight. Usually, it seems the owner of this car will compensate for the defective light bulb by putting on his hi-beams. This means, of course, that while the defective light is as normal brightness, the working light’s now at hi-beam illumination, making the car look like a drunken sailor.

I guess my rant is aimed at two kinds of people: the ones who know they have the defective light and haven’t gotten it fixed (or won’t) and those who simply like to drive with their hi-beams on. Yes, I know that if the person with the defective light doesn’t put the hi-beams on, then he or she will have only one working light. I’ll grant you that! But there seem to be more and more of these cars on the road. Aren’t you people going to get those lights fixed?? I’m tired of seeing your brights in my eyes! :slight_smile:

Now, those of you who like to have the hi-beams on… What’s WRONG with you? You need to see another two feet or so in front of you? Don’t you realize that by shining your hi-beams (brights), the lights go directly to the rearview mirror of the car in front of you, thus distracting the driver and possibly causing an accident? All so you could see a little further ahead of you?

I also realize that there are more and more sport-utility vehicles on the road, and that usually these vehicles are a lot higher than my little Saturn, making their lights go into my eyes anyway, whether they’re using hi-beams or regular lights.

Here’s the thing. Hi-beams (brights) are to be used when it’s dark and visibility is limited due to a lack of, say, street lights. They’re used so you can follow the road more closely. They’re NOT to be used to bully other cars around! By trying unnecessarily to see better, you only make it harder for the cars in front of you to operate, and therefore make the possibility of an accident much more likely.

[/rant]

2

Let’s not get started on the boy racers with PIAA lights, foglights, headlights, and high-beams going… all at the same fucking time.

3

When I drove a Honda, I had the same problem. I found a good way to deal with this. I bought a vehicle that got my ass a lot farther from the ground. In my Jeep, even high beams don’t bother me that much.

Another option, which I have been told works very well, is to get revenge. A friend of mine installed two halogen lights in his bumper, with small slits, instead of the normal size holes. He aimed them correctly, so that when someone got behind him with their high beams on, a flip of the switch would return the favor and blind the asshole behind him, at least for a couple second. You’d be surprised how many people get off your ass when they can’t see. And they also tend to turn off their high beams.

4

Don’t get mad, get even, eh?

5

Get even, without killing them. I’d prefer land mines and other explosive devices, but bright lights work well enough, and aren’t nearly as messy.

6

I had a friend who after two years of driving tried another persons car. They noticed that when they put the lights on, the little blue light didn’t come on. They thought there was something wrong with the car. So for some people it is that they have never learnt there is a different set of headlights.

But it does annoy me too. Not as much as people who don’t indicate though (how the hell am I supposed to know where you are going?).

7

I was hoping for a ‘chick in tight sweater’ type thread here, or at least some reference to ‘Friends’… oh well.

8

Unfortunately for the car drivers of the world, I drive a truck. I love the people that have such a complex that they think a brake check is the proper action to take as I get near them, or they let me pass and ride my rear with there high beams on. I just want to inform all of you who “think” I have my high beams on, I DON’T! All right, occasionally on the open road I may forget to dim my lights for an oncoming car, but a simple flash is sufficient. No, this is usually not enough satisfaction as you continue to glare your high beams at me. Please do not continue to take your frustrations out on me! I am not every “bad man” in your life. I am not the selfish bugger who took the last donut, or the cretin who left the toilet seat up. I am just another motorist like YOU! Allow me a chance to rectify my wrongs before you try, judge, and hang me.

9

Another part of the problem is that headlights can be adjusted. In this case,

is actually an incorrectly adjust headlight. If someone’s normal light is out, switching the high beams on will cause both headlights to be on high beam, not one on high and one on normal.

This brings up my rant – people who don’t have their headlights adjust properly. This seems to be a problem more with SUVs, but I’ve noticed it with cars as well. An automobile’s headlights should be pointed at an angle, and taller vehicles should have more of an angle to prevent shining in other people’s mirrors (both rear view and side mirrors). I think some SUVs keep the same angle as a car, causing them problem. Commercial trucks don’t have this problem to nearly the same degree, even when they have a higher base.

10

Hell todays high beams are wuss.

My uncle Ronny had a Roadrunner that was all tricked out and had landing lights off a small plane under the bumper. My step father had the same kinda deal in his old car.

Me, I have a 1 mil candle power spotting light plugged in to my lighter in my pickup. Anyone tailgates me or highbeams me I’m frying some retinas. The spotting light only cost me 50$ and you can get them all over the place. Don’t get mad, get even.

11

This failure to dim lights when behind someone is just about tops on my list of peeves. I don’t understand how people can be so inconsiderate or so ignorant of the rules of the road. Maybe things like that are no longer taught in Drivers Education classes.

I do feel compelled to say that attempting to gain revenge on an ignorant or insensitive driver is pointless in my opinion. If they haven’t learned to dim their lights by the time they get their drivers license, they are unlikely to learn anything by someone attempting to blind them in return. They are likely to attempt to retaliate and then the situation can only go downhill.

12

I hate those fuckers too. I think most of it is either missaligned lights or just plain being an asshole. For the past few days I had someone in a mini van, I think it was the same person, tail me with their highbeams on. They were close enough so that I didn’t even NEED my lights on at all. I really hate people like that.

As for the truckers I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem with their lights as they actually aim their lights properly. I just installed PIAA fog lights on my motorcycle and it took me a few hours to make sure that they were aimed low enough not to offend other drivers. it doesn’t take THAT LONG to make adjustments you morons.

13

I should note that the OP wasn’t really aimed at the SUVs, pickups, etc. that just have their regular lights on. You’re higher than me, so your lights will shine in my eyes. Hey, no big deal. Not like you can change it on the fly, and maybe adjusting your lights out of courtesy of your fellow motorists isn’t a high priorities. My beef is with those jerks who are driving midsize or smaller cars who have those brights on either out of spite or complete negligence. It’s VERY easy to turn those things off! And for those of you who honestly have forgotten they’re on - I understand your position, but when you’re on a superhighway chances are real good cars from the other direction aren’t seeing your hi-beams anyway, leaving just the cars on your side of the fence to suffer your brights. Bottom line: Please remember to turn them off when you approach traffic, whether it’s going your way or not.

14

I am one of those people that drive around with my fog lights on. BUT…I have them aimed toward the ground so not to blind the crap out of the people in front of me.
I have found that having a rear spoiler in just the right place helps block out a lot of the light from excessively bright truck and SUV lights. Tinted windows help a bit too.
I once had this guy behind me with the brightest godamn lights I had ever seen. It was so bright it was like daylight in my car. So at the stoplight, this guy turned off his lights…what a nice guy. If more people followed this example…the road just might be a better place.

15

For some reason, people always flash their brights at me, thinking that I have my high-beams on when I don’t. I have a small car, so it’s not that my lights are placed high up. I don’t know what the problem is.

For those drivers who use their high-beams whilst driving behind you: I’ve found that by carefully positioning my rear-view mirror, I can shine the light directly back into the driver’s face. That usually does the trick.

16

Of course they’re not messy. That is, until your jackass scheme blinds them, and they hit the gas instead of the brakes and plow through your car, leaving you a crumpled bloody stain on the pavement.

This “idea” could only have been concived by an utter nincompoop. Congratulations, I’ll be looking for you two on the Darwin Awards page soon.