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Headlight height should be regulated (lemmy.nowsci.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/unpopularopinion@lemmy.world
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The more I think on this, the more I wonder if it's truly unpopular "here," but it certainly is in public.

Headlights should be no more than 2 feet off the ground. Yes, your SUV will look dumb. No, you won't be able to see as far. But you also won't be blinding everyone.

And no, adjusting angles does not solve this for monster trucks in the US.

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[–] 12 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (4 children)

It doesn't matter where the lights are themselves. What matters is how they're angled. Almost every jackass I've seen with custom lights also has their headlights pointed straight forward; which is why you get blinded. The lights are supposed to be pointed toward the ground. Otherwise you're driving around with high beams everywhere and your high beams end up shooting into the fucking sky.

Plenty of vehicles with those blue led lights that don't blind you because they're angled correctly. I think regulating the height of the bumper (or rather, the height should be the same for an SUV or truck as it is for a normal sized car) is more needed right now.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Cars come from the factory with blinding lights. Yes modified lights are also a problem. There aren't enough regulations for either OEM nor modified headlights.

    If a car's headlights are mounted higher than the mirrors of another car, no amount of aiming can stop them from being blinding.

    If anything they should bring back sealed beam laws. Auto companies have proven they're unable to make headlights correctly.

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  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    30+ years ago, cars came standard with rearview mirrors that had a lever to select daytime view (full reflection) or night time view (partial reflection) to minimize glare.

    My current car came from the factory with auto-darkening rearview and side mirrors. Two light sensors detect whether it is night, and if there are headlights behind you. If so, the mirrors darken enough so headlights aren't blinding.

    It's not a new system. My 2012 Jeep Patriot had the same thing for the rearview mirror.

    Headlights have to be near the eyeline of the driver for retroreflective signs, clothing, and markings to work right. Moving headlights that far below the driver's eyeline will create far more danger than it cures.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 2 years ago

    As posted in other comment:

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    This is false. In most vehicles, defined proper headlight alignment creates a beam that is flat, parallel to the road with the spillover hitting the road. With proper alignment, height matters.

    Example: https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/54c8125de1015-headlights-07-0511-de-1537997271.jpg

    --

    Even when angled down, the light spread is flat, so higher lights can still be blinding.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    I think it does matter, because the higher the lights are the steeper the vertical angle will be. If you have lights 5' high trying not to shine in the windshield of a Miata then they won't be shining very far down the road.

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