[GrandTourer]

Originally Posted by whatsfear

All very good points guys. The reality is that the powers that be seem to have higly misplaced priorities as regards safety.

And the irony is that most of these truck have a quote on the rear end of their trucks "Use dipper at night"

[bigron]

In addition to high beam people here have installed those cheap LED Light bars either on the roof (in case of those majority pseudo macho THAR/Bolero owners) or below the front bumper. It is literally like have a long tube light attached to the car .Of course it has no high or low beam but a single blinding spread of light.
It should amount to instant impounding of the vehicle and destroying the light like they do in case of loud pipes.

[vinayrathore]

Originally Posted by SCORPION

In any case, I wonder how blackening the upper half will affect a projector or an LED set up, considering many cars and bikes come with factory fitted projectors, some even for high beams. Imagine a spanking new 7 series or an Audi A6 with blackened headlights.

It will not only hamper but also cut the light spread by almost 50 to 70% as the projector anyways is projecting the right amount of light required with a sharp cut. These rules (Blackened upper part/Yellow strip) where made when there used to be the ubiquitous round beams with H4 lamps throwing light straight ahead in almost all the vehicles.

What needs to be done is to make Bi-Projectors with auto dim be made mandatory in all motor vehicles due to their ability to provide adequate lighting without hampering/blinding on coming road users. In this day and age of the likes of Mercedes Benz Digital light (See Video), this is the bare minimum the governments should do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WVhgPI2W08

[SCORPION]

In my opinion, instead of passing thoughtless laws like the beep above 90 kmph and 120 kmph, there should be an annoying beep whenever the high beam is switched on. There should be an auto cut off for the beep for consistent (say for about 20 seconds) speeds above 60 or 70 kmph. Speeds which imply that the vehicle is on a highway or in less trafficked areas. The beep should override the music playing through speakers. In short that should be the only other sound/noise in the car forcing the driver to revert to low beam. If not, his passengers will ensure he does.
I absolutely do not see the need for high beam within city/town/village limits whether the roads are lit or not.

[SnakemanJohny]

Some states always had this rule about blackening the upper one-third of headlamps to cut glare to approaching vehicles. West Bengal, for example, had it only for commercial vehicles, I think.
Some other states had a circular coin-sized black spot in the middle (now most halogen bulbs have the front blackened with the same purpose). In wartime, all cars had to have the TOP HALF blackened, presumably to escape notice from enemy aircraft. That was a World War 2 hangover, when planes flew really low.

Blackening the top (half or one third) was always a foolish idea -- that reduced illumination only from a dipped beam which reflects off the top half and goes down to the road. High beam menace is most effectively reduced by a cap in front of the bulb inside the sealed beam, and this has to be designed and manufactured, not added later. Maruti Gypsy HLs (and some other cars) have this feature, so even if I switch to high beam in my Gypsy King to counter the glare from an approaching offender, he/she is not bothered.

I feel that this HL reflector design should be made compulsory, along with some timer/beeper below certain speeds, to effectively combat the menace.
Blackening the top is an old-world solution, and will cause confusion to projector and other new HL models.

[condor]

With no end to the high-beam menace, esp when it is coming from behind you and in that 5000k temp lights, I tried a new approach. Wife was sitting in the co-driver seat. I had her block the light from the left ORVM with her hand on the window glass. Enough relief to be able to continue driving.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by SnakemanJohny

Some states always had this rule about blackening the upper one-third of headlamps to cut glare to approaching vehicles. West Bengal, for example, had it only for commercial vehicles, I think.
Some other states had a circular coin-sized black spot in the middle (now most halogen bulbs have the front blackened with the same purpose).

I do not support any of this painting stuff. Modern lights complex reflector patterns and any interference will not help, and can make life tougher. One standard response to the top blackening, used to be raising the beam angle. If we wish to be silly, then we will be. I remember taking my UK registered car to France, and the lens pattern which gave the directional beam used to be blacked off. It was tough and terrible.

[adi.mariner]

Is there any solution to reduce the glare on the ORVMs? The new Scooters and Bikes with LED Headlamps and High Beams create a lot of glare which blinds for a couple of seconds and can be very risky. Specially in Pune where the cross lanes are treated as the main roads and the 2-wheelers cross the main road indiscriminately.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by adi.mariner

Is there any solution to reduce the glare on the ORVMs? The new Scooters and Bikes with LED Headlamps and High Beams create a lot of glare which blinds for a couple of seconds and can be very risky.

I found this thread on a DIY solution to cut out glare from both IRVMs and ORVMs - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...are-orvms.html (DIY Install: Auto-Dimming IRVM & Anti-Glare ORVMs)

I wouldn't do this, by the way, as I'm not a DIY guy. In response to the glare from high-beams these days I merely crinkle my eyes, clench my jaws and curse softly like Clint Eastwood would in the Cowboy movies of yore

[reach_gm]

Originally Posted by SCORPION

In my opinion, instead of passing thoughtless laws like the beep above 90 kmph and 120 kmph, there should be an annoying beep whenever the high beam is switched on.

This is definitely good idea, linking high beam with speed, makes a lot of sense. Hope someone from enforcing agencies is listening and enforces this on manufacturers.

[SnakemanJohny]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I do not support any of this painting stuff. Modern lights complex reflector patterns and any interference will not help, and can make life tougher. One standard response to the top blackening, used to be raising the beam angle. If we wish to be silly, then we will be. I remember taking my UK registered car to France, and the lens pattern which gave the directional beam used to be blacked off. It was tough and terrible.

Agree. At least in India, the blacking out either the top third, or the centre patch, was some 'babu's reaction to being blinded by a high beam, without any scientific base. Made no difference to glare, but reduced light output and visibility. Most of these practices became difficult to implement with the round and rectangular shapes becoming obsolete. Now impossible with LEDs and projectors !

[Rahul Rao]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I do not support any of this painting stuff. Modern lights complex reflector patterns and any interference will not help, and can make life tougher. One standard response to the top blackening, used to be raising the beam angle.

I agree to this totally. The need is for correct leveling of headlamps, and education of drivers. current lamps give the illumination closer to you from upper part of lamp, and long distance illumination from center of lamp.
The pre H4 bi lux bulbs in reflector setup that we used till early 90's were opposite to the H4's and shielding top helped reduce glare.

I find the new white light Activa, and the LED in the Honda City more blinding than a trucks yellow light, and I drive an average of 50,000 km a year on highways, and of that about 40% at night.
On single roads the correct procedure is to use high till you are about 100 M from oncoming vehicle and then dip to low, and shift back to high just before cross point, if you don't you are sure to miss a local bullock cart, cyclist motorcyclist, animal etc, worst a parked truck or car parallel to the on coming vehicle. If another vehicle follows the oncoming vehicles just flick to high get bearings and get back to low, a second is enough.

On an divided road with bush or shield to protect you from glair from oncoming traffic you can hold hi till you are close to vehicle ahead of you, then dip. If you are overtaking shift to low and high again till you pass.


Rahul

[Tojo_GotBhp]

Found this video on YouTube. Though the video is in malayalam, the demo visuals are self-explanatory.

There are several drivers in India who tend to have their high-beam on even when a vehicle is passing in the opposite lane! The below video demonstrates a rather innovative yet simple solution to solve this menace.

A sensor is placed near the front grill which recognises oncoming vehicles by their illumination and automatically switches the headlamps from high beam to low beam and once the vehicle passes, gets back to the high beam. Though the product displayed may not be at it's finest form now, it's still an interesting innovation!

https://youtu.be/mwi7fSzhQPM

[RoadMonkey]

Today I had a near road-rage experience. I am generally a very calm person and have never gotten really angry based on road manners. If I did, I'd be on meds by now. Anyway, I've gotten used to people driving at high beam on SUVs (Fortuner, Scorpio are the biggest culprits) within city limits, on tight roads with street lights, but sometimes someone does so idiotic, you can only get pissed off. I didn't say or do anything, just really pissed off. Why, you ask? USING ***** DIPPERS IN TRAFFIC! Absolute horrid these new white lights of the new Gen Creta. The dippers are far worse than persistent high beam.

https://youtu.be/dSt3mojme2s

[sierrabravo98]

Originally Posted by RoadMonkey

Today I had a near road-rage experience. I am generally a very calm person and have never gotten really angry based on road manners. If I did, I'd be on meds by now. Anyway, I've gotten used to people driving at high beam on SUVs (Fortuner, Scorpio are the biggest culprits) within city limits, on tight roads with street lights, but sometimes someone does so idiotic, you can only get pissed off. I didn't say or do anything, just really pissed off. Why, you ask? USING ***** DIPPERS IN TRAFFIC! Absolute horrid these new white lights of the new Gen Creta. The dippers are far worse than persistent high beam.

https://Youtu.be/dSt3mojme2s

The high beam menace aside, please make it a habit of driving with clean and clear windshield especially during night time driving. Dirty windshields highly aggravate the High beam menace. Hence, a dirty windshield is a danger to you as well as to others.