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Old 25th March 2011, 23:06   #181
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

Gentlemen,
I do not know whether this will be the relevant thread to share my views but I am submitting it here. I request the moderators to shift this message to some other thread, if found not appropriate.
Just yesterday I went to a friend's house in Gurap, a small village in Hooghly district in West Bengal. It was about 61 KM from my house in Calcutta, going by NH2. After a sumptuous dinner, only after driving 20 KM on my way back home at around 23-30 Hrs, suddenly the intensity of both the headlamps increased and then both headlamps went off, although the other lights were working. Fiddling with the high/low beam selector switch, I found out that the low beam was working. I slowed down as the range of my visibility was reduced. After driving safely for another ten minutes, I really panicked, as the low beam lamps also again intensified and died. My car (2005 Tata Indigo Petrol) was initially moving at a speed of at least 100-110 KMPH, from which I had no option but to substantially reduce speed, almost to crawling. Durgapur Expressway do not have streetlights, it was totally dark, except for the lights of the passing trucks. I was fortunate that it was a divided road. Many of the trucks on the highway here do not even have any tail lamp, so I started following a truck with tail lamps and brake lights in order. Although I had spare headlights, I did not have screw drivers in my car and did not know what went wrong. Depending on the parking lights/hazard lights and by following the trucks very cautiously, I drove up to the toll plaza of Nivedita Setu (the second bridge near Dakhineswar), from where rest of the road had street lights.
My friends are now telling me to install a set of fog lamps, which I do not have. The first thing I did this morning was to visit a car electrician, who told me this morning that the cut out of the dynamo was giving an overcharge, which was responsible for the burning out of the headlamps. I replaced it for Rs 650/- (Lucas). But will any kind gentleman in this forum please tell me whether there is any chance of such mishap again in future? Is there any other option so that I may avoid such further occurrence?
Regards,
Rahul Biswas
Calcutta
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Old 25th March 2011, 23:51   #182
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

98% of the vehicles in my town, Anantapur, use the high-beam + fog lamps.
What is paining is that the protagonists are mainly drivers of Scorpios, Safaris, Innovas, Figos, altos and Indica vistas, who are supposed to be the "well off" and "educated" lot of the town full of share autos, and all sorts of 2 wheeled contraptions. Most likely, is that these noobs lack the ability to differentiate between the headlight and log lamps. So Fog Lamps and high-beams should not be a feature in cars at all!

I wonder what is going to save us. Last week, we were nearly driven off the road by a moron jeeper with his highbeams, 2 fog lamps and 2 flood lights gleaming mercilessly in the OK-lit, narrow streets of my town.
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Old 26th March 2011, 01:35   #183
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

You can do nothing. I had a faceoff in my apartment complex (fully lit) with a moron 55 year old gent who kept on repeating how he has been driving without an accident for 30 years and is flawless. And then said, so what if the MV act says no high beam - there's no society law against highbeam, is it?


This country is full of morons
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Old 26th March 2011, 10:47   #184
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

On my recent trip to Hampi, the return leg was done mostly after dark. And I was terribly surprised by few vehicles dimmed their beams.

SH19 and NH63 is largely without a divider so the beam hits you and affects your orientation. Despite repeatedly alternating between high and low beam to indicate I wanted the other vehicle to use lower, only about 10% vehicles actually dimmed! Strange part, most of the trucks didn't switch.

This leads me to wonder : are the truck drivers sitting at such a level that they have to use to high beam to have a proper view of the road ahead?
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Old 26th March 2011, 16:29   #185
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

I think it is not right to simply go against high-beams, even when you encounter on-coming traffic on single-carriage highways.

Our highways are full of all kinds of vehicles - cycles, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and the dreaded tractors pulling a trailer behind them with no rear lights. On my way back from Leh, I encountered a tractor coming in the opposite direction. This incident occurred a little after I had crossed Ropar. As a good-natured driver, I dipped my headlights. This was a bad decision.

On low beam, the headlights do not illuminate very far. I knew it was a tractor - its headlights told me so. But I could see nothing behind it. What the tractor was pulling was a fairly wide load. I saw it, but a little too late. My right front rammed into it at 80kmph. Fortunately, no one was injured.

But since that day, I have become vary of dipping to low beams. If my high beams were on, I would have seen how wide the load was in good time.

Low beams work in the city. However, always inclining towards dipping your lights when you see an on-coming vehicle may not be a good idea.
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Old 26th March 2011, 20:22   #186
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

^^^ Your theory is flawed, IMO. If you had observed carefully on that fateful day, you would've noticed the wide load of the tractor BEFORE you switched to low beams.

Do you realize the danger that a loaded goods carrier poses to your vehicle and more importantly to you, if its driver gets blinded by your high beams and comes head on?

Your car plus occupants = 1-2tons, moving at 80kmph. The other vehicle, say a loaded tractor-trailer conraption = 5-6 tons, moving at 30kmph. If it comes head on, it's as bad as hitting a huge rock at over 100kmph. Calculate the energy/momentum involved, and consider the same getting transferred to the body shell of your vehicle/occupants. Imagine how catastrophic it would be.

The only remedy is to stay alert. Never focus our vision on the oncoming vehicles' headlights, instead focus on the road ahead. It comes with practice.
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Old 26th March 2011, 20:44   #187
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

Quote:
Originally Posted by lucifer1881 View Post
I think it is not right to simply go against high-beams, even when you encounter on-coming traffic on single-carriage highways.

Our highways are full of all kinds of vehicles - cycles, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and the dreaded tractors pulling a trailer behind them with no rear lights. On my way back from Leh, I encountered a tractor coming in the opposite direction. This incident occurred a little after I had crossed Ropar. As a good-natured driver, I dipped my headlights. This was a bad decision.

On low beam, the headlights do not illuminate very far. I knew it was a tractor - its headlights told me so. But I could see nothing behind it. What the tractor was pulling was a fairly wide load. I saw it, but a little too late. My right front rammed into it at 80kmph. Fortunately, no one was injured.

But since that day, I have become vary of dipping to low beams. If my high beams were on, I would have seen how wide the load was in good time.

Low beams work in the city. However, always inclining towards dipping your lights when you see an on-coming vehicle may not be a good idea.
Dear Friend, Do always dip when you see oncoming vehicles. Don't blind any one.
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Old 27th March 2011, 21:37   #188
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

Quote:
Originally Posted by lucifer1881 View Post
I think it is not right to simply go against high-beams, even when you encounter on-coming traffic on single-carriage highways.

Our highways are full of all kinds of vehicles - cycles, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and the dreaded tractors pulling a trailer behind them with no rear lights. On my way back from Leh, I encountered a tractor coming in the opposite direction. This incident occurred a little after I had crossed Ropar. As a good-natured driver, I dipped my headlights. This was a bad decision.

On low beam, the headlights do not illuminate very far. I knew it was a tractor - its headlights told me so. But I could see nothing behind it. What the tractor was pulling was a fairly wide load. I saw it, but a little too late. My right front rammed into it at 80kmph. Fortunately, no one was injured.

But since that day, I have become vary of dipping to low beams. If my high beams were on, I would have seen how wide the load was in good time.

Low beams work in the city. However, always inclining towards dipping your lights when you see an on-coming vehicle may not be a good idea.
Not trying to judge, but maybe what happened was also because you were not as left as you should have been. From my experience it is best to stick as left as possible on single-carriage highways during the night. Yes, parked tractors, hay-stacks etc happen on the left, but these can be spotted if alert. I found many people in AP driving on the "right of center" and maneuvering to the left when an oncoming vehicle approaches. This may be OK with low traffic density, but it puts an enormous strain on your reflexes on a decent density routes.
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Old 27th March 2011, 21:54   #189
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

A good idea is to use a pair of auxillary lights on your car with the left beam focused on the left shoulder a little ahead(so you can see parked vehicles etc) and the right beam focused on the road straight upfront. Then you can use use main headlight high beam to play with the oncoming traffic.
  • Night driving is a technique. Try never to look at the oncoming lights. Instead look to the left shoulder to the centre with peripheral vision for the rest of the road.(this is just one technique, there are a few more)
  • Make sure your lights are focused on the road and not in the air. Good light setting for night driving is most important. Its better that you be able to see your own road than try to blind the other person from seeing his road. If both cant see then a crash is imminent.
  • Night driving judgement comes with practice, when you learn to judge distance and speed based upon the lights of the oncoming traffic without actually staring at the oncoming lights.
  • You should be able to stop within the distance of light throw of your vehicle, else you are driving too fast and wont be able to stop in time during emergency.
  • Be courteous to other drivers when they use dipper.
  • Make sure your windscreen is scratch free and clean. If you wear spectacles, make sure they too are scratch and dirt free. Scratches on glass magnify the reflection of oncoming light making visibility difficult.
  • Make sure you are not sleepy. If your eyes are tired during night driving - stop and catch a nap - better to sleep in your car for a while than sleep in the grave forever.

Cheers,

Jay

Last edited by jaysmokesleaves : 27th March 2011 at 21:55.
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Old 14th April 2011, 13:07   #190
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves View Post
Night driving is a technique. Try never to look at the oncoming lights. Instead look to the left shoulder to the centre with peripheral vision for the rest of the road.(this is just one technique, there are a few more)
+1 for this Jay, My wife and Mom usually ask to me this question while driving in the night. That's the exact response from me every time I hear that question.

Never see the head lights of the opposite vehicle you might loose track of the road.
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Old 14th April 2011, 14:35   #191
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

when it comes to education Pune is one of the best cities that comes in mind.

think if big IT companies and auto manufacturers and Pune comes in your mind.

But when it comes to basic driving manners Pune is the worst.
99% of vehicles drive with high beam.

when you blink in front of them as a request to lower the beam they give a damn about it. they are just shameless and illeterate enough to understand why the person in front is asking to lower the beam.
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Old 14th April 2011, 15:00   #192
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

Education and driving on high beams run together.
Take Kerala, the most literate state, literacy levels as per latest reports is 94%, but all of them always drive in high beam. (The only exception is during the day time. Then also everyone including bikers always flash their headlamps without even knowing what for.)

Last edited by rajeev k : 14th April 2011 at 15:01.
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Old 16th April 2011, 20:54   #193
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

A Skoda was coming from Alwaye side and was proceeding to Tripunithura through the Seaport Airport road and the car was continuously on high beam and was trailing me in the Vishu day night traffic putting every other car driver to great difficulty. Seing him constantly on highbeam oncoming vehicles on low beam immediately switch to High beam like a catalytic reaction. The guy never ever touched the dipper switch. (Fellaw may be thinking that it activates an explosive device)

The first photograph of its effect on my rear view mirror explains it.

I stopped and allowed the guy to go past me. What I saw was astonishing it was a State car. See it to believe it. From the number it appears that It is a hired one by the department.

Would the personnel concerned take note and start educating such literate mallus.
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Last edited by rajeev k : 16th April 2011 at 20:55.
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Old 16th April 2011, 21:34   #194
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

What I really dont understand is that it is only a handful of us here on TBHP who have a problem with high beam cars around us? All these people ( literate and illiterate) who regularly drive on high beams are not affected by other cars high beams or what? Doesn't it ever come across there minds that lowering the beam will help them too?
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Old 18th April 2011, 14:49   #195
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Re: Say NO to HIGH-BEAM

IMHO , city driving or normal 4-6 lane highway driving I prefer sticking to the Low beam . Can't understand how does pointing your headlight in oncoming traffic eyes would help safe driving . Trust me these are the educated morons who dont even care to lower it when you use dipper . The cabbies / Taxis at least are courteous enough to lower it except a few .

On the contrary its real fun when you drive a vehicle like Safari/Scorpio and keep driving on low beam , let the moron with those high beam come close and zuppp , switch to high , and there goes the high beamer(the moron) making him break his dream . Hard breaks and left with no choice to lower it . If he stops give him a earful , else he would think twice before doing the same again
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