[Zappo]

Guys this thread is in support of the idea that we should desist from using High Beams. Please bring out your suggestions, ways to sensitize motorists on this idea etc. However please desist from Machoism like I have a 130/100 in my car and I like to blind people who drive with high beam and such ideas. On this thread please respect the sentiment of the thread. One can definitely bring out the contrarian views or the problems one faces if one sticks to low beams, but that's about it...

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Zappo

Guys this thread is in support of the idea that we should desist from using High Beams. Please bring out your suggestions, ways to sensitize motorists on this idea etc. However please desist from Machoism like I have a 130/100 in my car and I like to blind people who drive with high beam and such ideas. On this thread please respect the sentiment of the thread. One can definitely bring out the contrarian views or the problems one faces if one sticks to low beams, but that's about it...

I understand why the posts were deleted, and my apologies for leading the thread OT.

I never intended to start an argument or act macho (what's there to act macho about in this safety-based thread anyway?), but I can't help when people nit-pick on semantics to twist things around.

I stick to a 'no high-beam unless absolutely necessary' policy, and that's enough for me. My initial post was a tongue-in-cheek comment (and I added an appropriate smiley to reflect that). I'm not sure what more I could do. I'll resist from posting in this particular thread if it's an issue.

Cheers.

[hillram]

Its nice initiatve taken by Zappo to have started this thread.
Personally i never use High beam while driving,only when it is absolutly necessary for a brief period,either to navigate through a bad road or if the road is not clear ahead.
I have faced many issues when i face a high beam light,as it throws me off the road mometarily.In the end,lets use high beam only if necessary for a momentary time.

[Sheel]

Inside city confines if I am blinded by High-Beam of an oncoming vehicle, I put the Car/Bike across their path,(i.e. I don't leave the center, so either they have to go off-road or hear me and heed my request) slowing them and then politely/innocently saying that I am blinded by your beams.



Flashing too doesn't help in commuter cases, be it bikes or cars.

[sgiitk]

I would happily say yes, except that you need the high beam on the Highway and in city when blinded by incoming traffic on a high beam or or a totally unlit road as otherwise I will miss the cyclists and the lot coming towards me.

[arunsasi]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I would happily say yes, except that you need the high beam on the Highway and in city when blinded by incoming traffic on a high beam or or a totally unlit road as otherwise I will miss the cyclists and the lot coming towards me.

very true. Unless u use high beam once in a while, you will miss a lot of fools wearing dark clothing on cycles and even the ones running across roads during night. If you have driven in rural India where there are no street lights (or one per mile) you would have experienced this first hand.

[Chetan_Rao]

Not to mention those tractor trolleys without any reflectors attached, forget tail-lamps, puttering along the main lane at 15-20 kmph.

And I've personally come across people who leave the vehicle in the middle of the road at night without any lights whatsoever (hazard or parking), to take a leak on the nearest wall/bush they can find. There's no way you can spot such cars on low-beam in time, esp. if they're dark-colored.

[rajeev k]

Fixing of auto dimmers, photo elecric cell based or otherwise, is to be made mandatory like headlamp levllers to control the menace.

The trend now on is to go for higher wattage and to increase the number of lamps to give a tit-for-tat, which also is to be curbed. Enforcing the usage of the allowable power of main beams is to be made stricter by appropriate regulations.

Two headlamps are only needed even for bigger vehicles. The practice now is increase in the number alongwith increase in size of vehicle which is to be stopped forthwith.

Many innocent lives are lost these days, the reason directly attributable to the high power beam and the source or culprit always getting away scotfree.

[ravikn]

Great Initiative Zappo,

I have always used the low-beam lights while driving in the highway as well as city. but get irritated so much when the on-coming vehicle do not switch to low-beams when they are approaching the vehicle.

I think earlier there used to be the black strip on the headlight that would stop the vehicle high beam light which blinds the eyes.
Truly wish if RTO can take this up again and make this as a mandate all over India

[Chetan_Rao]

One really annoying misconception in India is the 'bigger vehicle is always at fault' syndrome.

This happened barely an hour ago.

Was riding my way back home today (car's in for service), and the car ahead of me was driving sedately in moderate traffic, on low beam all the time. Suddenly, a biker popped out from behind an approaching vehicle, on high beam (and no helmet). The poor car driver in front of me honked like crazy, braked hard (I barely avoided smashing into his bumper) and swerved left off-road to avoid an accident (both with the moron ahead and trailing traffic), but the biker still managed to crash into his right front head-lamp area.

Fortunately, the almost head-on impact at relatively low speed prevented the bike from skidding, and he just fell off with minor injuries. And guess what happened next?

The car guy gets blamed for blinding the idiot and causing the accident, and the reasoning? "How can I blind a car driver with a single headlamp on my poor bike?" (was an Apache RTR,oh so poor). A handful of people ganged up on the car guy in the blink of an eye. I vouched for the car guy as I was following his car for a couple of kms and knew he was completely innocent in this, and called up the police. Fortunately, a Hoysala (PCR) van was close-by and came to our rescue. Very tense few mins, but fortunately things didn't come to violence. The police guy noted some details and asked us to leave. I left soon after. Don't know whether complaints/cases were lodged.

Couldn't click pictures as the situation was too tense, and I didn't want to risk getting bashed/mugged along with the car driver.

[noopster]

I think the issue to focus on is the use of high-beams to blind oncoming traffic and NOT high-beams per se. High beams are of great utility when driving on badly lit roads especially at high speeds. I use them on the highway stretch of my daily commute, but usually only when it's late and traffic is light. My high beams have helped me spot stray cattle, the occasional drunk or disoriented road crosser and the odd parked vehicle without lights (STUPID!).

I take care to dip everytime a vehicle approaches. Unfortunately a lot of people don't. When that happens, instead of *flashing* my lights I actually dim them (as in, move to parking light mode momentarily and then back) which often does the trick. Of course there are those idiots who ignore this and carry on blinding me anyway in which case I do *NOT* high-beam them myself (why blind some other innocent in the process) but actually slow down and keep my eyes focused on whatever I can see of my side of the road till the other vehicle has passed. Too often, in our anger at the inconsiderate boor, we look straight into his blazing headlamps and end up partially blinded long after the guy has zoomed off.

I used to get very riled up at these high-beamers (the wife still does) but now I am sanguine about it. It's just another annoyance, like people honking unnecessarily or tailgating you, that is par for the course on Indian roads. Truth be told, most drivers here don't even realise what harm they are causing by this behaviour- if they did why would they use high-beams when driving on the wrong side (very common behaviour in Pune and Bangalore outskirts)?!! The only sane course to pursue is try and ensure your own safety and that of others, and my way seems to be reasonably successful at that.

[anonymous]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

One really annoying misconception in India is the 'bigger vehicle is always at fault' syndrome.

+1 to that. Once I was at a crossing and right in front of me, there was one Alto being driven by an old man and a truck right next to Alto. The traffic light turned green and truck started to moving straight. Now this old man in Alto was talking on a phone and his right OVRM was folded inside. I could feel what was going to happen next. The Alto started to moving towards left and truck was moving straight. The old man was not looking the traffic behind and was busy on the phone. So finally alto hit the truck as soon as they both crossed the traffic light. Now old man came out of car and started shouting at truck driver, there was one PCR nearby and they also joined the old man. I was there watching all this, finally I decided to step in and told the cops that it was alto's driver fault and truck driver did nothing wrong. I also told that uncle was talking on his mobile while driving but still cops were bashing at Truck Driver and just ignored me completely.
I moved on after so really not sure what has had happened after this but I think both Alto and Truck Drivers would have gotten away by giving some bribe to cops for two reason-
1 - Cops knew that old man was using his mobile phone
2 - The truck was a bigger vechile than alto and per the law, its always the fault of bigger vechile in case of road accident so Truck driver would also wanted to get away.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by noopster

I think the issue to focus on is the use of high-beams to blind oncoming traffic and NOT high-beams per se. High beams are of great utility when driving on badly lit roads especially at high speeds. I use them on the highway stretch of my daily commute, but usually only when it's late and traffic is light. My high beams have helped me spot stray cattle, the occasional drunk or disoriented road crosser and the odd parked vehicle without lights (STUPID!).

You are absolutely right: they are there to be used, and used correctly and responsibly, and it sounds like you have the right ideas.

Have to focus, though, on part of what you said:

... when driving on badly lit roads especially at high speeds.

There's an answer to that. Just... don't. Don't drive on badly lit roads at high speed! Drive within the conditions and the visibility.

Sorry, I'm a bit like a flea with stuff like that: can't let it pass without biting it. Nothing personal!

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Just... don't. Don't drive on badly lit roads at high speed! Drive within the conditions and the visibility.

Sorry, I'm a bit like a flea with stuff like that: can't let it pass without biting it. Nothing personal!

No offence taken, Thad. Just so you know, I am a firm believer in Douglas Adam's R17 concept. Which goes something like:

"R is a velocity measure, defined as a reasonable speed of travel that is consistent with physical health, mental wellbeing and not being more than about five minutes late. It is therefore clearly an almost infinitely variable figure according to circumstances, since the first two factors vary not only with speed taken as an absolute, but also with awareness of the third factor. Unless handled with tranquillity this equation can result in considerable stress, ulcers and even death.
R17 is not a fixed velocity, but it is clearly far too fast."

I stay well under R17 on those dimly lit stretches, ok?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Unless handled with tranquillity this equation can result in considerable stress, ulcers and even death.

We're on the same wavelength there

There are British drivers who say that some country roads are safer at night, because one can see the headlights of the oncoming cars. However, there, the headlights will be on, and the cows are in the fields, not on the roads.