Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Street Experiences (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/)

-   -   Glare protection from oncoming headlights (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/246490-glare-protection-oncoming-headlights.html)

Hi
I have to drive my i10 at night often and often get bombarded by idiots with head lamps on high beam. While I am able to keep my cool most of the times (and make their highbeams dip with my 130W dippers the other times), it has started to affect my driving because:

1. The driving is on the highway
2. I've already had Lasik

I've been looking for anti-glare/polarised mirrors which can be hung in front of me/pasted on the windshield similar to the HUDs of commercial airliners (just for reference, they'll cost as much as my car rl:). My only concern is not getting blinded by the Highbeam idiots and ending up in a roadside ditch.

Can anyone suggest something on similar lines, preferable tried and tested? Spectacle lenses is unlikely since I'm already wearing blue filter spectacle lenses for my extended screen time.

I've also gone through the forum with posts from 2012 about UV films but heat protection is not a concern

Thanks in advance!

I have faced this issue while night driving as well.
There is a good product review and discussion on the same subject in this thread:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...fe-review.html

Hope it helps!!

Rachit

In past I had searched the forum for the same purpose.

Conclusion from the study was: Get your eyesight tested and get new spectacles with correct power. If the windshield has scratches, you may get it changed. Other than this, not much can be done.

I was disappointed to read this. But I did get the eyesight checked and new prescription lenses made. It did make a good amount of difference. Also you may try a clip of polar glasses to fit on your spectacles. But try it carefully. If it reduces the general night visibility, then don't use it. If your eyeglasses' prescription is correct, your car headlights are correctly aimed and bulbs / reflectors aren't old, I think that the polar glasses won't impair the night visibility.

The Zeiss recommendation by Rachit is solid. If you can't change the world around you, change yourself :). India is full of high-beam idiots.

If I may suggest, do try to alter your schedule in a way that you drive on the highway during the day, even if early in the morning. Indian highways are dangerous beasts & your i10 isn't the safest car either. I have almost completely eliminated highway driving at night. Day driving is far safer from the visibility + driving environment point of views.

My safe night driving article begins with the following para:

I haven't used it, but this seems like a product you can try out. Isn't very costly, and if it fulfills your use case, it'll make me happy that I could suggest something worthwhile for a fellow BHP-ian.

Link:- https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09CL6G737/...GZ4H3Q4GHS73W2

Moreover, it's got both a Day and Night Mirror to reduce sun glare and vehicular light glare.











Note: All images taken as screenshot from the linked add on Amazon.in

First up - Drive slowly.

Keep your electrical system in good shape, headlights aligned and in good working order, windscreen as clean as it can be - that is it.

Avoid getting into a headlight battle, UV and Truck drivers are least bothered, but at the same time they have certain other tricks up their sleeve when irritated, it wont end well for you.

And finally different people have different sensitivity towards bright lights as well as vision in the night. Focus on where you are going rather than vehicles from opposite side.

Few Qs for those who may have examined this.

For normal “without number” sunglasses, is it possible to replace them with a Zeiss lens? Any prominent opticians who do this in South Mumbai who are recommended?

I have some old sunglass frames that I like where I would like to replace them with Zeiss style sunglass lenses for driving. Is that possible for any frame generally?

Thank you.

Try using light powered sun glasses. I will find out the name of the brand I use but I think any reputed will work. Don’t go too dark though. Also the Drive safe works well as it cuts the glare.

Yes, most sunglasses can be used as a non powered or regular drive safe. Certain cheaper frames that don’t allow opening of the frame may not work but almost all good quality will be fine.

I am using the following item. Maybe its the placebo effect, but I'm happy so far.

https://www.amazon.in/Proklear-Winds.../dp/B00QMMQGVM

The only pain is the preparation. It takes a solid half an hour of hard patient work to coat the windshield.

I used it on my car and saw next to no change in glare reduction. Or may be I expected a dramatic change.
The rain droplet repulsion is excellent though but so is the Waxpol one which I now use on account of the fact that Proklear products are always out of stock when you need them.
I have been waiting for their foam liquid for ages now.
I think the best solution is to get anti glare, high quality glasses and wear them for night driving. I also tried the yellow plastic thingy and it was terrible, not to mention extremely fragile and flimsy.

+1 to this. My ~6 year old Essilors is more effective in reducing glare during driving than my newer spectacles from Lenskart with anti-glare add-ons.

Sticking anything on the windshield to reduce glare will be counterproductive. Reduction in VLT will make your headlights less effective and over years scratches will worsen the glare.

A crazy thought - Are there any specialty mobile apps that eliminates glare? Can we then use the mobile phone screen to augment night time driving?

I've tried this product, not from the same seller though. The product absolutely does not work, I don't think there is any UV reduction going on either. Just yellow tinted plastic sheets which scratch very easily.

I face the same issue. My eyes start watering. I won't night drive if road are without divider.
Perfect solution I found is by using yellow tint glasses. Any yellow colour glasses are good.

Anti glare is a coating applied to prescription glasses. How you maintain it decided on the performance.

Cleaning prescription glasses with water & shampoo solution is also good to reduce oncoming glare. Cheaper the better.

I faced this when driving back to beat the night curfew. It didn't help that the folks on the opposite side were as frantic as me to get home and didn't bother to switch down their brights even on city roads. My spectacles are antiglare but I don't think they do much.

Some actually useful things which I do are:
- Dim my own headlights and switch on fog lights, so that I can get a quick image of the road ahead of me, before the ongoing headlights occupy half my vision. If required, I would suggest getting brighter fog lamps with greater spread.
- Regularly slow down (maybe once every 25-30 kms) to spray water, use the wipers and do a quick rub of the windshield manually with a soft and dry microfiber cloth. This is to clean away the dust. Dusty windshields can be dangerous in terms of reducing visibility.
- Ensure that I'm fully awake by stopping regularly for some tea / water.
- Avoid looking directly at the oncoming lights by consciously focussing on the road exactly in front of me, so that I'm not momentarily blinded while my pupils adjust.
- Always drive well inside the speed limit, especially slowing down in corners, as opposing cars may intrude into my lane. I would rather anger folks behind me by going slower than normal rather than be blinded or crashed into by an opposing car.
- Unless it is an absolute emergency, never ever drive on rainy nights. It's a dangerous double whammy and I'd never do that unless someone's critically ill or something.

I encountered a similar situation back when I started driving and since I wore prescription glasses, it only made matters worse. Since then, I switched to anti-glare lenses for my specs and it seems to work. Only thing is, personal opinion, it is a dust magnet. Don't know if it's connected to the anti-glare lenses. But it has significantly reduced oncoming glare at night.