[bikewriter71]

I'm in a parking lot last night, my truck facing a little Corolla's front. I get in at the same time as the driver of the little Toyota. I do NOT turn my headlights on, but start my truck up.

The other driver starts shouting from inside her car, covering her eyes and trying to point at my truck. I had no clue at first but then realized she thought I blinded her on purpose. I turned the truck off since I'm a new taco owner and don't think there is an off switch for the daytime running lights.

She pulls to my driver's side and I have her roll the window down.

"Why'd you blind me?"

I explain that I didn't do it on purpose, and that my lights aren't even on.

"Here, look," I apologetically explain. "NOW this is my lights." BAM!

She and her friend were like "oh, okay."

"And this is my fog lights on top of that." Double BAM!

They apologized. Before they drove off I told her, "Did you know one of your headlights is burned out?"

She didn't, hahaha.

 

[flyman767]

Certainly, the daytime running lights will not blind anybody. I find it hard to believe even the fog lights would because there so low to the ground. There are many forum members who insist on changing out their OEM headlights for something brighter, only to find out that many of the aftermarket bulbs have a extremely short lifespan. I do get flashed often from oncoming vehicles (OEM bulbs installed) when I have my 'low beams' only on(yes, there adjusted properely), I usually then flash my 'high beams' when this happens to let people know those were only my 'low beams' shinning in there face.

 

[PA Taco]

I had this have several times since I allways had a 4x4 truck. My buddy with a ford focus would say ' you need to turn your brights off' then I would flash my brights. I think the problem is that compact cars are so small and low to the ground that our trucks lights shine right in the windshield or rear windows. One more reason not to have a small car.

 

[Snakeii]

I had this have several times since I allways had a 4x4 truck. My buddy with a ford focus would say ' you need to turn your brights off' then I would flash my brights. I think the problem is that compact cars are so small and low to the ground that our trucks lights shine right in the windshield or rear windows. One more reason not to have a small car.

Having driven a MR2 for so many years, along with Mustangs that arent exactly towering vehicles either, its sometimes hard to tell if a truck or taller vehicle has their highbeams on or not. People that drive small cars, or slammed cars, should come to realize that its THEIR problem, not the problem of the taller vehicle.

In the MR2 even full size cars would pull up and have their lights shining right in. I dealt with it by either flipping the mirrors, moving my head so it wasnt directly in the reflection of the light, or just stuck my hand between the mirror and the eyes.

I have noticed too with the people that cant drive their car in the center of the lane will give you some evil looks because YOU are centered while your headlights are directly hitting their side mirror. Oh well moron, learn how to drive your car. Just imagine if these people were driving a semi or something bigger, they would be taking up 2 full lanes rather then a 1.25 lanes. Theres one intersection in town that has 3 lanes, 2 turning (left and right) and one straight lane. They are pretty narrow already but when you get some twit that cant drive you get a lot of people missing their light because they cant get by.

 

[SuperBusa]

Having driven a MR2 for so many years, along with Mustangs that arent exactly towering vehicles either, its sometimes hard to tell if a truck or taller vehicle has their highbeams on or not. People that drive small cars, or slammed cars, should come to realize that its THEIR problem, not the problem of the taller vehicle.

Exactly ... there is usually only a 5 or 10 watt difference between the high and low beams on OEM bulbs. The majority of the difference between the low and high beams is the way the beams are projected. So if a car is low it will get the full low beam right into the rear window, which makes it seem like bights are on them.

 

[sixonthefloor]

I have afer market bulbs and have not been flashed once. Lucky I guess cause sometimes I know my lights shinin right in a smaller cars windshield.

 

[Jonnie]

:devil: Ha, ha... she just wanted to meet you - probably liked your truck too!

On a serious note, there is no reason manufacturers could not standardize headlamp heights (measured from the ground) irregardless of vehicle height.

Tractor trailers headlamps are mounted very low and those vehicles are very, very tall overall.

IMO, producing consumer vehicles with fixed-height lamp assemblies would also radically change the appearance of some vehicles (like trucks and SUV's), and visually be so different it would be perceived as ugly irregardless of functionality.

 

[Corban_White]

imo, durring the state mandated yearly vehicle inspection (here in ut and i know in many other states) instead of refusing to pass a vehicle because the an idiot light in the dash is on or some other stupid thing, they should be checking the headlight adjustment. but, as is the case so often with the govt, they are too busy with thir worthless ajendas to be bothered with the things that really matter. a burnt out turn signal won't get anyone killed but a mis-aligned headlight could. it's amazing how many cars and trucks i see with the headlights too high or with one correct and the other pointed at the sky. 99% of people don't know how to adjust the headlights and there are very few shops that can even do it. my 07 tacoma (along with most of the other ones I have seen) came from the factory with the lights adjusted borderline too high but then after i put on the 3 inch leveling kit they were blinding people driving tractor-trailers! i did the responsable thing and adjusted them down but most people either don't realize or don't care. imo, if the state is going to mandate a safety inspection, they ought to check the things that create a safety hazard, not stupid things like burnt out blinkers that no one use anyway.

just my .02

 

[ScreamingTaco]

[rant]

What irritates me is people driving around with their fog lights on when there's no fog.

Anyway, animals (deer in particular) are problematic around here and people don't like how you can't see very far with low beams, so the f*cking idiots adjust their headlights higher so that they can see further with their low beams on. Now, I drive 4x4s, and my old truck (33in tires, 3in lift, 1in body lift) is pretty tall and I still get low beams in the face.

The thing is that while they may be able to see a little bit further with their low beams on I now can't see anything but them until they pass me. For all I know I could be about to clip some animal or a farm vehicle that's driving on the shoulder.... and for all they know I'm over-tired, hard of seeing or drunk and having a hard enough time staying on the road at night.

We recently had a head on collision on the open highway just down the road from us. The one car had veared out of it's lane and the corners of each car struck. Everyone was killed, no alcohol was reported. Now, this could've had nothing to do with blinding headlights, but I have good night vision and considering how hard I find it to see the road sometimes it makes me wonder....


[/rant]

 

[Snakeii]

What gets me is the places that sell european rated headlights in the US and they get away with it. What, its not illegal until someone installs them onto a US car... WTF? And like its been said above, the inspection station isnt going to look.

Inspection stations need to start doing their freaking jobs. Too many times I see vehicles on the road that are obviously not safe for the road. I've seen cars with wheels that wobble so bad the car is shaking. I saw a Lexus while working in Charlotte, NC with tires so bald they looked like slicks. The rest of the car was beat to hell, wiring keeping the hood from flipping open, and to top it off there was a baby seat in the rear. It would take a moron to drive a car like that, but to be carting around a child as well? I hope the kid grows up with more common sense then their parents.

Customs needs to start blocking items that are illegal in the US. If the headlights are illegal to use in the US, it would make sense to me for them to catch them before they even get here. And since that of course isnt going to work, the stores that sell them need to be fined.