The angle thing is bullshit. Yes, it makes the problem worse, and it should be dealt with, but no matter how well you angle things it won’t help when someone crests a hill and blinds me
I see your hot take and I’ll raise you one though: We should mandate a return to sealed beam headlights. You get no choice. There are 2 designs of headlight and the car manufacturer gets to figure out where they want to fit one of those two designs on their car.
Sealed beam was great because you could easily replace every bulb on your car. The modern design where you sometimes need to totally remove the housing just causes issues where it's too expensive or difficult to replace headlights.
You could even split the difference and have LED sealed beams that can be traded in and refurbished for a discount on new headlights.
Especially because it's illegal to have headlights or tail lights out. The fact that some cars require you to go to a dealership to replace such an essential safety feature is insane and used to be illegal.
Importantly they should be sealed units that are nearly universal across brands. A couple possible configurations, and then give the specs to multiple manufacturers
You could even split the difference and have LED sealed beams that can be traded in and refurbished for a discount on new headlights.
100%! The problem with LED headlights isn’t actually the LEDs, it’s the brightness, color temp and layout, all of which are totally fixable in the proper housing.
And oh my god replacing headlights in modern cars can be such a pain in the ass. I had to replace the lights in my ex’s Prius a few years ago and it’s a nightmare. One of them is easy, the other is in an annoying corner behind other wires so you have to bend your hand in an unnatural way to get it in. The best method would be a 6 year old with unnaturally high grip strength.
It's not even just the headlights anymore. I just had an SUV behind me last night in a turning lane, and their orange LED turn signal was so fucking bright it was lighting up the street lights high up in the air every time it blinked
The angle thing is bullshit. Yes, it makes the problem worse, and it should be dealt with, but no matter how well you angle things it won’t help when someone crests a hill and blinds me
I see your hot take and I’ll raise you one though: We should mandate a return to sealed beam headlights. You get no choice. There are 2 designs of headlight and the car manufacturer gets to figure out where they want to fit one of those two designs on their car.
Reject modernity, return to tradition
Sealed beam was great because you could easily replace every bulb on your car. The modern design where you sometimes need to totally remove the housing just causes issues where it's too expensive or difficult to replace headlights.
You could even split the difference and have LED sealed beams that can be traded in and refurbished for a discount on new headlights.
Some cars only offer headlights as complete sealed units that cost hundreds of dollars. This, in and of itself, should be a crime.
Especially because it's illegal to have headlights or tail lights out. The fact that some cars require you to go to a dealership to replace such an essential safety feature is insane and used to be illegal.
Importantly they should be sealed units that are nearly universal across brands. A couple possible configurations, and then give the specs to multiple manufacturers
100%! The problem with LED headlights isn’t actually the LEDs, it’s the brightness, color temp and layout, all of which are totally fixable in the proper housing.
And oh my god replacing headlights in modern cars can be such a pain in the ass. I had to replace the lights in my ex’s Prius a few years ago and it’s a nightmare. One of them is easy, the other is in an annoying corner behind other wires so you have to bend your hand in an unnatural way to get it in. The best method would be a 6 year old with unnaturally high grip strength.
It's not even just the headlights anymore. I just had an SUV behind me last night in a turning lane, and their orange LED turn signal was so fucking bright it was lighting up the street lights high up in the air every time it blinked