Driving in heavy rain and no lights

[Resident 1,193]

So driving up the M1 a few days ago and a heavy downpour begins. I turn on my lights and the auto-wipers do their thing.

 

Reduced my speed due to the spray whilst overtaking a HGV, which has also slowed significantly only to nearly rear end a silver vauxhall which was completely shrouded in spray. No lights on at all making it invisible.

 

Why isn't wipers on, lights on taught as standard in driving lessons?

[cgksheff 44]

Law says that you must use lights when visibility is seriously reduced.

 

Guidelines indicate that this can be interpreted as less than 100m.

[El Cid 220]

4. Lighting requirements (113 to 116)

 

You should also, use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, to ensure that you can be seen

 

You MUST NOT, use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users

 

I personally think the above 2 rules conflict. If a cyclist is travelling next to a car with bright LEDs or headlights, the cyclist is harder to see.

Lighting regulations for cars need to be reexamined, people complain about being dazzled by rear red 21w bulbs, car headlight bulbs are 55w+

 

Some 15 per cent of drivers have suffered a near-miss due to the brightness of some new car headlights, according to a new report by the motoring body.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/24/drivers-complain-dazzling-headlights-led-bulbs-installed-cars/

[cgksheff 44]

4. Lighting requirements (113 to 116)

 

You should also, use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, to ensure that you can be seen

 

You MUST NOT, use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users

 

I personally think the above 2 rules conflict. If a cyclist is travelling next to a car with bright LEDs or headlights, the cyclist is harder to see.

Lighting regulations for cars need to be reexamined, people complain about being dazzled by rear red 21w bulbs, car headlight bulbs are 55w+

 

 

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/24/drivers-complain-dazzling-headlights-led-bulbs-installed-cars/

 

I don't think they conflict. Rather, they are complementary.

The law says that you should not dazzle. It is just another law that is not enforced.

[Resident 1,193]

4. Lighting requirements (113 to 116)

 

You should also, use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, to ensure that you can be seen

 

You MUST NOT, use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users

 

I personally think the above 2 rules conflict. If a cyclist is travelling next to a car with bright LEDs or headlights, the cyclist is harder to see.

Lighting regulations for cars need to be reexamined, people complain about being dazzled by rear red 21w bulbs, car headlight bulbs are 55w+

 

 

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/24/drivers-complain-dazzling-headlights-led-bulbs-installed-cars/

 

Rear 21w red bulbs are used in brake & fog lamps. Standard red tail bulbs are 5w. Hence why the dual filament bulbs are known as P21/5w bulbs.

 

I agree that bulb regs need to be looked at. My car has factory fit xenon HID. Regs state a bulb can be 55w. My HIDs are brighter and throw light a little further yet they are only 35w.

 

LED bulbs have significantly lower power figures. Equivalent of a 60w bulb is 6-7w in LED. A 50w LED is slightly more powerful than a 500w halogen.

[El Cid 220]

I don't think they conflict. Rather, they are complementary.

The law says that you should not dazzle. It is just another law that is not enforced.

 

Bright lights tend to dazzle less during day-time, night-time is like increasing the contrast by 1000%

 

It’s a fact that car headlights are getting brighter. The motor industry is continually boasting about how it has improved lighting performance, to keep drivers safe. Meanwhile, eye specialists say the downside is that this actually impairs the vision of increasing numbers of drivers in oncoming traffic.

 

http://blog.greenflag.com/2017/why-are-modern-cars-headlights-so-bright-we-explain-whats-causing-more-drivers-to-be-dazzled-at-night-and-how-to-prevent-it/

[choogling 14]

Rear 21w red bulbs are used in brake & fog lamps. Standard red tail bulbs are 5w. Hence why the dual filament bulbs are known as P21/5w bulbs.

 

I agree that bulb regs need to be looked at. My car has factory fit xenon HID. Regs state a bulb can be 55w. My HIDs are brighter and throw light a little further yet they are only 35w.

 

LED bulbs have significantly lower power figures. Equivalent of a 60w bulb is 6-7w in LED. A 50w LED is slightly more powerful than a 500w halogen.

 

when I started the 380 stop n tail bulb was 12v 21/6 cant remember when it changed down to 5 possible eu regs.

[Resident 1,193]

when I started the 380 stop n tail bulb was 12v 21/6 cant remember when it changed down to 5 possible eu regs.

 

Possibly. I had a Metro with 21/6 factory bulbs but couldn't find them when they needed replacement. That was in '99.

 

My current car has 21/5 fitted however they're fog/tail. First time I've ever seen such an arrangement but it makes sense, if you need rear fogs on it's because your tail-lamp can't be seen

 

I have replaced my reverse lamps with LED. Literally like daylight behind me now

[Guest]

21/5 are not new, my RX7 had them and that's an early 90s car.

 

Headlights are fine getting bright as long as they're aimed correctly, that's why modern cars tend to have motors and sensors to adjust the beam path.

 

I see lots of badly adjusted headlights where a single headlight is aimed as if it were on full beam when it's actually on dipped.

[El Cid 220]

I have replaced my reverse lamps with LED. Literally like daylight behind me now

 

Is that a good thing?

 

---------- Post added 08-09-2018 at 19:40 ----------

 

I thought I might be the only person to vote for option 4; but if you look at the votes, one of the things which makes being seen difficult is that when the daylight draws in some have headlights and some nothing.

 

If we could all agree what the rules were and follow them, we would all do the same and things would be much better.

[Resident 1,193]

Is that a good thing?

 

It is when I'm reversing on to my driveway. It's pitch black as there's few houses on my road and nowhere near a street-lamp.

 

I thought I might be the only person to vote for option 4; but if you look at the votes, one of the things which makes being seen difficult is that when the daylight draws in some have headlights and some nothing.

 

If we could all agree what the rules were and follow them, we would all do the same and things would be much better.

 

In essence there are a set of rules, called the highway code. Unfortunately they largely remain unchanged and were written when common sense and intelligent thought was a major part in a driver's mental toolbox.

 

I think that it may be time to re-examine and maybe make changes to existing rules and add more.

[El Cid 220]

In essence there are a set of rules, called the highway code. Unfortunately they largely remain unchanged and were written when common sense and intelligent thought was a major part in a driver's mental toolbox.

I think that it may be time to re-examine and maybe make changes to existing rules and add more.

 

Were the rules written before we knew that 55w headlights would make it harder to see dimly lit cyclists next to a vehicle?

 

Are headlights really needed when we have brightly lit streetlights?