Mastodawn

Straander Nov 24, 2023

Dan Fixes Coin-Ops

If you're in the US and you've also been idly wondering why "I don't like to drive at night" has become such a common thing to say in the past few years, stand near to a modern LED streetlamp and block it with your hand. In about two thirds of a second, the whole road brightens up as your pupils open.

You're not just getting old; between over-bright streetlights, over-bright headlights of oncoming cars, over-bright instrument clusters, over-bright porch lighting, nobody can see in the dark anymore.

Just in the last decade we've made it much harder and more dangerous to drive at night. Oh, and we also gave up the stars.

Alexis Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops It's often darker in my own home than it is on the street at night these days, even on a new moon, because of all the over-bright lighting.

@ifixcoinops the really annoying thing is that combined with the really tall trucks a lot of people seem to love, those over-bright headlights shine right into the rear-view mirror of our car
-F

Dan Fixes Coin-Ops Nov 19, 2023

@Hearth It's amazing how quick I went from "Anti-glare position? What's that for?" to "Flip the mirror up the moment I get into the car after dusk 'cause it'll save time later"

ex or current IDF unwelcome Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops @Hearth auto dim on my car.

Alexis Nov 19, 2023

@Hearth @ifixcoinops Those are even better* for pedestrians.

*worse

Meguey-shaped bundle of bits Nov 19, 2023

@Hearth @ifixcoinops Oh /such/ a rant I have about those inflatedly high truck fronts, and the horrible impact they have, literally. They can’t see what’s in front of them, they make it hard for anyone else to see, they are just an actual hazard.

bds Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops
worst part is you need LEDs of your own if you have any chance to see these days too, which just adds to the problem.. I hate driving at night more and more lately too especially with my astigmatism.. can't see anything

Brian Dear Nov 19, 2023

Also, ever since a societal lack of empathy hit mass proportions over the past couple decades, more and more drivers simply leave their high-beams on as cars in opposite direction approach at night. I’m often tempted to attach an array of forward-facing stadium lights to my roof and flip a switch when someone’s high beams get too much…

Michael Hannemann Dec 6, 2023

@brianstorms I’ve wondered sometimes - is that really a thing? I’d just been (charitably) assuming it was stupidly bright headlights.

Samhain Night Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops Years ago I read that the LED lights in cars use blue spectrum light, while the old incandescent bulbs used a yellow spectrum. Interesting fact, the human eye sees more of the yellow spectrum than the blue and that’s why, with blue LED lights, the dark seems darker.

ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Nov 19, 2023

@samhainnight @ifixcoinops Where I live, sodium street lights have been used in the past they cast a very yellow light. I don't remember being able to see more though.

Img source: Wikimedia

Samhain Night Nov 19, 2023

@anne_twain @ifixcoinops Those aren’t very good either. I remember when I was little and cities started using them. The power’s out at my house right now, and the candles are making things look brighter than the blue LEDS.

undead enby of the apocalypse Nov 23, 2023

@samhainnight @ifixcoinops it’s also horrible for people’s sleep rhythm

January Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops I keep hoping for good night driving glasses that will just... cap the brightness they let through to some maximum value
This is probably not how physics works but I can dream

Dan Fixes Coin-Ops Nov 19, 2023

@codicil wondering about maybe wearing a baseball cap at night

Julie Webgirl Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops @codicil
I flip my visor down and push it up against the windshield during the day because the sun/sky glare bothers me. I leave it at night too because it blocks the street light glare.

ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Nov 19, 2023

@codicil @ifixcoinops Well you can get spectacle lenses that do this for day vision, why not talk to an optometrist about what's avaiable?

｜霜の狼｜人面獣心」Nov 19, 2023

@anne_twain @codicil @ifixcoinops I think day vision ones just turn dark when exposed to light? That wouldn't help much here where the problem is too high contrast (you need to cut the bright but not the dark).

ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Nov 19, 2023

@frost @codicil @ifixcoinops In any case an optometrist should be able to advise.

njwatt Nov 19, 2023

@codicil @ifixcoinops Those yellow old man sunglasses made a huge difference for me on a recent nighttime road trip

ericatty Nov 19, 2023

@njwatt @codicil @ifixcoinops Those yellow ones are what I'm considering. I used to have a nice pair when I rode a motorcycle and I was surprised to find they worked so well in low light situations. I lost them a long time ago, but between already being light sensitive and astigmatism, and getting older, I want something to help regulate the light fluctuations at night. I generally keep the lights dim at home at night, unless I'm cooking or something like that.

Mre. Dartigen [maker mode]Nov 20, 2023

@codicil @ifixcoinops Yellow-tinted polarized sunglasses. They're not easy to find, but they're out there - or, if you normally wear glasses, ask your optometrist if they can do a pair for you. (Brown tint is probably too dark for night-time.)

Night-driving glasses are getting more and more popular though. Which speaks to the scale of the problem.

January Nov 20, 2023

@dartigen @ifixcoinops have you tried these? I had a pair that didn't work at all, but they were dollar store quality so I might just need to spend a little more

Mre. Dartigen [maker mode]Nov 20, 2023

@codicil @ifixcoinops I've had pretty much the same experience with a very, very cheap pair that weren't polarized - they were better than nothing, but didn't do much for the aggressive LEDs.

But at the time it was virtually impossible to get yellow tint *and* polarized, and I found that brown tint was far too dark. I'm seeing a lot more now in yellow tint and polarized (sometimes with anti-reflective coating too) though, and really good reviews of a few.

Howard Chu @ Symas Nov 20, 2023

@dartigen @codicil @ifixcoinops sounds like the Blu-Blockers brand. I had a pair but have long since misplaced them.

Mrinappropriate Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops Not only the US. U.K. & the rest of Europe too. Especially the over bright headlights, many of which exceed limits.

Khleedril Nov 19, 2023

@MrInappropriate @ifixcoinops
There are limits?

veuve Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops OMG thank you! I thought it was me, cursing the blindingly bright LED headlights on newer cars. It's horrible to drive at night now.

ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Nov 19, 2023

@Veuve @ifixcoinops I thought it was my age.

TurboQuokka Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops As a bike commuter who often rides home from work after dark, it can be kinda pants-shitting at times. I try to ride on side streets to avoid a lot of oncoming traffic and having my vision blown out by headlights.

artisanrox Nov 19, 2023

we REALLY need some regulation of these lights. Both brightness and color band. ASAP.

This is going to cause accidents and kill people.

Mike McBride Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops and most of the bright lights were sold to us based on fear of criminals hiding in the dark.

Dan Fixes Coin-Ops Nov 19, 2023

@mikemac29 these days a burgular doesn't even need a torch!

Looking for explanations…Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops “Well lit streets” have become a factor in assessing how safe people feel when out after dark. But there’s a level above which excessive lighting & overly bright headlights become both unnecessary & unpleasant, or worse.

Roadskater, Ph.D.Nov 19, 2023

@Susan60 @ifixcoinops There's well-lit streets and then there's well-lit sidewalks. All too often here in NYC, you get the former but not the latter.

🇺🇦 haxadecimal 🚫👑Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops pfftt, stars! Ha, what have the stars ever done for us? Except making most of the chemical elements we and the Earth are made of, providing a means of navigation, and being a source of wonder and joy. Why would anyone care about that?

screambiogenesis Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops This is an exceptionally frustrating arms race because there are no winners other than the manufacturers. Drivers are less safe. Pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users are less safe. Wildlife is less safe (and almost certainly negatively affected by the brighter and generally bluer light). The skies are emptier. Life after dark is generally more irritating.

What's worst is that I can't see a path back from this. A "use dimmer headlights" ad campaign would be a tough sell...

Khleedril Nov 19, 2023

@screambiogenesis @ifixcoinops
Legislation is needed.

Nazani Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops I use clip-on yellow lenses when driving in town.

Bill, organizer of stuff Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops This is the future that they took from us: The Polaroid Headlight System

https://www.polarization.com/land/land.html

Polarized headlights without glare

Edwin Land quest for non blinding lights

Bill, organizer of stuff Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops Here's the original 1948 proposal, by Edwin H Land himself:

https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbbulletin/11/11.pdf

ProtectiveHen Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops And then there is the way it screws wildlife https://theconversation.com/why-the-changing-colour-of-our-streetlights-could-be-a-danger-for-insect-populations-166470

Why the changing colour of our streetlights could be a danger for insect populations

The increasing prevalence of white LED streetlamps spells worrying population declines for insects like moths.

The Conversation

PamelaWaldman Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops This is a very timely post for me--had cataract surgery in the last 2 months. Nighttime vision problems were supposed to ease but the bright light glare is just as bad, if not worse. A good reason to cut down on my driving, which I can easily do as a 72 year old retiree. I feel badly for everyone else.

Roadskater, Ph.D.Nov 19, 2023

@PamW @ifixcoinops I had cataract surgery three years ago. I had a problem with "halo-ing" around lights after dark for several months afterward but that eventually went away. But... glare is just as bad as it was 4-5 years ago.

Willow (she/her)Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops This is so true. I'd rather drive at night in some super rural area with no streetlights these days than anywhere near a city.

(I mean this is true in general, but especially at night).

Roadskater, Ph.D.Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops The problem has indeed gotten worse. Five years ago, I was thinking the problem with the nighttime glare of car head and taillights was because of my aging eyes.No, it's because the lights got brighter.

When I am out inline skating after dark (which is often), I regularly have my left hand ready to block the light of an oncoming vehicles, and that includes the handle bar lights on many bicycles.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/05/business/led-hid-headlights-blinding.html

Blinded by Brighter Headlights? It’s Not Your Imagination.

The rising use of light-emitting diodes and the popularity of pickups and S.U.V.s have prompted complaints about the glare and intensity of headlights.

The New York Times

Inoru Nov 19, 2023

@roadskater trying to find bike lights for my wheelchair for nighttime safety that weren't ridiculously bright but still sufficiently lit far enough ahead of me was A TASK. Like no I don't need seven million lumens! (And it sure doesn't need to be angled at face height on purpose; alas sidewalk conditions.)
@ifixcoinops

Alex Lambson Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops vehicle height is the biggest issue imo. Lifted trucks with halogens still blind me.

PedestrianError

@ifixcoinops Interesting to note the spike in nighttime pedestrian fatalities starting in 2014. Daytime fatalities increased 16% in the 2010s, but night went up 54%.

See p.17 here, but don’t take this as an endorsement of GHSA or the overall report: https://www.ghsa.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/Ped%20Spotlight%202021%20FINAL%203.23.21.pdf

Morgan ⚧️Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops I've been saying since I started driving "I don't like driving at night because it's too bright" and the allistics I'm talking to get very confused.
With this post I feel vindicated

Court Cantrell does not comply Nov 19, 2023

@raphaelmorgan @ifixcoinops I just learned a new word. "Allistic." Thanks! 😊🖖

Phantom Kitty (Tech)Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops I have to wear those yellow blue-blocker glasses in order to drive at night due to the on-coming headlight brightness

Syulang Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops Ultra-bright headlights here are a real problem. Thankfully, we're pretty good about having cats eyes as standard on pretty much all main roads, so it's not as bad as some places, but LED headlamps are just downright stupid. I would add that driving glasses (yellow tint) do help. I've found them invaluable. Can't speak to their "scientific" value, but for me I percieve less glare and dazzle, and find it easier to still see my way when confronted with stupidly bright and/or poorly adjusted LED headlights at night.

Violet Madder Nov 19, 2023

Brighter is not always better.

You really, really don't want to be blinding the other people on the road. Or yourself. Honestly.

CJ Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops I wonder if there's also a rise in astigmatism amongst Gen Z/millennial populations. Seems like it, as a personal anecdote/experience. But that's my personal reason for disliking roads at night, although it's definitely exacerbated by over-bright lights. I love night-time driving, when I'm the only car on the road and the only lights are my own headlights!

Andrew Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops biking home after dark, im far more hindered by the glare of the streetlights off my glasses than by any lack of visibility.

MegatronicThronBanks Nov 19, 2023

@ifixcoinops They are INSANELY over-bright