~Tis the Season for misaligned Headlamps tra la la la la~

[Welly]

Now the Clocks have changed I'm already pissed off with the amount of cars on the road with one headlamp working, one headlamp out of alignment, both out of alignment, no headlamps at all and THE WORST.......8000K HID's retrofitted into normal reflector housings

Some folk must go to replace the bulb....fumble about and just poke it through....and then think "there, the headlamp's working again" not realising it's not seated correctly (or is upside down) and is pointing directly at the moon

and relax........ Christmas is near

[steve_earwig]

I guess it must be fairly universal 'cos they're pi$$ing me off here too Sometimes I feel a strange compulsion to put their lights out by ramming them...

[highlander]

"ooh, it's dark and it's raining a little bit, I'd better put it on full beam and flip the fog lights on for good measure" - %$&?

[Doggy]

Same here. If the government want's to save money / fleece the motorist then here's a perfick opportunity.

Within existing legislation, I'm pretty sure they could:

Any headlight not working / grossly misaligned - £30 fixed penalty notice.
Repeat offence within 14 days - £1000 fine
3rd offence - impound & scrap it

That'd sort it out.

As far as fog lights are concerned, I contend they should never be used at the same time as headlights, so anyone using both can be fined a grand too. Don't see any reason to make exceptions for these newish ones where a fog light comes on when you turn the steering.

As for retrofit HID's as welly's description, they can issue an immmediate ban on using the vehicle until it passes an MOT......

[gumby6371]

I towed a Discovery home last night with ridiculously bright head lights. At least I think I was towing him as he was so flaming close to my back bumper with 5*sun power bulbs fitted!!!!

[Doggy]

I always revert to naval doctrine in these circumstances,

"Make smoke and disengage"

[Welly]

I flashed someone running front fogs (in the rain - hey, nice dazzle effect) and they flashed me back in anger

I'm glad it's not just me struggling with this. I do know that when you get old and smelly your eyes are crap at night so might invest in a pair of Ali-G style night glasses ??

[Doggy]

OK, but spare us the mankini

[Bailes1992]

Same here. If the government want's to save money / fleece the motorist then here's a perfick opportunity.

Within existing legislation, I'm pretty sure they could:

Any headlight not working / grossly misaligned - £30 fixed penalty notice.
Repeat offence within 14 days - £1000 fine
3rd offence - impound & scrap it

That'd sort it out.

As far as fog lights are concerned, I contend they should never be used at the same time as headlights, so anyone using both can be fined a grand too. Don't see any reason to make exceptions for these newish ones where a fog light comes on when you turn the steering.

As for retrofit HID's as welly's description, they can issue an immmediate ban on using the vehicle until it passes an MOT......

That would be all ford owners skint!
To stop you being a "Sightlight and fog" idiot they stop you using the foglights unless the headlights are on!

Also I think £30 fixed notice first is harsh. You should get a warning first, what if the bulb fails mid journey and you don't know about it?

[Welly]

what if the bulb fails mid journey and you don't know about it?

I've become somewhat of an expert on headlamp bulbs since owning my Volvo and I can say with almost 100% certainty that they always fail/blow the instant you switch them on so the prudent motorist (or those with bulb failure warnings ) should attend to the electrical filament related disaster without delay.......like I had to on Tuesday morning this week......I pulled off a 4-minute bulb change in the dark

Mind you I do benefit from tippy-out headlamps to help

[Doggy]

Also I think £30 fixed notice first is harsh. You should get a warning first, what if the bulb fails mid journey and you don't know about it?

Maybe, but if one of my dips fails, I change it before the next journey without fail, (using one of the main beam lamps if need be).

Some of these morons will carry on using the car with a light out for months......

Not just a UK problem either, on my way back up through France I was in a queue at a motorway toll, when someone pulled up behind me with one dip & one foglight on. When he got within 6 inches of my back window, I could make out the unmistakeable shape of a D9 406 grille.

Got my own back tho - I let him past then followed him, as I needed to cover 50-odd miles quickly over roads with a 90 kph limit and I reasoned he stood a good chance of slowing down for, or triggering, any speed cameras along the way.

Saved ages

[TooT]

What i find more annoying at the moment is the 'hey look how cool i am with just my string of fairy led day running lights on in the dark/fog'. All well and good you muppet but your tail lights aren't on

[OdinEidolon]

Exactly the same here... people with ridicously strong / high beams all the time.
I also drive a lot on the motorway in the dark and I see thousands of (german) cars passing me 80% of them with stock HIDs ultra-high, often illuminating more than 3 times further than me.
I mean, these kind of headlights are automatically calibrated, hell, calibrated to annoy others I say?

Luckily I have the auto dimming rearview mirror but I often have to drive at night with my left arm (I have the steering wheel on the correct side ) raised to cover the left rearview mirror or I go blind / hit a tree.

[Welly]

I forgot to mention, but was reminded this very morning, of the "Foot Brake Dazzlers"

You sit there, in a queue, handbrake on, and your face and retinas are bathed in the burning glow from some of Germany's finest Red LED's until he releases the foot brake just microseconds before setting off.

[Bailes1992]

Could be driving an auto? The BMW reguires you to keep your foot on the brake for the start/stop to work. If you up it in park it starts up again.