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>> Lamps to be steady-burning >...which effectively rules out dynamic-matrix light systems like Porsche uses. Good! I'm constantly getting flashed by smart he

>> Lamps to be steady-burning >...which effectively rules out dynamic-matrix light systems like Porsche uses. Good! I'm constantly getting flashed by smart headlights and auto-leveling systems that simply don't work well. I wish we could go back to simple lights that work and don't constantly flash me every time another driver hits a bump or their smart algorithms screw up.

ben7799 7y ago
For sure.. it is not a great hardship to have restrictions on these systems here. These systems are most prevalent on expensive European brands that have terrible reliability ratings. Totally obvious when you see which cars are blinding you too usually.
NightlyDev 7y ago
This is so insanely true. It is the most annoying thing ever. "Well, it's not supposed to do that..." You don't say!
magduf 7y ago
It probably isn't "smart" headlights that are flashing you on bumps, those are normal and perfectly "dumb" lights. The problem is that modern headlights are designed to direct much more light downwards, so that you can see the road, and less light upwards, so you don't blind oncoming drivers or waste light directing it into empty space (you need some to see vehicles and obstacles straight ahead of course, but you need more pointed downwards). When the car hits a bump, or crests a hill, then "downwards" becomes pointed directly at oncoming traffic. If anything, quick-reacting "smart" lights would be more helpful here. Generally, when people like you complain about this stuff, what you're really asking for is for everyone to go back to extremely low-output headlights where you couldn't see almost anything at night. I don't see how that's an improvement.
- tsomctl 7y ago
  My daily driver has extremely low-output headlights (old school sealed beam headlights). They work great, my eyes adjust to them just fine, except when I'm around other drivers with modern headlights.
- parsimo2010 7y ago
  Implying that someone doesn't understand the what they are talking about is a little unfair. Headlight brightness is becoming a problem. Those "smart" headlights definitely do not react correctly/fast enough to prevent blinding someone when they drive over a bump or crest a hill- which are things that are almost guaranteed to happen multiple times whenever someone goes driving. Adding the current level of smarts to a headlight does not fix the issue with brightness. I think we've reached (or are very near) the point where a brighter headlight won't give you as much additional safety as they degrade the safety of oncoming traffic. It's cool for me to have lights that are brighter than the sun, but if oncoming traffic is blinded and hits something- maybe not me, they could be blind for several seconds after I've passed them and they hit a deer or something- then the overall effect is that my brighter headlights made the roads less safe. I have no personal incentive to get dimmer lights, but society as a whole has an incentive to find the sweet spot where lights are bright enough to drive at night and not endanger other people.
  - zionic 7y ago
    IMO it's fairly obvious the GP doesn't know what they're talking about. "Dumb" headlights will flash you on bumps and can't react. Smart headlights are at least supposed to react and might not react fast enough.
m0zg 7y ago
I don't see how a "dumb" headlight would be any better when rolling over a bump.
MertsA 7y ago
You get the same problem with old headlights as well when cresting a hill or headlights that aren't properly adjusted. Believe it or not but the difference between high and low beams is a bit more literal than it might seem. High beams are aimed a bit higher up whereas low beams aren't. On my car they're the exact same wattage, color temperature, and beam pattern. The only difference is that they're aimed higher up for longer range. If my low beams were adjusted up as far as the adjuster allows for they would be functionally identical to properly adjusted high beams.

ben7799 7y ago

For sure.. it is not a great hardship to have restrictions on these systems here. These systems are most prevalent on expensive European brands that have terrible reliability ratings. Totally obvious when you see which cars are blinding you too usually.

NightlyDev 7y ago

This is so insanely true. It is the most annoying thing ever. "Well, it's not supposed to do that..." You don't say!

magduf 7y ago

It probably isn't "smart" headlights that are flashing you on bumps, those are normal and perfectly "dumb" lights. The problem is that modern headlights are designed to direct much more light downwards, so that you can see the road, and less light upwards, so you don't blind oncoming drivers or waste light directing it into empty space (you need some to see vehicles and obstacles straight ahead of course, but you need more pointed downwards). When the car hits a bump, or crests a hill, then "downwards" becomes pointed directly at oncoming traffic. If anything, quick-reacting "smart" lights would be more helpful here. Generally, when people like you complain about this stuff, what you're really asking for is for everyone to go back to extremely low-output headlights where you couldn't see almost anything at night. I don't see how that's an improvement.

tsomctl 7y ago
My daily driver has extremely low-output headlights (old school sealed beam headlights). They work great, my eyes adjust to them just fine, except when I'm around other drivers with modern headlights.
parsimo2010 7y ago
Implying that someone doesn't understand the what they are talking about is a little unfair. Headlight brightness is becoming a problem. Those "smart" headlights definitely do not react correctly/fast enough to prevent blinding someone when they drive over a bump or crest a hill- which are things that are almost guaranteed to happen multiple times whenever someone goes driving. Adding the current level of smarts to a headlight does not fix the issue with brightness. I think we've reached (or are very near) the point where a brighter headlight won't give you as much additional safety as they degrade the safety of oncoming traffic. It's cool for me to have lights that are brighter than the sun, but if oncoming traffic is blinded and hits something- maybe not me, they could be blind for several seconds after I've passed them and they hit a deer or something- then the overall effect is that my brighter headlights made the roads less safe. I have no personal incentive to get dimmer lights, but society as a whole has an incentive to find the sweet spot where lights are bright enough to drive at night and not endanger other people.
- zionic 7y ago
  IMO it's fairly obvious the GP doesn't know what they're talking about. "Dumb" headlights will flash you on bumps and can't react. Smart headlights are at least supposed to react and might not react fast enough.

m0zg 7y ago

I don't see how a "dumb" headlight would be any better when rolling over a bump.

MertsA 7y ago

You get the same problem with old headlights as well when cresting a hill or headlights that aren't properly adjusted. Believe it or not but the difference between high and low beams is a bit more literal than it might seem. High beams are aimed a bit higher up whereas low beams aren't. On my car they're the exact same wattage, color temperature, and beam pattern. The only difference is that they're aimed higher up for longer range. If my low beams were adjusted up as far as the adjuster allows for they would be functionally identical to properly adjusted high beams.