Posted on 02/16/2022 8:27:57 AM PST by algore
DETROIT – Anyone who has ever been temporarily blinded by high-beam headlights from an oncoming car will be happy to hear this.
U.S. highway safety regulators are about to allow new high-tech headlights that can automatically tailor beams so they focus on dark areas of the road and don't create glare for oncoming drivers.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it issued a final rule allowing what's called “adaptive driving beam headlights” on new vehicles. It will go into effect when published in the Federal Register in the next few days.
The headlights, commonly used in Europe, have LED lamps that can focus beams on darkness such as the driver's lane and areas along the roadside. They also lower the intensity of the light beams if there's oncoming traffic. Camera sensors and computers help determine where the light should go.
"This final rule will improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists by making them more visible at night, and will help prevent crashes by better illuminating animals and objects in and along the road,” the agency said in a news release on Tuesday.
The new rule, which was supported by the auto industry, comes as the safety agency grapples with a dramatic rise in traffic deaths nationwide.
(Excerpt) Read more at fox13news.com ...
Of course, you'd have to have some sort of backup if you lost power. The BSOD at 80 mph would also be bad.
Mercedes Benz has had these for years. High beams come on when the car detects no oncoming headlights.
You don't know if you're tailgating? That's odd.
Tailgaters cause so many unnecessary collisions, death and carnage... You can always spot an inexperienced lousy driver on the highway, as they're generally the same people tailgating everyone.
“There are simple methods of aiming headlights, but people fail to do so. And they’ll hitch up a trailer or put 1000 pounds of wood in the bed of the truck, but fail to re-aim the headlights after doing so. The result- blinding oncoming traffic....”
That was a pet peeve of mine when I was driving OTR.
People would hook their “damn it’s a small apartment” camper onto the bumper hitch on the nice new jacked up truck and haul off to where ever, blinding everyone they met.
How can people be intelligent enough to keep a job that pays enough for those nice toys, but can’t figure out that the weight of the trailer is changing where their head lights shine?
“Maybe cops ought to start giving out warnings and tickets for mis-aimed headlights.”
That used to be a chargeable offense here in Virginia. I think it still should be.
Yea, love the photon bombs, never had to worry about over driving your headlights.
Expensive when you purchase the vehicle and astronomical when you must replace them.
You need to do some reading. High power LEDs give off a great deal of heat that must be dissipated. Light is not produced by heat as so in incandescent lamps.
The put those in two weeks before they pave over them in most parts of the country.
The headlamps, whether incandescent or LED would not be the "point of hack". That would be the control computer, but only if it were on a wireless network of some sort.
Electronic level with servo/stepper movement would do a much better job at less expense. Get yourself an Arduino kit and start messing around.
The old “blue screen of death” would enter a whole new phase.
No Im not tailgating.
Oh, you made it sound as if you weren’t sure. Keep up the good work.
Government induced road anxiety. Misrepresenting the causes of highway accidents has been a big part of it.
Have you ever talked to any of these people? By presenting themselves as rolling road blocks they think they are being “safe”. An odd bit of cognitive dissonance tends to come out as these are often the people that think “brake checks” are funny.
Consider this though, how fast would you want someone constantly watching their rearview to drive?
Ive noticed that at least locally those with the least situational awareness and/or most distracted tend to be those with window stickers, vanity/specialty plates, Jesus fish, and minivans. The presence of more than one having a multiplicative effect on the the danger they pose to the drivers behind them.
The type of vehicle a person drives seems to express something about the psychology of the driver. I dont mean the sportscar/SUV/truck/etc of which the makers take advantage but particular types of people choosing to gravitate toward a particular vehicle. It seems that certain drivers tend to gravitate towards particular makes and models. Do you remember the Mazda 323 & 626? For whatever reason every one of those drivers felt the need to get in the passing lane and drive extremely slow. Those are all long gone now and we do still have slow drivers that occasionally do the same but its not with the same frequency and doesnt tend to be the same make/model issue as when those were on the road. I know a common reason that I hear people say for why they wont get out of the passing lane is a fear of “falling off the bridge.” We have a lot of bridges, ice, and high winds. Maybe those were too light to control well in winter conditions? Bad type of tire? I dont know but there was certainly a great deal of anxiety in those drivers.
Lately the rolling road blocks at the front of the line in the passing lane are diminutive white women in over priced mini faux SUVs. Work your way up there and look over. There she is ranting at you for passing while she does 50 in the passing lane in a 70 zone. You just know her purse is bulging with meds.
In regards to the mentality of the driver it isnt just those extremely disturbed drivers that can be identified by the vehicle. There is a truck make/model/color/bed cap combination youll often see here. The drivers all drive like the vehicle is part of a fleet as though theyre being monitored. There are no markings indicating it belongs to a company and no government plates. They have the same extra height bed caps but never appear to be hauling anything. The driver is without fail a middle aged male and is generally wearing a baseball cap, but not the same one, which signifies they are some sort of veteran. Some sort of a club? Again, dont know but they dont tend to cause problems so I dont really care. Its just odd that a particular type of private vehicle would be so specific. Or is it a company that doesnt haul anything and only hires middle age vets doesnt want to mark the vehicle? That doesnt seem realistic.
I would imagine that there are different specific driver types in different areas of the country but the fact that there seems to be a particular type of mental patient with keys that pops up all over from time to time and they will often identify themselves if you pay attention.
“How can people be intelligent enough...”
The older I get and the more experiences I have the more sure I am that they arent.
When I was younger I believed all that bullshit about being diligent, competent, and on time. The real world has taught me that it is undeniable that nepotism and quid pro quo are what keeps many over employed which often diminishes the progress of those around them.
No never chatted with them....Interesting points...Will keep in mind what you say next time it happens....It just seems like a recent phenomena to me....I wonder if people are just more afraid of everyone else....I dont think my driving habits have changed that would cause this new reaction...but then again maybe I am the crazy one
Yup. big time light up your wallet. Wonder what that bit of lobbying cost?
Camera sensors and computers help determine where the light should go.
Let me know how this works out and how long they last and how much it costs to replace them when they fail.
How effective are they after 5 years of exposure to UV?
If you’re reading this, you KNOW what I’m referring to.
There will be a hot aftermarket of standard halogen downgrades, assuredly.
Actually those are the newer headlights and they blind on-coming drivers. Or you get them hitting in the rearview mirror causing distraction, even after flipping the nigh vision on.
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