Alaska, the Land of Massive Headlight Glare?

[Michael_P]

I just got back from northern and central California last week. On the Pacific Coast Highway, cops must aggressively ticket cars with bright lights and those light bars. Of the 150 miles or so I drove on the Pacific Coast Highway, I saw signage warning drivers of using auxiliary lighting and high beams when other cars are present. At night, I saw trucks with light bars on them, but everyone was complaint that I saw. They were all off.
Maybe someone who actually lives in California could confirm my observations

 

[SubLGT]

High powered offroad lights have been available for decades, going back to the 1960s at the very least. Nobody used them in traffic on public roads.

But in the last 5 years it seems that blinding other people in traffic with your modded headlights and/or auxiliary lights has become acceptable behavior to a significant number of drivers. Strange narcissistic behavior.

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: Andy636
In my 3rd world rathole if you mount any other lights, additional lights aftermarket xenon lights, LEDs or bulbs (halogen bulbs with more watts, or other temperature than 2700-4000 K range), they take away your registration and you get a hefty fine.

If you want your registration back you have to pull the non compliant item out and go to a state inspector that will inspect your vehicle and if he finds your car to be compliant with the original manufacturer specs, then he gives you a piece of paper that in turn you have to give the police officer to recover your registration.


Similar rules in Taiwan. No vehicle modifications OF ANY KIND are permitted.

Enforcement......well, that's another matter.

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: SubLGT
That is nuts. Maybe he is "marking his territory". I'm surprised he didn't also blast you with his locomotive air horn.

Too bad you did not have a 18" LED bar in your rear window, you could have given him a taste of his own medicine.

Is there a window film that can be applied to the rear that becomes reflective when 12V is run through it? That would be useful.


Mirror on the roof lining, rigged to swing down in front of the window?

Some might find one an asset for back-seat recreational use too....

 

[Smokescreen]

Originally Posted By: Ducked

Mirror on the roof lining, rigged to swing down in front of the window?


I like it.

 

[leeaspell]

Originally Posted By: Surestick
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Just a reminder that in AK, moose collisions aren't like hitting a dairy cow. You have 700lb+ 5-6 feet on the tops of stilts. Hit one of those babies and it ends up in your lap.

Those lights are obnoxious, agreed.


Unlike deer moose are mostly dark coloured and their eyes don't reflect headlights to any significant degree.

I was at one collision between a Dodge Ram and a moose where one of the moose's antlers had cut through the roof of the cab from the top of the windshield to the dome light (which was in line with the headrests) and broken off. It was sticking down into the cab about a foot. The driver and passenger were lucky it went down the middle of the roof, it could easily have split one of their heads in half.

That said, lights aren't the only solution to avoiding moose, especially in winter slowing down is the best option.


Used to do a lot of work up around Swan hills, I ran my lightbar on the highway going to and from work, usually very early morning and late night so very little to no traffic.

One night coming home I just go up to highway speed and spotted oe coming up on to the shoulder, so I started slowing down and moving over, that when I spotted his buddy on the center line. I moved back in to the middle of the lane and slammed the brakes. When I stopped I was right between both of them. They didn't move. I could have rolled down the window and touched him.

On my drive back that night I spotted 13 moose in an hour and a half drive.

 

[Piston_slap]

Originally Posted By: SubLGT
A very interesting article about out of control automotive lighting in Alaska. A "lighting war" is beginning up there.

http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/b...ons/2016/01/09/



I feel better now about installing 100/80w lamps in my Ford. I've always did my aim adjustment on a long, straight section of road. Driver's side doesn't cross the center line and the passenger side projects a few degrees higher to expose animals and rural driveways. Seems to work, no hi/low flashes back at me.

 

[Surestick]

Sort-of off topic but I find that vehicles using their fog lights create a lot more glare, especially at medium distances than those that don't.

There seem to be an awful lot of people doing this when there is no fog, I don't know if it's out of sheer ignorance, because they think it looks better, or because, as the fog lights light up the foreground better, they feel like they can see better even though the opposite is true on a clear night.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Foglights are very useful for illuminating faded lane markers, especially in poorly maintained construction zones. Quite a few around here right now that you sometimes don't know what lane you are in, especially when raining.

 

[SubLGT]

Alaska should consider doing what Kentucky did:

Quote:
Elsewhere in the US, a new law in the US state of Kentucky requires headlamps to emit only white light, and to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108. It comes in response to aftermarket modifications that change the colours and intensities coming from a vehicle's front lights—from "HID kits" and "LED conversions" of halogen headlamps to colour-changing LED displays hacked into a vehicle's lights, with the display colour selectable by a smartphone app.

 

[rodekyll]

Alaska is not the same as the lower 48 in terms of road hazards and driving conditions. In the Anchorage corridor there are billboards along the highways with a moose counter -- how many collisions for the year. the number is usually in the 350 - 400 range by the end of the year. You'd think that after the first 250 or so people would begin to pay attention, but they still don't see these 1500# walking guardrails, and many are killed. I hve weaved my motorcycle through as many as 15 bears a mile along somestretches of northern highway. I've encountereed downed trees and landslides.

One solution to the carnage is lots of light. I run two hi/lo 55w HID projectors (not conversions) as aux lights on my trike. on high beam they will bbq a moose at two miles. ANYTHING reflective will reveal itself from as far away as the road is straight. I can pick out road markings, bunny eyes, broken glass, and buffalo with equal ease. On low they are about the same as halogen. The trick is to aim them for effect on hi beam and courtesy on low beam, and then use the [censored] dimmer switch. Nobody coming at me wants to ee that, and I don't want to be 'that guy' in these discussions.

Having lived 30 years in Alask and now touring the lower 48, I opine that in Alaska they do a much better job of choosing, aiming, and using light than 99% of the bozos down here. You CAN have good light, and you CAN put enough downrange to hurt oncoming drivers -- but nobody needs to know if you do it right.

$0.02

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Surestick
Sort-of off topic but I find that vehicles using their fog lights create a lot more glare, especially at medium distances than those that don't.

There seem to be an awful lot of people doing this when there is no fog, I don't know if it's out of sheer ignorance, because they think it looks better, or because, as the fog lights light up the foreground better, they feel like they can see better even though the opposite is true on a clear night.


If they're OE fog lights the maker deliberately makes the switch obtuse so you forget they're on, so they always come on with the low beams. The OE thinks it looks cooler.

I'm one of "those guys" with LED "fog" lights. Despite their name they are horrible in fog... of course they are. The bluish white light and poor aim just catches water vapor and reflects. But with the extra UV they're great for getting reflective signs and line markings. I mounted them low so they show the texture of snow better and I shut 'em off for oncoming cars. I only really have them for "reading" snow.

They have a so-called pencil beam but that's a crock. 15 degrees up and down with no great cutoff. Like a dozen harbor freight flashlights duct taped to my bumper.

 

[Piston_slap]

Originally Posted By: rodekyll
I run two hi/lo 55w HID projectors (not conversions) as aux lights on my trike. on high beam they will bbq a moose at two miles.
$0.02

That paints a beautiful picture! I had Cibie' pin spots in my high beam buckets and they were good but not that good!