Do high beams bother truckers?

Jason Hanson

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Jan 13, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/13/97

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If I am driving in my mid-sized car, would my high beams affect a
trucker?

Jason

TTruckr23

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Jan 14, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/14/97

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They most assuredly do. Remember also, even though you can't see
the oncoming traffic's headlights (as in jersey barriers in the middle)
trucks sit higher then the barrier and are still blinded by your
highbeams.
Plain old common courtesy should prevail. If there is ANY oncoming
traffic, whether on a freeway or backroad, useyour lowbeams. I know that
I'll appreciate it and I think many others will, too.
As long as we're on the subject of lights, I sure wish that folks
would not have their "fog" lights wired in to come on automatically with
their headlights. Nothing is worse then to have a real Monte Carlo rally
driving hero approach and have those driving lights( about 1/2 of which
are out of adjustment anyway) blind you worse then a highbeam would've.
Again, just common sense and courtesy should apply.

Jason Hanson

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Jan 14, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/14/97

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ttru...@aol.com (TTruckr23) wrote:

> Plain old common courtesy should prevail. If there is ANY oncoming
>traffic, whether on a freeway or backroad, useyour lowbeams. I know that
>I'll appreciate it and I think many others will, too.

I couldn't agree more and I always do dim them. I was just curious if
they do affect trucks.

> As long as we're on the subject of lights, I sure wish that folks
>would not have their "fog" lights wired in to come on automatically with
>their headlights. Nothing is worse then to have a real Monte Carlo rally
>driving hero approach and have those driving lights( about 1/2 of which
>are out of adjustment anyway) blind you worse then a highbeam would've.
>Again, just common sense and courtesy should apply.

Common sense? On the road?

Rich

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Jan 15, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/15/97

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actually it depends on the car these days,Most american cars and small imports use sealed beam or sealed beam style halogens,when the brights are on the light just sprays allover the place .Most European and some of the more expensive Jap cars,use a different type of lens that sorta cuts the light off at a certain height.Those don't usually blind me unless I'm cresting a hill.When I'm in my truck I can definately tell the difference between the two.But regardless of that you still should and are required to by law to dim your lights for oncoming vehicles

Jim Janota

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Jan 18, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/18/97

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I have met people that thought that as long as I did not have a rear
window that bright lights from behind didn't bother. I must remind them
that I have 5 mirrors aimed at my eyes which more then make up for no
back window.
Jim

Dave Moorman

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Jan 23, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/23/97

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In article <32E1A1...@win.bright.net>, Jim Janota
<jan...@win.bright.net> wrote:

How about high beams on on-coming traffic? Do tractors sit high enough so
that the high beams don't bother the drivers?

Dave

--
Dave Moorman Be big, don't belittle.
Downers Grove
Illinois, USA
http://homepage.interaccess.com/~dmoorman/DavesPage.html

TTruckr23

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Jan 25, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/25/97

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Tractors aren't so high that highbeams don't bother the driver. Remember
also, if there are Jersey barriers or bushes in the median and you, as a 4
wheeler can't even see the oncoming headlights, the truck driver is
sitting just high enough that those highbeams do affect him.

Allan Ewart

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Jan 26, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/26/97

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Jim Janota wrote:
>
> Jason Hanson wrote:
> >
> > If I am driving in my mid-sized car, would my high beams affect a
> > trucker?
> >
> > Jason
> I have met people that thought that as long as I did not have a rear
> window that bright lights from behind didn't bother. I must remind them
> that I have 5 mirrors aimed at my eyes which more then make up for no
> back window.

> Jim

Several facts are true of high-beams:

They DO affect truckers, as much or MORE THAN drivers of cars.
Oncoming traffic high beams cause problems from as far away as 1000 feet.
High beams from drivers behind can bother you from 500 feet behind you.

High beams are inappropriate to use when you are coming up on other vehicles of
any kind both oncoming, and approaching from behind.

You are blinding the other driver !!! Your high beams hurt his/her ability to see
hazards on the road as a result. It also tires a driver to have constant exposure
to people running their high beams. Of course, it puts the driver in a BAD TEMPER
as well.

Truckers who flash their brights to signal one to return to the lane after passing
them are also blinding you at a time you need to SEE WHERE THEY ARE. Knowledgeable
drivers drop their lights for 3 seconds to signal you you can return to the lane after
passing them. They can see the road easily in your marker lights.

Drive SAFE! Courteous and safe drivers turn high beams OFF when closing on other
vehicles at 1000 to 2000 feet as a safeguard to avoid blinding them. You can see
the path the road travels by watching the path travelled by head and tail lights of
vehicles in front of you. You don't NEED to use your high beams to see the road.
In some weather (fog, for example) high beams LOWER your range of vision.

See you OTR - Ann