I have Eaglite xenon H4 bulbs in my car. I accidentally noticed the other night that my high beams apparently do not bother other drivers. I always dim my high beams whenever another car is approaching, but I forgot to do it the other night & noticed that it didn't bother the person passing by. So I decided not the dim them for several minutes with several cars passing by and not a single one flashed me. Anyone else ever experience this? My headlights are properly adjusted and I can see very far down the road with them, so there's nothing apparently wrong with them.

Tony

 

That's a pretty big assumption that you're making.

 

Yea!

Who knows what was going on in the other driver's mind. A lot of people today are scared to flash someone due to rumors of gangs who follow people and kill them when they get flashed. Funny, I'll flash anyone and once did it to a cop! DOH!

People also don't seem to know the headlight "language" anymore. As I was taught:

1) Flashing lights on and off to on coming traffic = cop set a speed trap
2) Flashing lights when behind someone = I want to pass
3) Flashing high beams to oncoming traffic = I want you to turn off your brights.
4) Driving down the road with your high beams on for no reason = I'm an a-hole!

 

I liked #4

 

you forgot

5) flashing lights on and off to oncoming traffic: turn on your &#$! headlights, moron.

Oh, and just because no one 'seems' annoyed at your idiot move of keeping your high beams on, doesn't mean that you didn't annoy someone.

 

Dude...whatever...I've been driving for 16 years now & have owned 8 vehicles. I do a pretty darn good job remembering to dim my high beams for the safety of other drivers. And in EVERY vehicle until now I have been flashed by others, sometimes even with my low beams (rarely), and sometimes if I forget to dim the highs.

With this car & my Eaglites, I NEVER get flashed with my low beams on. And apparently my high beams don't bother other people too.

No gang problems with people killing others for flashing people where I live.

Only thing I can think of is the particular color of white light being emitted by these bulbs. Because they're excellent in lighting up the road for me...I just can't figure out why other traffic doesn't seem to mind them. They're brighter than many other cars I've owned and yet easy on other motorists' eyes???

Anyway people, please trust me in that I know what I'm doing and not annoying/jeopardizing other traffic. And I am not continually driving with my high beams on...it was just a short experiment along a state highway. The next step is to have a friend drive my car towards me in another car at night and see what everyone else is seeing. Now, anyone care to venture as to why this is happening and not attack me regarding my idiot driving habits?

Thanks, Tony

 

Dude, I was totally kidding.

However, I still think that people don't get the whole cop warning thing anymore. As far as your lights, like I said it's possible the people didn't flash back for a bunch of reasons. The only thing to do is have one of your friends be the guy in the other car so he can tell you what it looks like. There is no way to guess what a stranger may have been thinking. If they do not bother him, then I've got no idea why.

 

the 2k/1 headlights do a great job of clipping the output on the left side just for that very reason. The 2k2+ highbeams are *really* high (fixed in relation to lows) and will blind everything - other drivers, woodland creatures, pilots at 37000 ft, you name it...

Chances are people are just really used to crappy bulbs or illegal HID kits blinding them all the time and really dont take much exception to your highs. Really, after passing a Ford Exploder or Civic with HIDs in a non-HID housing, you'll welcome *anything* less than 3 million candle power scorching your retinas.

 

I'm with spta on this one. Having driven in Western Europe for many years, I am convinced that people this side of the pond are clueless about driving etiquette, be it headlights, signals or lanes in general (Last night I even saw some morons driving with high beam on white out conditions in Chicago). I do go out of my way to make a point after flashing once or twice, and getting no response, I leave the high beams on. Some of these aholes think their lights don't bother other drivers whoe are too timid to blash back.

 

But in fairness to Tony Fernandes, I do understand that he was just testing a theory.

Years ago when you turned your lights off and on to warn of a cop, you would see a sea of brake lights in your rear view. Doesn't happen that way anymore.

 

I still do, and always will, but I do wonder what goes on in peoples' minds when they see this mad guy flashing the lights... Few people do slow down.

 

I'm going to assume you drive on your highs only when there is absolutely no other vehicle anywhere in sight ANYWHERE in front of you.

As soon as you tell us you have your high beams on otherwise, I will make it a point to buy a plane ticket to your home town, and will personally attend to your headlights with a shotgun.

High beams blind people.

Most will not want to flash you because they are not the kind of person to do it, others will not want to start anything, some will just not notice because they're busy playing with their radio or will just stare into the light blindly, and some (ie. myself) will high beam the crap out of you. Risky as it is, I'm a Jer(k) to people with highs on. If I ever have anyone driving the same route as myself with their highs on I will sit on their butts and set my H4's to high beam and will tail them until they either shut them off or stop their cars to get out and kill me. Road rage I guess, but I figure if someone got me PO'd because I now can see only 50% of the road real estate in front of me, I will give them problems too - slam the brake and push my way in behind them to give a piece of my mind...

And yes, most people nowadays are concerned with flashing others because you don't know who might end up taking it personally (like me ) - they may stop you and may potentially pull out a weapon or something. You can't control what may happen... For all you know they may have a few friends a little far back who will follow you home to beat the c@#$ out of you.

I shouldn't talk about starting problems with other people after this post... but heck, it's my own life

 

Although it is not true your case Tony, there has been a few studies about how selfish and self-centered our society has become, and how we just don't give a crap about others anymore. In driving, IMHO, it can be manifested by the following habits:

> Driving with high beams on
> NOT flashing another driver with their high beams on
> Not using turn signals
> Driving in clear conditions with fog lights on
> Flicking cigarette butts or other trash out the window
> Taking up two parking spaces
> Failure to yield the right of way
> Demanding the right of way (not letting someone in)
> Cruising in the fast lane

So I would draw no conclusions when an oncoming driver does not flash his/her beams to lower yours. Perhaps they just can't be bothered.

 

While we're on the subject of driver etiquette, I want to talk about something that's been bothering me for a while. Those VIP a$$holes that, on a 2 lane road, when their lane is ending decide that they are so important that they are gonna floor it and try and squeeze right in front of you. I'm so f'ing tired of that. I'm to the point now where I don't let them in, and I don't care. Their lane is ending, and if they want to endanger themselves and their car for one f'ing car length, then that's their problem. It's not my responsibility to do their merging for them. GOD that p1sses me off!

 

reader's digest reprinted a "what to do when driving" kind of story... the article said the worst thing to do is flash someone who has their high beams on because the only thing worse than one blind driver is two.

anyway, I'd go with the beam pattern theory. The lights might be brighter from inside your car, but if they're not aimed up and to the left then oncoming traffic might just see lights a little brighter than normal but not suspect high beams.

 

Around here passing on the right and cuting in before the semi/slow azz on a 4-way divided hwy is the ONLY way to do the friggen speedlimit since MOST inconsiderate azzholes here always hog the leftlane instead of moving over.

It's people like you that I LOVE TO FRIGGEN mess with!

 

I drive fast (read: AT or w/in 10 MPH over the speed limit) MOST of the time. What I can't stand are the freakin VIP a-holes (apparently you) who think that they are soooo important that they have to get in front of me, at whatever cost. And then it's one lane anyway, so what have you accomplished??? NOTHING! Freakin retarded. People like you should have your licenses revoked.

 

Why can't all the states be like Texas...

Texas has HUGE shoulders on 2-lane roads, and the law allows that when a car approaches you that is going faster than you, you can pull off into the shoulder (while continuing your speed) and the other driver can pass you and be on their way.

Why bother to worry how fast the other guy is going, if he ends up with a ticket or off the road, just laugh, honk a love tap, and drive on by.

As for right of way, I find many times that there are a lot of morons who don't account for merging traffic, and still have one or two open lanes next to them. Do them move over to allow the merge? No, they stubbornly stay in the right lane.

Ba$tard$.

 

You misread what I said.

I'm not trying to cut in front of you because it's a two-to-one lane merging, yes that's a waste of gas for one car length. However, out on the highway when there are TWO lanes, but some d!ck heads decide they are going to slow everyone else down while they creep a mile before/past/after a slower moving vehicle, it's DEFINITELY worth it.

So, that's why I'm "forced" to pass on the right/cut in to the left. It's not because I'm a "VIP a-hole", it's because I'm doin 100mph on the hwy, so you'd better get the fck out of my way. Apparently, if there was enough room for me to pass you on the right and merge into the left(not making you slam on the brakes of course!) then you DON'T belong in the "fast" lane.

 

There's an easy way to settle this. You let someone drive your car, find a dark road with a nasty curve and you drive another car. You both take the curve at the same time driving toward each other. The driver of your car will have the high beams on. If you negotiate the curve without leaving skid mark in your Fruit of the Looms, then it's ok to drive your car with the HB's on

 

Oh, I gotcha. Where I live ('burbs of Atlanta) they have gone crazy with 2 lane (each direction) roads that merge into one. This creates SO many headaches. I know what you mean now, about people that drive slow on the highway and dont get out of the way. That p1sses me off too. I'm thinking of the people that try to sneak up in front of me when their lane is about to end. That drives me CRAZY!

 

I grew up in Texas (Dallas) and I have to say I have never seen what you are talking about. Even on long stretches of road like I-35, etc, its just 2 lanes. No shoulder. Especially in the suburbs of Dallas, there just aren't many shoulders around. I wish there were, but I'm in Atlanta now. I've traded Texas' horrible roads for Atlanta's terrible drivers (See www.tardsite.com)

 

Let me ask you this, if you are the only car that's going to be infront of the guy who wants to pass you is it ok then? NOTHING bothers me more than when someone won't let me pass and then goes slow. Some a-hole did that to me (would go slow and speed up when I tried to pass) so I had to take it up to 120MPH to get infront of him.......then I slammed on the brakes to a complete stop. Needless to say, he backed off.

Another thing you have to condsider is you don't know what's going on in the other car. Perhaps there is a someone going to the hospital....it's just not up to you to make that call.

Also, I think you are saying that your 10MPH+ over the limit is "fast enough" for everyone. I need to be at least 30 MPH over the limit in most cases!

MOVE OVER, VIP COMIN' THROUGH!!!!

 

It is pretty common in the outlying areas of Houston, where these type roads exist. I live in an area where our main road is exactly that....2 lanes with full lane wide 'shoulders'. (FM1093 past Katy for those of you familiar with Houston).

 

I guess it's hard for you guys to understand what I'm talking about or something. Picture this situation: 5:30PM, lots of traffic (in other words NOBODY is going 30 over the speed limit). I know that the right lane ahead is going to end, so I stay in the left lane. Without fail, every day, some moron stays in the right lane and tries to cut me off. I'm so tired of that. The traffic is moving slowly, and they speed up beside me and TOTALLY eliminate the safe distance I am leaving between me and the other car in front of me. So from now on I have decided to leave enough space between myself and the car ahead of me, but not enough for a VIP moron to try and squeeze his a$$ in, risking damage to both my car and his. I'm NOT talking about not letting someone in front of me when there is open road ahead. I couldn't care less as long as they don't slow me down. It's when they do that other $hit that really p1sses me off. So if they feel comfortable paying both their deductible and mine just to get one GD car length in, then they can go for it.

 

I get that crap all the time and it pisses me off!

I hate riding peoples ****/tailgating(riding brakes = warped rotors, right!), so I leave a "safe" distance and then some yahoo thinks that's a perfect spot for him to squeeze in causing me to have to brake/slow down.

 

Gotcha!

However, I DO do this in one case - when there the car infront of me is an SUV. I hate sitting in traffic only being able to see the a$$ end of a truck!

I hate when people do that on the highway too. I like to leave pleanty of room between me and the car ahead to avoid paint chips (oh, and not get into a rear-end collision). However, people like to sqeeze in between leaving no room at all for anyone. I hate that too so I agree with you not letting them in. It's not like there isn't about 10 road signs for 1/4 mile letting you know that your lane is ending on the commute you do every day.

 

EXACTLY!!!!!! The thing is that these people KNOW that the lane is ending. In fact one time, this guy in one of those SUVs tiger woods endorses (cant remember the name) decided to go around everyone waiting in line at a stop light (the lanes had merged into 1 a while back, he would have had to get at the end of the line), and he got next to ME and nearly pulled out into the perpendicular traffic!! MORONS!!!!

 

Oh, one of those butt-ugly Buick Rendezvous?

 

God yes...((SHIVERS)))

 

Holy Horror, Batman!!

 

This past weekend I was merging onto the IL tollway (3 lanes each way)south of the Wisconsin border and some moronic old guizzer and his wife would not yield the right lane even as the center and left lanes were open (it was 7:30 AM on Sunday). I didn't budge so he had to slow from the 55 he was maintaing...I looked at them in the mirror thinking why this idiot would not move over and I saw the cheesehead plates, so I understood then. They were even shaking their heads at me!

As for the shoulder passing (assuming left shoulder would be allowed), I wouldn't try that around Illinois highways. That's were all the grit ends up (and you thought the paint chips were bad). And this time of the year at the very least you'll find a lot of ice and snow, or at worst some poor guy broken down. Not that shoulder passing isn't done anyways...

 

the tard website is the best... needed a good laugh b4 i went to work tonite

 

Well, getting back to the "Original" topic of driving with the high beams on and no one noticing, I would like to say that some a-hole a week and a half ago flashed his beams on me when I DIDN'T even have mine on to begin with! No one was behind me, there was no one else driving around or waiting to turn onto the road, it was just me and this other car going opposite ways. I know I didn't have my beams on, so that only tells me that people must be really stupid to think that because Xenons are brighter, the high beams are on, when in reality, they're not high beams.

Retards, I tell you!

 

Maybe he was warning you of a cop up ahead???

 

Where I'm from, cops are overpaid and underworked, so I guess if that was the case, it was for them to meet their monthly quota.

 

I got one better:

This past fall I always had the HIDs on auto, so even at dusk they would be on when not really needed...Well, on my way home from work one night this guy in the oncoming lane on a backroad flashes his headlights at me quickly, then actually veers into my lane and flips me off...

now THAT was a retard...mind you, this guy was driving a pickup truck, so he was much higher than I was, but I guess the HIDs still ****ed him off...

My personal favorite is driving along at nightand seeing a car with HIDs coming towards me and saying "wow, bright headlights" then realizing it is a 2k2/2k3 Maxima...I can't help but smile. I can't complain since I'm driving one too!

 

Amen!!!

 

I don't think these are examples of being self-centered (well, maybe 5, 6, and 7 are), they're examples of the general cluelessness of drivers. I don't know where I learned the rules about driving, but somehow I picked up the golden rules you state. Of course, my perception of cluelessness could be because I live in Houston, which is apparently mecca to the brain-dead driver...

On no-one flashing you down, I agree with what someone said - badly aimed (and hugely bright) headlights are so common now that people are numb to it.

Mostly you see this in rural areas, outside Houston (1093 past Katy has to be pretty far out - didn't know it went that far?) and in small towns around Texas. The only problem is that there are also lots of loose rocks around, so if someone does it for me I usually punch it to pass them quickly before something kicks up.

 

So... you're saying that the cops in Long Island, NY are overpaid and underworked??? 9-11-01 ---> 2-13-03 Damn... now THAT is some short-term memory.


While we're talking about $hitty driving, how about this one:
People who don't understand that the on-ramp and merge-in lane is the place to get up to highway speeds. They pull out onto the freeway doing 45 in a 70, and THEN decide to slowly get up to the speed limit. I hate those fokkers!!!