The more I think on this, the more I wonder if it’s truly unpopular “here,” but it certainly is in public.
Headlights should be no more than 2 feet off the ground. Yes, your SUV will look dumb. No, you won’t be able to see as far. But you also won’t be blinding everyone.
And no, adjusting angles does not solve this for monster trucks in the US.
Cars come from the factory with blinding lights. Yes modified lights are also a problem. There aren’t enough regulations for either OEM nor modified headlights.
If a car’s headlights are mounted higher than the mirrors of another car, no amount of aiming can stop them from being blinding.
If anything they should bring back sealed beam laws. Auto companies have proven they’re unable to make headlights correctly.
30+ years ago, cars came standard with rearview mirrors that had a lever to select daytime view (full reflection) or night time view (partial reflection) to minimize glare.
My current car came from the factory with auto-darkening rearview and side mirrors. Two light sensors detect whether it is night, and if there are headlights behind you. If so, the mirrors darken enough so headlights aren’t blinding.
It’s not a new system. My 2012 Jeep Patriot had the same thing for the rearview mirror.
Headlights have to be near the eyeline of the driver for retroreflective signs, clothing, and markings to work right. Moving headlights that far below the driver’s eyeline will create far more danger than it cures.
It’s my first time owning a car that has autodimming rearview and side mirrors. The feature is nice, but I don’t like how the “normal” mode on the rearview mirror still too dark. Wearing sunglasses makes it even darker, not to mention the tint on the back window, which combined make it virtually black during the day.
