The evenings are getting progressively lighter, which is a good thing for those of us who have to take the highway home later in the day. Before too long, we won’t have to be quite so concerned about oncoming headlights. Which will hopefully make things run smoother.
Over the past couple of winters, it seems that there are an increasing number of people on the road who seem to suffer from night blindness. The headlights of oncoming vehicles just seem to be a bit too much for them.
As I get older, I am willing to admit that I find oncoming headlights bother me more. Maybe it’s my vision. But it could also be some of those oncoming headlights, and the fact they seem to be getting a whole lot brighter. Brighter headlights are great for the person in the car. Not so great for people coming toward them.
I was always taught to focus my eyes elsewhere when heading into lights. Like concentrate on the white line on the edge of the road. You stay in your lane, and your aren’t quite so blinded by the oncoming light. But some of those lights are getting hard to avoid.
I have had people mention that they think part of the problem comes from headlights that are simply not focused properly. Instead of being focused on the road in front of the driver, it almost seems that some are focused more on oncoming traffic.
Whether the lights are much brighter or not pointed correctly, the end result is that some people feel unsure heading toward them, and tend to slow way down, dropping from highway speed to seventy kilometers per hour or even slower, but only when oncoming traffic is present. And if you like to use your cruise control on the highway, it creates an additional problem to be aware of. The fact that the person in front of you is going to slow down considerably when faced with oncoming headlights.
Halogen lights made a noticeable difference on the roads. L.E.D.s are taking that a step further. There has been talk about new technology that will control the brightness for oncoming traffic. Hopefully it will happen soon.