Night driving

This is very interesting, but how do I know whether the occasional problem I have with being partially blinded by headlights is due to poorly adjusted lights on those cars or deterioration of my sight.

I'm going for my annual eye test soon, but in the previous three tests my sight has marginally improved. I don't think this necessarily means that the occasional problem has to be the fault of the oncoming lights. Passing an eye test with flying colours (for having it corrected by glasses) doesn't mean my eyes aren't reacting more slowly to glare.

Fortunately my car has Xenon headlights that are well adjusted and, as I drive a lot on winding country roads, are excellent because they follow the curve of the road. So the nearside verge is always well illuminated.

If I remember, I'll ask the optician about the polarised night driving glasses.

 

I'm a big fan of Xenons too, although an expensive option you'll never want to go back to ordinary lights if you drive on country lanes in the dark. Also they are great if you encounter the idiots who forget to dip their lights coming the other way, a quick flash with the Xenons always works.

I don't know if it's already been mentioned, but if you wear glasses then get the anti-glare and polarised coatings if you can afford it, they really do help at night.

 

I don't!!

 

Nearly there, then

 

No - not the same at all, and Xenon lights are only legal if they are either:

• Fitted to the car as original equipment
• Retro-fitted along with the required self-levelling system, and headlight washers (and corresponding lenses/reflectors if they are needed) - - - usually prohibitively expensive to be retro-fitted properly, but there is a large number of cars going around that have been retro-fitted which are actually illegal for road use, and it is these cars that are causing the dazzling etc

Cars that are not fitted with Xenon lights (High Intensity Discharge lights) as original equipment are fitted with traditional halogen bulbs. The usual/normal wattage for these is 55w - there are (maybe not as much now as there used to be though) bulbs of an increased wattage to boost light output; they are illegal for road use also.

Then there are 'upgrade' bulbs such as Osram Nightbreaker, Philips Extremevision (also sold as Halfords Brilliance) and some of the Ring & Bosch ranges; these are all 55w halogen bulbs, but are made to exacting standards (high quality glass, filaments etc) and as a result can give more usable light that is better spread than you would get from an el cheapo equivalent.

Some manufacturers fit a 'branded' bulb as standard (Bosch is a favourite with the German marques), so the difference from these to the upgrade bulbs above might not be all that much; however, there are (understandably) a lot of motorists that will fit to their cars the absolute cheapest they can get (even if its off a market stall) - these are the cars that will benefit most from decent upgrade bulbs. Bear in mind also that many of us buy our cars second hand, so we don't actually know what is fitted when we get the car.

Lights, tyres, wiper blades and brake components - never worth buying the cheapest of any of these in my opinion.