Girlfriend and I Were Discussing This Earlier Today. Help With 2 Questions

[Emily L]

This is what I've learned about bright headlights . . .

* Don't use them if there are any cars ahead of you--either coming toward you or going away from you. This is especially dangerous if you are on a two-line highway--the oncoming car won't be able to see the road if your brights are on.

* Don't use them in fog or heavy rain--it will just reflect back in your eyes.

* If someone blinks his headlights at you, it can mean three things: (1) your brights are accidentally on, (2) one of your headlights is stuck on bright, or (3) use caution ahead (e.g., there's a speed trap, or a road hazard).

* If a guy pulls up next to you and says he admires your headlights, he might not be talking about your car. ( )

 

[Dayton3]

Both of us remarked (we're in a long distance relationship currently) that while we are driving at night, there seems to be dozens of cars driving with their high beam headlights on.

Do drivers education courses stress that you shouldn't do that any longer? When I got my license back in the 1980's, it was stressed that you didn't drive with your "brights" on. Do they do that any more or are headlights just incredibly bright nowadays?

Second question.

She, being far more articulate and nerdy than myself, stated that it felt like she was caught in a "tractor beam". When did/why did sci fi writers call a "beam" that captures another object in space a "tractor beam"? There doesn't seem to be any application where a tractor does any such thing on earth--controls an object that is free floating around it. Nor does the word "tractor" seem to be short for any other word that controls an object floating around it.

Yes, you are still supposed to dim your lights when you encounter another car approaching or you approach another vehicle from behind at night. And you can get warned or ticketed failing to do it. But most drivers education courses it consider it such a minor point that they don't spend much time on it.

A major factor? Almost all driving in drivers education course is during daylight.

"tractor" refers to the effect of pulling another object so naturally the term "tractor beam" is used for an anti gravity beam used to pull another object. Though in most science fiction genres, a "tractor beam" can just as easily be set to repel an object and push it away.

 

[Evilroddy]

Both of us remarked (we're in a long distance relationship currently) that while we are driving at night, there seems to be dozens of cars driving with their high beam headlights on.

Do drivers education courses stress that you shouldn't do that any longer? When I got my license back in the 1980's, it was stressed that you didn't drive with your "brights" on. Do they do that any more or are headlights just incredibly bright nowadays?

Second question.

She, being far more articulate and nerdy than myself, stated that it felt like she was caught in a "tractor beam". When did/why did sci fi writers call a "beam" that captures another object in space a "tractor beam"? There doesn't seem to be any application where a tractor does any such thing on earth--controls an object that is free floating around it. Nor does the word "tractor" seem to be short for any other word that controls an object floating around it.

Several reasons may be behind your headlight issue.

1) Folks don't care about other drivers on the road and disregard or forget what they were taught in drivers' education courses.

2) New kinds of lights are brighter and thus can dazzle on the low beam setting.

3) People trying to save a buck install replacement lights incorrectly and do not aim them down towards the road enough when adjusting the beams. This makes misaligned lights quite able to dazzle on-coming drivers.

4) Some folks not satisfied with two headlights, instal more lights on their vehicle turning it into a battery of lights, where quantity of lights replaces high luminosity of the original two lights.

My solution: install hard points on your vehicle to mount heavy weapons and shoot out on-coming offenders' lights if their too bright! if there is collateral damage, well commuting is hell!

Cheers, be well and please, for the love of God, don't follow my solution advice.
Evilroddy.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Miss Ruby automatically dims the high beams, so I don't have to do a damn thing.

 

[dncc]

Several reasons may be behind your headlight issue.

1) Folks don't care about other drivers on the road and disregard or forget what they were taught in drivers' education courses.

True. Texas is famous for A-holes on the road. There are light bars that are on trucks

2) New kinds of lights are brighter and thus can dazzle on the low beam setting.

Very much so. I've noticed they are sort of blu-ish too.

3) People trying to save a buck install replacement lights incorrectly and do not aim them down towards the road enough when adjusting the beams. This makes misaligned lights quite able to dazzle on-coming drivers.

Been there; done that. Guilty.

4) Some folks not satisfied with two headlights, instal more lights on their vehicle turning it into a battery of lights, where quantity of lights replaces high luminosity of the original two lights.

Probably.

My solution: install hard points on your vehicle to mount heavy weapons and shoot out on-coming offenders' lights if their too bright! if there is collateral damage, well commuting is hell!

Lets put a pin in that one for the moment.

Cheers, be well and please, for the love of God, don't follow my solution advice.
Evilroddy.

Same to you.

 

[d0gbreath]

It doesn't get dark enough here in the DFW Metroplex at night for headlights, much less brights.

 

[JANFU]

Headlights: It may be 2 things. Some of the newer cars may have lights like Ultra Lumens. They tend to look like and feel/see like they ARE on bright even when they're not.
Personally, I can't stand the damn things. Their beam almost cuts your night vision to zero.
OR People seem to have become more selfish lately and have the attitude "I want to see everything in front of me even if it causes the opposite effect for other people".
I hope the last sentence is wrong.

And even harder on the eyes as you age

Up here a flick of your beams will normally get a response from the other vehicle - if they are on high, easily noted by the other driver. They will either react by lowering or showing they are not on high

And those new hi beams are damned hard on the eyes