As far as I’m concerned, LEDs should be illegal. Except for specifically in projector housings with projection lenses that have been properly aimed. Those are the lenses and housings that give your light a razor-sharp cutoff point, and when aimed properly, it means that you will not blind people.
I did this for my car. I live very rural. There’s no such thing as city light pollution, much less streetlights. So when it’s dark, it’s dark dark. And there are deer, elk, and all other manner of animal based hazards. I went through the trouble of making sure to aim my lights in such a way that on the standard lights my cutoff is just below the side mirrors and rear window lines of the average family sedan, not an SUV or anything like that.
When I turn on my high beams they are oh hey look it’s high noon in front of me for like a mile. But the standard lights were specifically configured to not do that. Unlike all the other people in my area that simply put massively bright LEDs in their completely normal light housings that do not have the ability to make a sharp cut-off so all they do is blind literally everyone like assholes regardless of high beams.
but why? the intensity of the light can be regulated and is one of the most energy efficient lights there is. You can get the same intensity than the lights above with leds, it’s just less taxing on your battery.
It’s the alternator that handles running load, not your battery, and the difference is negligible. The alternator is not like a battery where it can super accurately adapt its load. Most alternators are just on or off. Some of them have a couple states that they can clutch through, but even then, you’re not making a huge difference on the strain of the electrical system.
Without a sharp cutoff, it’s not the intensity only that’s the problem. The color temperature also makes a very big difference. Bright white or blue light is much more damaging to people’s nighttime vision. So even if it’s a lower intensity, it’s still causing more harm. If it’s not properly aimed and cut off from being right in their face.
But… All of the issues you raised can be changed. Not every LED is bright blue, that can be properly adapted. The technology of light emission isn’t at fault for the parameters the car builders input for it.
Haven’t you seen house LED bulbs that have changeable light colour, temperature and intensity? There’s no reason car manufacturers can’t bound their illumination system properly not to blind people. I’m not denying the issue, I agree with the validity of all the issues you raised, I’m just trying to point your ire to the actual cause.
As far as I’m concerned, LEDs should be illegal. Except for specifically in projector housings with projection lenses that have been properly aimed. Those are the lenses and housings that give your light a razor-sharp cutoff point, and when aimed properly, it means that you will not blind people.
I did this for my car. I live very rural. There’s no such thing as city light pollution, much less streetlights. So when it’s dark, it’s dark dark. And there are deer, elk, and all other manner of animal based hazards. I went through the trouble of making sure to aim my lights in such a way that on the standard lights my cutoff is just below the side mirrors and rear window lines of the average family sedan, not an SUV or anything like that.
When I turn on my high beams they are oh hey look it’s high noon in front of me for like a mile. But the standard lights were specifically configured to not do that. Unlike all the other people in my area that simply put massively bright LEDs in their completely normal light housings that do not have the ability to make a sharp cut-off so all they do is blind literally everyone like assholes regardless of high beams.
but why? the intensity of the light can be regulated and is one of the most energy efficient lights there is. You can get the same intensity than the lights above with leds, it’s just less taxing on your battery.
It’s the alternator that handles running load, not your battery, and the difference is negligible. The alternator is not like a battery where it can super accurately adapt its load. Most alternators are just on or off. Some of them have a couple states that they can clutch through, but even then, you’re not making a huge difference on the strain of the electrical system.
Without a sharp cutoff, it’s not the intensity only that’s the problem. The color temperature also makes a very big difference. Bright white or blue light is much more damaging to people’s nighttime vision. So even if it’s a lower intensity, it’s still causing more harm. If it’s not properly aimed and cut off from being right in their face.
But… All of the issues you raised can be changed. Not every LED is bright blue, that can be properly adapted. The technology of light emission isn’t at fault for the parameters the car builders input for it.
Haven’t you seen house LED bulbs that have changeable light colour, temperature and intensity? There’s no reason car manufacturers can’t bound their illumination system properly not to blind people. I’m not denying the issue, I agree with the validity of all the issues you raised, I’m just trying to point your ire to the actual cause.