Rain, roads, and a rant!

[deaf andy]

okay, so the monsoon season has started.

 

rain, it's made of water. it's transparent. and reflective.

 

SO TURN YOUR HEADLIGHTS OFF! (yes, i'm shouting! i shout this at other drivers, so i'm shouting the same here)

 

sidelights are okay, if you really think your car becomes invisible in the wet, but put your headlights on and everyone else gets a double dose of glare, and reflected glare from a wet road surface is more of a problem than from the headlights themselves.

 

on a motorway, at motorway speed, spray reduces visibility - lights are necessary. around town, you're not going to throw up much spray at 30mph.

 

also, on a motorway there's virtually no chance of a pedestrian crossing the road behind your car. on urban streets, that pedestrian is almost impossible to see behind the blinding dazzle of your lights.

 

you think you're improving road safety by lighting up, but it's having the opposite effect.

 

rant over. discuss.

[Maxtor]

You need your lights on in weather like this. Go rant at something else, leave us responsible motorists alone.

[L00b]

Rant perfectly understandable and no, in this weather in day time, lights are absolutely not necessary in urban areas (unless you have trouble seeing other road users without them, Maxtor, in which case maybe you should get your vision tested).

[SnailyBoy]

Discuss?

 

I think you need your eyes testing if you get dazzled.

[Maxtor]

Rant perfectly understandable and no, in this weather in day time, lights are absolutely not necessary in urban areas (unless you have trouble seeing other road users without them, Maxtor, in which case maybe you should get your vision tested).

 

My visions fine thanks to my super bright headlights thanks

[deaf andy]

Discuss?

 

I think you need your eyes testing if you get dazzled.

 

if i didn't get dazzled, i'd be driving with my eyes shut.

[Redyam]

Err, no. If you are driving a car with poor visibility, steamed up windows, darkened skies, driving rain, then you need your lights ON! Why do you think most crashes happen when it's raining?

[L00b]

If you are driving a car with poor visibility, steamed up windows,

Then you shouldn't be moving at all, until you've demisted/cleaned your windows (front, rear, front L&R).

Why do you think most crashes happen when it's raining?

Because far too many drivers do not adjust their speed/driving to lengthen their stopping distance on wet surfaces (when they are conscious of what a safety gap is...which is far from a given these days, it seems).

 

See e.g. this.

My visions fine thanks to my super bright headlights thanks

You need your headlights to see where you're going in this weather in daytime?!?

[deaf andy]

Err, no. If you are driving a car with poor visibility, steamed up windows, darkened skies, driving rain, then you need your lights ON! Why do you think most crashes happen when it's raining?

 

if you drive with steamed up windows, you're doing it wrong.

 

i'm talking about headlights on during daylight. not necessary.

 

do most crashes happen when it's raining?

 

any crashes that happen in the rain are most likely caused by driver error - i.e. driving too fast for the conditions, or blinding oncoming traffic with unecessary headlights.

[geared]

I didn't get dazzled this morning driving in the rain, but then I also didn't have a problem seeing any of the cars due to them being directly in front of me in the que.