You've had it happen to you. You're driving down the road late at night and there he comes: a four wheeler with high beams just a'blazing ready to burn your eyes out.

You probably did or said something, maybe hoping beyond all hope that they heard what you said.

What are we to do? I've seen this with increasing intensity as I drive. I don't want to hit my high beams, so I just raise my hand to block it off and allow me to get on down the road. It just irritates the living snot out of me that these people feel that they MUST have those high beams on so they can see without any regard to anyone else! Are they conscious that there's a little blue light on the dash that indicates their high beams are on and it's probably hurting a lot of other drivers out there? Do they have a clue that, because we sit higher off the ground than they do, that it definitely affects us, making it much harder to see and that there could be definite ramifications for possibly both us and them?

Here in SC where I live, we have a state law on the books that you aren't supposed to have high beams on within 500 ft of anyone. Law enforcement doesn't do anything to stop it. So here are my questions.

1. Has this happened to you like it has to me?

2. What do you do when those high beams blind you?

3. Haver you ever approached someone when they've pulled off the highway?

4. Have you ever called out on your CB for the law to go after someone whose headlights almost blinded you?

5. Am I just being overly sensitive, or is this a reasonable concern for us professional drivers?

I'm interested in hearing what you do, maybe what you have done, as well as what you'd like to do! Please feel free to toss in other tidbits that you think we'd all be interested in hearing about.

Thanks,
Mike

I'm a four-wheeler, but -- like you -- I don't like when approaching vehicles don't lower their lights at night.

Most times I think people tend to forget they're up... and a simple high-low flash does the trick. If not, I figure the driver's just a jack-###... and I block the light with my hand 'til I'm passed.

I cuss a little, though, if they do it in the rain. I hate driving at night in rain to start with...

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It has happened to me and many others plenty of times and will continue to happen. I've had ppl in my family tell me it should not bother us because we sit higher off of the ground. I tell them it's worse for us because we are higher off of the ground.

I usually quickly flash my high beams to tell them to cut theirs off. I dosen't work all the time but they usually get the hint.

The one thing that aggravates me more than the high beams are the FOG LIGHTS. People drive around with them on like it is foggy out. Come on ppl FOG LIGHTS mean for the FOG, not every day driving. Those fog lights blind me more than the high beams.

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"Léssez le bon ton roullé!"

Gotcha on those fog lights. They're BRUTAL depending on the vehicle. It seems at times they're much brighter than high beams, just depends on where I am. I have sensitive eyes to a certain extent and it's pure murder to see people who don't seem to have a clue!

They get one high beam flash, and if they dont dim their lights, I set and leave my high beams on until I pass them...unless theres traffic close behind the offending idiot...then I dont do anything at all.
I like the marble idea but dont want to risk a ticket/lawsuit or hitting others that arent doing anything.

How about those Chevy trucks with the fog lights the size of the freaking sun? Those are the worst!

Sometimes when they're approaching me i tap my work lights on and off really quick, it usually does the trick. Just take care to not leave them on long enough to blind them and they usually figure it out without too much hesitation.

And, if they leave them on ill wait until they're right at the corner of my tractor and ill turn my HB's and my fog lights on at the same time just as their mirrors are right there.

But, i usually won't do it unless i look down and see the blue light on their dash, because there are alot of people out there who have no idea they are supposed to adjust their headlights, and alot of people who look like they're using their HB's really aren't.

I'm sure we've all forgot once or twice we had the highs on. A quick flash is usually all it takes.

If not then I just deal with it. I don't get people who complain about others high beams saying it's dangerous for them to blind you and then to go and do the same thing. I figure if someone is leaving them on they probably are having trouble seeing for some reason and could very well be nervous behind the wheel. No sense making it worse for them.

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The good driver is rarely noticed.

Good thought process here, I like that, no need to make things worse for everyone. If a quick flash of high beams doesn't get their attention I do not see the use in blinding them too. Some times I use my work lights to flash and that works most of the time but when I have a tall load that is not an option. I have used my spot light , a quick flash and some times it is enuff, But I have been known to light them up with it. I do not do that often, once I lite up a state trooper, But hey he lit me up and we had a discussion, after all was said and done we both had a change of heart... He was mad as heck when I lit him up, he was screaming at me. I did deserve it but hey, we both got over it... needless to say I do not lite up cars much anymore... He was really cool at the end and we both appoligized for what happened. So now I don't let it bother me so much, but sometimes it's hard to just blow it off. Stay safe out there, the crazies are every where and not just in four wheelers.

Many vehicles have driving lights that come on when the low beams are on, they are just as bad as high beams in my opinion.

Driving lights(and fog lights) are to be wired so that they are only deployed when the low beams are on.

I have purchased some night driving glasses, they really help get rid of the glare, but I need to be wearing contact lenses to wear them. This time of the year, as long as the nights are, I'm usually wearing the contacts. The main reason I wear those glasses is for the driving lights on cars and small trucks.