trevHCS:
Plenty seem to do this (the main beam thing) although not sure if they sure just being a-holes or its these auto main beams which don’t turn off esp on motorways or dual carriageway.
No they are just bright enough to realise that dipped headlights will do absolutely nothing in showing up any unlit obstruction ahead on an unlit road in time to stop at anything much over 25 mph.
I carry red flares in my truck and car just incase I/wife breaks down in bad conditions …tried one that was out o date ffs Stevie Wonder could see it in a blizzard.
Carryfast:
No they are just bright enough to realise that dipped headlights will do absolutely nothing…
They aren’t brilliant, but when theres a car coming the other way it doesn’t work. Trouble is we cant drop to 25mph on motorways without causing a serious problems, so doesn’t help with these smart motorways.
Checked Highway Code and it says:
114 - You MUST NOT
use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders – RVLR reg 27
115 You should also …
keep your headlights dipped when overtaking until you are level with the other vehicle and then change to main beam if necessary, unless this would dazzle oncoming road users
trevHCS:
Carryfast:
No they are just bright enough to realise that dipped headlights will do absolutely nothing…They aren’t brilliant, but when theres a car coming the other way it doesn’t work. Trouble is we cant drop to 25mph on motorways without causing a serious problems, so doesn’t help with these smart motorways.
Checked Highway Code and it says:
114 - You MUST NOT
use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders – RVLR reg 27115 You should also …
keep your headlights dipped when overtaking until you are level with the other vehicle and then change to main beam if necessary, unless this would dazzle oncoming road users
But you should also never drive a speed at which you can’t stop from safely in the distance you can see to be clear ahead.Dipped lights ain’t going to provide that even at 30 mph let alone 50 mph + on an unlit road.Apply that to the worst case scenario of an unlit broken down vehicle or crashed vehicles/debris/persons,especially in a live lane of a motorway ahead,then ‘causing discomfort’ to other road users is sometimes a problem they’ll just have to put up with.In which case the simple rule I was taught of look to the nearside away from the lights applies.While even in the case of anything on the hard shoulder ahead I always applied the rule main beam stays on and move over to lane 2 at least until past the hazard at that point.
Carryfast:
trevHCS:
Carryfast:
No they are just bright enough to realise that dipped headlights will do absolutely nothing…They aren’t brilliant, but when theres a car coming the other way it doesn’t work. Trouble is we cant drop to 25mph on motorways without causing a serious problems, so doesn’t help with these smart motorways.
Checked Highway Code and it says:
114 - You MUST NOT
use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders – RVLR reg 27115 You should also …
keep your headlights dipped when overtaking until you are level with the other vehicle and then change to main beam if necessary, unless this would dazzle oncoming road usersBut you should also never drive a speed at which you can’t stop from safely in the distance you can see to be clear ahead.Dipped lights ain’t going to provide that even at 30 mph let alone 50 mph + on an unlit road.Apply that to the worst case scenario of an unlit broken down vehicle or crashed vehicles/debris/persons,especially in a live lane of a motorway ahead,then ‘causing discomfort’ to other road users is sometimes a problem they’ll just have to put up with.In which case the simple rule I was taught of look to the nearside away from the lights applies.While even in the case of anything on the hard shoulder ahead I always applied the rule main beam stays on and move over to lane 2 at least until past the hazard at that point.
If there is incoming traffic use their lights to see obstructions in your lane. If your eyes aren’t being dazzled by the excess light off of all your mains, spots and roof lights, that’s quite adequate.
You only need to see the kerb ahead to realise there isn’t a broken down vehicle in the way.
No need to light up the scene like an operating theatre.
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Franglais:
Carryfast:
But you should also never drive a speed at which you can’t stop from safely in the distance you can see to be clear ahead.Dipped lights ain’t going to provide that even at 30 mph let alone 50 mph + on an unlit road.Apply that to the worst case scenario of an unlit broken down vehicle or crashed vehicles/debris/persons,especially in a live lane of a motorway ahead,then ‘causing discomfort’ to other road users is sometimes a problem they’ll just have to put up with.In which case the simple rule I was taught of look to the nearside away from the lights applies.While even in the case of anything on the hard shoulder ahead I always applied the rule main beam stays on and move over to lane 2 at least until past the hazard at that point.If there is incoming traffic use their lights to see obstructions in your lane. If your eyes aren’t being dazzled by the excess light off of all your mains, spots and roof lights, that’s quite adequate.
You only need to see the kerb ahead to realise there isn’t a broken down vehicle in the way.
No need to light up the scene like an operating theatre.
Let’s just say that the rule never drive at a speed at which you can’t stop from in the distance you can see to be clear ahead often means that you’ll need the ‘range’ provided by main beam headlights and nothing whatsoever to do with lighting up the scene like a flood lit football pitch.Bearing in mind that even the hi viz reflective clothing worn by emergency service and recovery workers doesn’t work without the use of main beam lights shining on it let alone persons wearing non reflecting clothing around a broken down or crashed vehicle in a live lane.That rule worked fine for me on around 15 years of night trunking on mostly unlit motorways not to mention 120 mph + continental road trips for fun.
On that note remind us how much of the French and German and Swiss and Italian motorway network is lit.As opposed to only Belgium providing that luxury ?.
As for relying on the lights of approaching traffic and/or watching the kerb to supposedly alert you to those types of hazards,while you and everyone else drives along the road blindly on dipped headlights at all times,great idea what could possibly go wrong.
You drive towards me with your main beam on then you’re getting a facefull of mine right back atcha.
Carryfast:
Franglais:
Carryfast:
But you should also never drive a speed at which you can’t stop from safely in the distance you can see to be clear ahead.Dipped lights ain’t going to provide that even at 30 mph let alone 50 mph + on an unlit road.Apply that to the worst case scenario of an unlit broken down vehicle or crashed vehicles/debris/persons,especially in a live lane of a motorway ahead,then ‘causing discomfort’ to other road users is sometimes a problem they’ll just have to put up with.In which case the simple rule I was taught of look to the nearside away from the lights applies.While even in the case of anything on the hard shoulder ahead I always applied the rule main beam stays on and move over to lane 2 at least until past the hazard at that point.If there is incoming traffic use their lights to see obstructions in your lane. If your eyes aren’t being dazzled by the excess light off of all your mains, spots and roof lights, that’s quite adequate.
You only need to see the kerb ahead to realise there isn’t a broken down vehicle in the way.
No need to light up the scene like an operating theatre.Let’s just say that the rule never drive at a speed at which you can’t stop from in the distance you can see to be clear ahead often means that you’ll need the ‘range’ provided by main beam headlights and nothing whatsoever to do with lighting up the scene like a flood lit football pitch.Bearing in mind that even the hi viz reflective clothing worn by emergency service and recovery workers doesn’t work without the use of main beam lights shining on it let alone persons wearing non reflecting clothing around a broken down or crashed vehicle in a live lane.That rule worked fine for me on around 15 years of night trunking on mostly unlit motorways not to mention 120 mph + continental road trips for fun.
On that note remind us how much of the French and German and Swiss and Italian motorway network is lit.As opposed to only Belgium providing that luxury ?.
As for relying on the lights of approaching traffic and/or watching the kerb to supposedly alert you to those types of hazards,while you and everyone else drives along the road blindly on dipped headlights at all times,great idea what could possibly go wrong.
On a m-way if youre alone there is no problem with main beam, agreed. If there is preceeding traffic, and you can see their tail lights, then there cannot be anything between you and them. If theres oncoming traffic there will often be enough spill over from their dipped beams to illuminate your side of the road kilometres away. Provided you havent ruined your night vision by over use of your own too bright lights. You arent relying only on your own dip beams. As you say that isnt enough for any sort of speed. Its often better to use minimal legal lighting to allow your eyes to adapt to the ambient conditions rather than try to turn night into day. A clear half moon needs no main beam…provided no one coming from t`other direction has photon cannons fitted on their roof.
the maoster:
You drive towards me with your main beam on then you’re getting a facefull of mine right back atcha.
Ditto, all 18 of mine, right in the coupon till you get the message, then another few seconds just to let it sink in more.
TheUncaringCowboy:
the maoster:
You drive towards me with your main beam on then you’re getting a facefull of mine right back atcha.Ditto, all 18 of mine, right in the coupon till you get the message, then another few seconds just to let it sink in more.
Eighteen! That’s certainly keeping ‘er lit 
Franglais:
"Carryfast’':
As for relying on the lights of approaching traffic and/or watching the kerb to supposedly alert you to those types of hazards,while you and everyone else drives along the road blindly on dipped headlights at all times,great idea what could possibly go wrong.On a m-way if you
re alone there is no problem with main beam, agreed. If there is preceeding traffic, and you can see their tail lights, then there cannot be anything between you and them. If theres oncoming traffic there will often be enough spill over from their dipped beams to illuminate your side of the road kilometres away. Provided you havent ruined your night vision by over use of your own too bright lights. You arent relying only on your own dip beams. As you say that isnt enough for any sort of speed. Its often better to use minimal legal lighting to allow your eyes to adapt to the ambient conditions rather than try to turn night into day. A clear half moon needs no main beam…provided no one coming from t`other direction has photon cannons fitted on their roof.
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So why any need whatsoever for anyone to wave a mobile phone ‘frantically’ to warn approaching traffic of an unlit broken down vehicle in a live lane going by your logic ?.Also how does so called ‘over spill’ from lights of oncoming traffic reflect hi viz clothing of emergency or recovery workers in the opposite direction.Let alone the bs idea that dipped lights over spill anywhere,especially into the opposite carriageway.Which is why they are ( too in most cases ) tightly controlled beams with a strict short and sharply designed cut off especially to the offside. 
trevHCS:
Do wonder if you’d be allowed to phone emergency services on handheld in a case like that? Not like you can stop easily and use emergency phones.
You are allowed to call 112 or 999 in an emergency if it’s unsafe or impractical to stop.
JIMBO47:
I carry red flares in my truck and car just incase I/wife breaks down in bad conditions …tried one that was out o date ffs Stevie Wonder could see it in a blizzard.
This bright, or even brighter?
Carryfast:
Which is why they are ( too in most cases ) tightly controlled beams with a strict short and sharply designed cut off especially to the offside.
Driving towards other vehicles,cyclists and pedestrians with main beams on is utterly dangerous, anyone who thinks it’s justifiable is a selfish dangerous moron, or doesn’t drive and is on a forum pretending they do…