We are all aware of the need for emergency service vehicles to be well illuminated, but, I think the powers that be have gone over the top with the level of brightness of the blue lights. I am regularly blinded when overtaken by these vehicles at night. The new traffic lights I find are just as bad.
Anyone else suffer with this, or are my eyes just knackered. 
I find it’s the height of them that creates the dazzle more than anything, still most of the car drivers fail to spot them coming up behind. Plod round this way now use the low profile roof lights, great until they are on scene somewhere and open the tailgate hiding the ■■■■things, the pitch black rural roads round my way mean they look like an ordinary car till you get right up to them.
Talking of cars, why is it that the car drivers of nowadays feel the need for main beam on motorways? They can’t see oncoming lights for the barriers but happily burn the eyes out of everyone else. Makes me want half a dozen big spots above the screen powerful enough to melt oncoming cars at 300 yards 
Do yu find this at all times or only after quite a few hours driving?
ROG:
Do yu find this at all times or only after quite a few hours driving?
Only when it’s dark Rog.
At night I find the blues and twos very distracting, agree they seem brighter than need be. I also think that the level of driving by certain ambulance drivers is very, very poor. I live near a hospital and have seem some awful driving in the last year. Do they have any form of training to drive an emergency vehicle?
I agree with you on both counts, there is a narrow bridge with sharp bends as you enter it, between brampton and longtown in ■■■■■■■■where you are looking straight into the dazzling green light as you need to turn onto the bridge. it is an absolute nightmare at night… same with the police cars, if you get a few at an accident, they dazzle so much that you can’t see where people or debris might be… but on the other hand, if it makes the idiot drivers slow down, then it might be a good thing…
Dakota:
At night I find the blues and twos very distracting, agree they seem brighter than need be. I also think that the level of driving by certain ambulance drivers is very, very poor. I live near a hospital and have seem some awful driving in the last year. Do they have any form of training to drive an emergency vehicle?
I’ve always found ambulance drivers to be pretty good, but they have other issues to concentrate on as well as driving.
It’s not an easy job, they have a lot on their plate.
DieselDemon:
ROG:
Do yu find this at all times or only after quite a few hours driving?Only when it’s dark Rog.
I found the same thing including those who decided to keep their HD brake lights on in queues etc - they eyes get tired and anything that is a very strong light will aggrovate them - its a normal thing and nothing to be overly concerned about
Cannot really expect blue lighters to tone it down but other road users could be a bit more considerate in regards to high density light use …
Where possible close one eye until the problem has gone away
Dakota:
At night I find the blues and twos very distracting, agree they seem brighter than need be. I also think that the level of driving by certain ambulance drivers is very, very poor. I live near a hospital and have seem some awful driving in the last year. Do they have any form of training to drive an emergency vehicle?
I drove fire engines for 25 years, and although I regarded myself as very professional, I have to admit the training was pretty poor.
We did an EFAD (Emergency Fire Appliance Driver) refresher once every 2 or 3 years, which they reckoned was as good as making us an ‘advanced driver’ on a HGV, but it just involves lots of skidding around with and without AS, and long blue light runs.
Our training was based on the Police ‘roadcraft’ manual
During my years in the service, I witnessed some very poor driving amongst my collegues
ROG:
DieselDemon:
ROG:
Do yu find this at all times or only after quite a few hours driving?Only when it’s dark Rog.
I found the same thing including those who decided to keep their HD brake lights on in queues etc - they eyes get tired and anything that is a very strong light will aggrovate them - its a normal thing and nothing to be overly concerned about
Cannot really expect blue lighters to tone it down but other road users could be a bit more considerate in regards to high density light use …
Where possible close one eye until the problem has gone away
I might follow smashedcrabfaces’ lead and close both. 
DieselDemon:
ROG:
Where possible close one eye until the problem has gone awayI might follow smashedcrabfaces’ lead and close both.
That will deffo solve the problem of eye strain
As long as car drivers and truckers continue to plough full speed in to stationary emergency vehicles, there will be efforts to make those vehicles ever more visible.
Think a lot of it is to do with the fact that the emergency services use leds now. These things are a pain in the â– â– â– â– , those led hamburger rear lights are just as bad. Can cope with them 99% of the time but when your following them when its lashing it down the glare is awful.
And don’t mention those idiotic drivers with a two-car 7½ tonne transporter, who keep their strobe lights on.
Santa:
And don’t mention those idiotic drivers with a two-car 7½ tonne transporter, who keep their strobe lights on.
They have to keep the strobes on so that you know they are important.
They also serve to let you know there’s an idiot approaching.
Perhaps they could reduce the intensity of the rear high level ones on ambulances when they are on the move.
waddy640:
Perhaps they could reduce the intensity of the rear high level ones on ambulances when they are on the move.
That’s a good idea, would benefit truck drivers especially.
Junction 1 off the M6 is bad for this… Come off from eastbound for the A426 towards Lutterworth and you are blinded by the traffic lights when dark. So much so that you cant see ANYTHING into the junction at the roundabout.
There is a low power option on modern light bars which still gives a good light but reduced dazzle.
franklin:
Junction 1 off the M6 is bad for this… Come off from eastbound for the A426 towards Lutterworth and you are blinded by the traffic lights when dark. So much so that you cant see ANYTHING into the junction at the roundabout.
I’m glad it’s not just me that suffers here.