More modern/newer cars somewhat fix this by making the lights still visible to other cars and pedestrians but not pointing at them directly, just towards the ground in front of the car itself.
In: Technology
Short answer: they are oriented to best see obstacles in front of the vehicle not the actual road.
Complicated answer: often headlights are not oriented correctly on vehicles either due to wear and tear or other circumstances. Modern headlights are also way too bright so this issue is exasperated as super bright headlights aimed in a bad direction blind everyone.
There’s a great video by Donut Media on this issue.
You need them pointed high enough to illuminate road signs at night. All those road sign paints are “retroreflective”, they send light back the same direction it came in from, but you need some illumination on them to see them.
A properly aimed headlight should be aimed slightly down to illuminate the road for several hundred feet in front of the vehicle, but you need side and up lobes bright enough to illuminate parked cars, other cars, signs, etc. The brightest part shouldn’t be aimed at other drivers…that’s why high beams look so much brighter, they *are* aimed way closer to other drivers.
Basiaclly the headlight on the drivers side should be pointed slightly down so that on your low beams it shouldnt be pointing to much twoards oncoming traffic and your passenger headlight should illuminate as much infront of the car as possible withoit leading to much twoards oncoming drivers, on high beams/brights your lights should illuminate as much as possible infront of you while also shining into the oncoming lane. Modern headlights are getting brighter and brighter tho and its begening to get harder to keep the lights from illuminating too much into oncoming traffic
They’re not? A properly adjusted headlight beam should actually aim slightly away from oncoming drivers. Park with the nose of your car facing toward a wall and you should see this.
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