[racingmachine]

It is a problem i face almost every time i drive during night. I, as a responsible citizen, drive my car with head-lights at low beam. I do so because i know that if i drive with high beam, the oncoming traffic would have visibility problems straight up the road, which might lead to an accident.

However, not all the drivers are this understanding. They usually drive their cars with high beams, the simple reason being that it helps with a better visibility up the road, as compared to driving with a low beam. True, but not fair to and very dangerous for the oncoming vehicles.

The responsible thing to do is simple : Drive at low beam during night. But since most of the drivers drive around in high beams, which hinders with the visibility up the road, i try to request the oncoming driver to lower their beam by flashing my head-light once or twice.

Only in 10% of the cases do the oncoming driver understands this and switches to low beam. Other times, it's all in vein.

So i need to ask you guys, whether anyone else also face the same problem, and what do you do to convey the message to the other party? (is there an official way/signal to do this?)

Regards.

[beejay]

Flash your high beam once to make him aware.

Else just let the moron pass.

[racingmachine]

Originally Posted by beejay

Flash your high beam once to make him aware.

Else just let the moron pass.

That's exactly what i do. I was just wondering if i was doing it the wrong way, or if there is a better/actual way of signalling it.

[beejay]

Originally Posted by racingmachine

That's exactly what i do. I was just wondering if i was doing it the wrong way, or if there is a better/actual way of signalling it.

I am not sure if there is any better way.
Some people I know flash on their additional spot lamps to send the message across. These lights can make a rabbit stop on its tracks. This sometimes works, yet is a bit dangerous considering you blind the other person for a good few seconds.

[getsurya]

I do use my car's High beam to warn the oncoming driver to dip his/her beam, or else my spot lights go on! Then it is their side to dip/duck/diminish!

With all due respects to the owners, I usually find the Indica & Santro cars have a bad hit when driven in high beam to the oncoming traffic. Indicas as we all know are driven by drivers who anyway do not understand the 'dip' language.

[racingmachine]

It's not only the Indicas and Santros, but most of the cars, and to see people's ignorance even when flashed once or twice is what is irritating.

On a couple of occasions, when the cars would cross each other slowly, i even opened the car window and requested the other driver to drive in low beam in the future, as it is inconvenient to the oncoming driver. But it does get irritating sometimes.

[rk_sans]

Originally Posted by beejay

Some people I know flash on their additional spot lamps to send the message across. These lights can make a rabbit stop on its tracks. This sometimes works, yet is a bit dangerous considering you blind the other person for a good few seconds.

Originally Posted by getsurya

I do use my car's High beam to warn the oncoming driver to dip his/her beam, or else my spot lights go on! Then it is their side to dip/duck/diminish!

My brother and i had a incident when we were on the highway, the oncoming truck driver did not dip his beam and my brother used the additional lights and it blinded the truck fellow and he throw some object (I believe it should be a stone) which hit our windshield. Luckily it made a scratch on the windshield. If were in relatively good speed, than even a small stone would be a disaster. This was way back to 2-3 years old.
But i feel we should be very careful using the additional lights.

[nairrk]

Many people do not aware to dim the head light and you can find they always keep driving in high beam. They feel it is their duty to keep the lights at high beam and enjoy it.

Normally, I do flash the high beam once or twice and those decent one will immediately dim their headlight but such people as mentioned above do not oblige, so the best is to allow him to go or we also put on the high beam and fog lamps etc-let them also suffer?

[sudev]

Responsible driving behaviour is to flash once or twice but try and keep yourself at low beam. Blinding oncoming guy and waiting for him to respond is dangerous to him and even to you as most of the drivers are scared that left shoulder may have some obstruction or slow moving unlit traffic.

They keep their beams at head more to see their path and also instinctively move to centre. The fools do not realise that barking/slowing down with dip beams is a better alternative than either (worst) moving to cenre and colliding with oncoming or (less worse) run into something on left edge.

But blinding them is not responsible behaviour.

[pypkmsrikanth]

I have got so bugged with the High beam driving in Chennai that once I stopped my bike to inform the cops manning the check points which Chennai Police these days religiously follow to prevent crimes using getaway vehicles. The cop claimed helplessness and suggested taking it with the Commissioner, I had made a complaint in the traffic police website as well. One of these days I intend to go the Police Commissioner's Office in Egmore and request his personal intervention on this.

This is becoming a menace offlate, the culprits strangely are vehicles like Scorpio, Sumo and the Innovas'.

What I do these days if the traffic is use the "Dim / Dip" routine to request the other driver to lower his beam, on most occasions this does not work. When am riding the bike on some occasions in addition to the above I show my hands at the headlights hoping the morons understand the meaning.

During rare occasions when the traffic is slow moving if the "Dim / Dip" routine is not successful despite a few attempts I slowly ride my bike towards the oncoming vehicle continuing the routine as I ride towards him. This has been successful a few times on other occasions it certainly disturbs the other guy's driving which is my way of punishing him for not following basic driving courtesy.

[akshaymahajan]

the only way is using the dipper. Those flash- like spot lights are a huge no-no. They literally blind you and may cause the other car to ram into you.
I remember once their was this Captiva in my area with four very powerful flash lights installed on the roof. First the corner ones used to switch on and then the center ones after a second. So irritating.
There has to be something better because I have seen drivers who dont care or some of whom even think its a game and start flashing their beams.
The best way is for all car makers to add the auto dipper thing( dont know its name) a standard feature in all cars.

[sudev]

Originally Posted by pypkmsrikanth

During rare occasions when the traffic is slow moving if the "Dim / Dip" routine is not successful despite a few attempts I slowly ride my bike towards the oncoming vehicle continuing the routine as I ride towards him. This has been successful a few times on other occasions it certainly disturbs the other guy's driving which is my way of punishing him for not following basic driving courtesy.

Emotionally gratifying but very dangerous!

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by sudev

Responsible driving behaviour is to flash once or twice but try and keep yourself at low beam. Blinding oncoming guy and waiting for him to respond is dangerous to him and even to you as most of the drivers are scared that left shoulder may have some obstruction or slow moving unlit traffic.

They keep their beams at head more to see their path and also instinctively move to centre. The fools do not realise that barking/slowing down with dip beams is a better alternative than either (worst) moving to cenre and colliding with oncoming or (less worse) run into something on left edge.

But blinding them is not responsible behaviour.

+1 to that. Trying to get the oncoming vehicle to switch to low beam by switching on spotlights/fog lights etc can really be dangerous if the other person tries to to push you off the road by coming at you in your blinding light.
I have actually seen this being done by many truckers on the highway. In the city, it is just not worth the effort to make one person lower his beams and trouble many other bikers, pedestrians and motorists in the meantime.

[petrol_head]

1. Flash the light once - if he understands what you are trying to convey he might tone down the intensity.
2. If he does not shift to low beam chances are that
a) He did not understand what you meant
b) He really does not care a S*** about your temporary blindness due to his headlights.
Now in this case turn on your fog lamps, high beam and every possible tool of illumination and let him have a taste of his own medicine.

On a more serious note, its safer to slow down as Im pretty sure the high beam would temporarily blind you and it definitely takes a few seconds to regain complete vision. Let him pass and then carry on. The ideal scenario in cities would be a ban on headlights on busy roads as the street lighting would be more than sufficient for city driving.

The main problem is while on the highways. When the speed of travel is higher you run the risk of missing something in your way or misjudging a curve when struck by a sudden blast of high beam from an oncoming vehicle. So in this case its better that you slow down till he is past you. Having said that, from what I have noticed at least 60-70% of the drivers on the highways stick to their senses and tone down to low beam when they see a vehicle approaching.

[coolclouds]

Some drivers, even though are stopped in traffic or somewhere, keep their headlamps on that too on high beam!!!

Sometimes, when I find a vehicle coming opposite very slow in high beam in a single lane road, even I stopped in the middle of the road till they dim though its not a safe practice!!