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Technically lights like that would be illegal. Instead get some retroreflector tape
Is it illegal? Absolutely.
Do the cops do anything about it? Absolutely not.
Meanwhile I’m getting blinded by lifted trucks with overhead lights and a LED light bars on the grills
I drive a small car, I absolutely hate it when pavement princesses come up from behind and blind me. In general I want to give the cops as little reason to issue tickets as possible. Retroreflectors are why we can see signs from a distance when it’s pitch black, so it’s a good option that doesn’t technically break any laws even if the law is basically completely unenforced
My two cars are a Miata and a Jeep. You better believe when I got the Jeep lifted I was extra careful about making sure the lights were aimed properly. That plus making sure I never follow too closely and hopefully I’m not doing the same thing to other people that everyone does to me in the Miata.
You know you’re doing it right.
Gawd I love a Miata. What year is yours?
A 2011 NC, the prht. I love that damn car.
I am envious. Beaut.
Yeah cops don’t even pull people over with unaimed blue HIDs in halogen housings even though they can be spotted from miles away. The dispatcher also just wouldn’t believe you if you reported someone for having a James Bond gadget on their car.
Can confirm. Inspired by this comic, I installed such a light bar in my car. Of course the very first tailgater I used it on so happened to be a cop. He just laughed when I explained why I did what I did, and then told me to never use it again. That was it. No ticket, didn’t force me to disable it in front of him. I just promised him “never again” and was sent on my way.
I know a few people with aftermarket reverse lights. Not all of them have a hidden override switch which turns them on when they aren’t in reverse…
The plates use retro-reflectors. Does not help much.
You see, if you have good/accurate retro-reflector, it reflects back to the light source. You need scattered reflector, but then, it is not as bright as to make incontinence for whoever uses high beams.
as to make incontinence for whoever
Jesus that light must be bright if it makes people pee themselves
Whole town rocking Depends.
oh, I’m imagining basically what’s depicted in the comic except with retroreflectors
So do I. Will not work - it will not be brighter than plates - just larger.
Plate isn’t very big. Cover the entire back of the car with reflectors, and it will be bright enough to get them to drop their high beams.
It would be the size of smallish traffic sign. (They have reflective paint too). Still nothing special. I think it is better to install slightly convex mirror so that it directs the light into the offending driver eyes.
That wouldn’t focus the beam back in the manner intended. Mirror pointed in the right direction would
A Mercedes-Benz chassis code W202 (90s C class, other E and S likely work too) can do this with minimal modification, only needing the lights to activate when near vertical (or just reflectors, no mod required). The car has no check for if the car is in motion or at what speed when the trunk is popped open via the center console. This also lifts up the license plate, obscuring it from view. You can travel about 45mph (72kph) before the wind resistance starts to push the trunk down. The springs are strong so unknown how fast you’d need to go before it was ineffective for this purpose/target car, or to attempt an ‘auto close’.
Do what you will with this information.
Honestly I just want a display in the back that has a few preset messages set to a button in the front. Stuff like “Please give me more space” or “Your headlights are too bright”.
Barring that, would love a mirror that redirects headlights back to the driver’s face. If I can deal with it, you can deal with it too.
I want one of those, too. Ironically, I think I’d be using the “it’s dark; turn on your headlights” preset more often than the “your headlights are too bright” one. (I blame daytime running lights: drivers see the ground lit up in front of them and don’t realize they still have to turn the headlight switch in order for their taillights to come on too.)
I blame dashboards that are backlit when the headlights are off. On my 07 corolla I KNOW I when I forget my lights, because my dash is a black void.
I kinda forgot about that feature. Now I’m wondering if my 2015 Accord does the same, but I normally have the headlights on “auto” anyway (unless it’s raining or something). I know my 2002 Hyundai did though
“POLICE follow me”
Can I get a Trunk Monkey instead?
So are you responsible for the criminal acts of your trunk money?
One of the skits showed the trunk monkey, not the human, going to jail for bribery. So I would say no.
What? 8 year old memes?!
We brangin all dat shit back son
Straight from the vault!
The classics…
And our laws have done nothing to stop them from blinding us from behind, from the side mirrors and from incoming traffic. 8 years!
Need a new version of the meme that’s a bit stronger, maybe.
This problem has been completely solved by auto-dimming mirrors.
Memes never die, they just become “vintage”…
I know a man who put a Cessna landing light on his motorcycle for this.
easier to just install an LED marquee display in your back window that runs off of an arduino, and have pre-programmed messages that scroll like “turn your high beams off” or “put your phone down”. wire a couple push buttons to it and you can really get your point across on demand.
That doesn’t work for the 6 foot tall f150 blinding you with their low beams. Also, not as satisfying. Or deadly. A little collateral damage is just something we have to live with.
Rear fog light does its job in that case. There’s no need for the upgrade shown above.
Unless you’re American and thus don’t get to have rear fog lights.
You do if you buy a German car. Even US spec ones have rear fogs.
Doesn’t mean it’s legal to drive though. The vehicle has to be legally judged roadworthy where it’s being used, not where it was built.
I would expect you would have to disable/remove those rear fog lights if the laws in the US say you’re not allowed to have them.
Its legal to have and use them. Its not required for american cars to have them. That doesnt mean its illegal to have them.
Its legal to have and use them. Its not required for american cars to have them. That doesnt mean its illegal to have them.
While not always the case, car manufacturers usually won’t put things on a vehicle that aren’t legal to have in the state they’re selling the vehicle in, and the inverse of that is true as well, states that require items like (for example) catalytic converters on vehicles definitely have them on a car is sold in that state.
What?
Yup my mini came with rear fog lights. I was amazed and confused of why we don’t have more of these in the US.
But on most cars the rear fog light is one (sometimes two) 21 watts incandescent bulb behind red plastic. Same as a single brake light. That’s not going to bother someone with blinding LED headlights.
Just bolt a light bar on top of the trunk
Truly I was in the slow lane with nobody else on the road with 3 lanes, and this douche in a CRV felt the need to shine brights.
This would be a really easy mod if you’re feeling brave.
bus lane enforcement camera
Wind would close the trunk
Not if it’s opened with a hydraulic piston. 😌
Which is why I installed the light bar in my rear window instead.
P.S. If you install one of these, it only has the desired effect 10% of the time. 90% of the time it will only make the asshole tailgate you even harder. A more effective solution is to trade in your vehicle for a sports car, and implement the “drop a gear and disappear” technique.
My thoughts exactly. It’s just not worth it. Either stomp the gas pedal or take your foot off entirely. That usually makes them overtake and piss off. Only retaliate if you‘re ready to see it through.
Looks like someone is in the overtaking lane without overtaking.
Some people really need to learn how to drive.
Both cars are in the middle lane. The left lane is the passing lane. Do you know how to make a proper pass?
Every lane except the rightmost is the passing lane. You only need to be in the third lane over if you’re overtaking a car that is itself also overtaking a car.
Far right is the driving lane. Middle and left and both overtaking lanes.
That’s why loads of countries with decent driving safety and laws have signs saying keep right unless overtaking and undertaking is illegal.
Welp, you definitely don’t know how to drive…
The middle lane is the safest lane to stay in so long as you’re doing the speed limit. This is even taught in modern driving courses.
It is also illegal to be in, at least in the UK where your instance probably is. Fixed penalty illegal, not prison time.
