LED rear lights or my eyes

slingshot

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Having a conversation at works and it appears I'm the only one that has problems with vision on LED rear light clusters. If I'm following a car with LED rear lights, every time I look away I get strange after images, it's very similar to rainbow effect I see with DLP projectors.

Anyone else get this or know why I can see it and noone else can ?

Slingshot
 
It's because the LEDs are fed with a pulsed signal and not a constant DC voltage. The way they get the lights to display different brightness levels is to vary the mark space ratio of the pulse. It's the pulsing that gives you the odd effect. It's rather like the flicker in the 50Hz vs 100Hz TV debate, some people notice it, others don't.
 
You're not alone - I notice it too (at night in particular).
 
grr i hate people who keep tehre foot on brake for ages at traffic lights when they got bright lights.. esp when i got a headache!! :(

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grr i hate people who keep tehre foot on brake for ages at traffic lights when they got bright lights.. esp when i got a headache!! :(

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Almost as annying as the idiots who put their fog lights on when it rains.
 
Thanks for the links.

Glad it's not just me, at the moment it's not too bad just the odd BMW and a few motorbikes, however I'm not sure I'd be able to drive the M1 at night if every car had LED lights, I'm sure it would be downright dangerous.

Slingshot
 
The one that gets me is the VW (I think it's the Passat, but can never tell as I'm mesmerised by the lights :rotfl: )
 
grr i hate people who keep tehre foot on brake for ages at traffic lights when they got bright lights.. esp when i got a headache!! :(

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If you drive an auto though this is what you do!
 
If you drive an auto though this is what you do!
But that is the wrong thing to do.
Rule 94 of the Highway Code...

You must not use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users

Plus

Rule 125 of the Highway Code : -

Be considerate. Be careful of and considerate towards other road users.

By failing to put your handbrake on whilst waiting at traffic lights, you are dazzling and not showing any consideration to the driver behind you.

:lesson:
 
If you look up any videos of the Veryon on youtube or others, you will see a really good example of the LED pulse. It shows you very distinctly on video clips.
 
Have you sat in traffic in rush hour with your handbrake on, when thereis a chance to go and you miss it you annoy far more people than sat with your foot on the brake I bet?? ;)
 
But that is the wrong thing to do.
Rule 94 of the Highway Code...

You must not use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users

Plus

Rule 125 of the Highway Code : -

Be considerate. Be careful of and considerate towards other road users.

By failing to put your handbrake on whilst waiting at traffic lights, you are dazzling and not showing any consideration to the driver behind you.

:lesson:


Never though about it. I only use my handbrake for two things, when parking and when wanting to turn around quickly.

I'm not sure brake lights apply to the above since it could be argued it's safer while stationary to have brake lights showing, and in the case of motorcycles there is no way to be stationary without the brake lights being on, so all bikes on the road would be breaking the highway code.

Slingshot
 
Never though about it. I only use my handbrake for two things, when parking and when wanting to turn around quickly.

I'm not sure brake lights apply to the above since it could be argued it's safer while stationary to have brake lights showing,
You've missed the point completely.

What use does having brake lights showing, when the vehicle behind is already stationary? Having your foot on the brake pedal and dazzling the driver behind is just pure laziness and shows a lack of consideration.

and in the case of motorcycles there is no way to be stationary without the brake lights being on, so all bikes on the road would be breaking the highway code.

I'm not a biker, so are bike electrical/braking systems wired up different to other vehicles then?
 
Have you sat in traffic in rush hour with your handbrake on, when thereis a chance to go and you miss it you annoy far more people than sat with your foot on the brake I bet?? ;)

I always use the handbrake in town as its very annoying to me that other people blind me with their brake lights...

But funnily enough, despite this, i am ALWAYS quicker than everyone else at the lights, despite that i use my handbrake. Its just a case of not being a numpty.
 
It must be great to be you!! :)

Seriously though, I hate it when people use front fogs when not needed, absolutely drives me insane when they leave their rear fog on, and using no lights at all in low light, rain, fog or worse still the dark makes me want to drag them out of the car and....well, probably best not to say, but you get my drift.

However, I have never, not once, been bothered by someone sitting at a junction, set of lights, roundabout or whatever with their brakes on.

I have an sequential gear box, and it can be a pain to get from N to 1, you need to put your foot on the brake and it then goes into auto mode until you cahnge again which isn't the best when trying to get out quick, in my auto then I do tend to put it into N if I get to the lights as they are going red and I know I am going to be there a while.

People cutting me up, pushing me out of my lane at roundabouts and pulling out in front of me annoy me, but I guess we all have different things that annoy us???
Oh, and I have LED rear lights too, just to anooy everyone even more!! :)
 
I'm not a biker, so are bike electrical/braking systems wired up different to other vehicles then?

Bikes have no permanent brake like a handbrake, if you are stationary then your foot/hand is on the brake and the brake lights are on, pretty much what you have to do in a car if you don't use your handbrake.

I can't remember exactly but the highway code never mentions the handbrake other than hill starts and parking, and doesn't the DSA test just state that the handbrake should be applied whenever the vehicle is stopped for a period of time without being precise.

Anyway each to there own I guess, I just find very little use in normal driving for the handbrake, and maybe it comes from riding a bike but I'm always in gear ready to move just in case!

Slingshot
 
Oh, and I have LED rear lights too, just to anooy everyone even more!! :)

I think you misunderstood me, it's not that they annoy me in the way middle lane drivers do or fog lamps so, it's a physical thing that I and many other people can't actually see what your car is doing at night. I can't make out 100% if your brakes are on, or if you are changing lanes, however much I'd like to ignore I can't, I hope it doesn't take too many serious accidents or fatalities before they are seriously looked at, I mean maybe just increasing the pulse rate may solve the problem.

And before any smart arse suggests it I have had my eyes tested recently and they are 100%.

Slingshot
 
Yeah if they are causing problems to even .005% of the population then they should get rid of them completely I agree.
 
I'm not directing this at the LED-pulse effect, although I can't see it myself I won't dismiss the effects yet...

But being dazzled by brake-lights, come-on people you really need to have your eyes checked for night-blindness and be very honest in the test....I was always plagued by it, now I've got glasses only -0.5 and -0.75 but any kind of glare and night-blindness is totally gone....That and cleaning the windscreen properly.....

Blaming automatic drivers is just plain ridiculous.....
 
Almost as annying as the idiots who put their fog lights on when it rains.

ha ha, youd love it in lincolnshire then where almost every other car has their fog lights on just because its dark (even in streetlighted areas!)

is it an image thing or something? i dont see how as you are on the inside of the car :suicide: does my bloody head in

I always use the handbrake in town as its very annoying to me that other people blind me with their brake lights...

But funnily enough, despite this, i am ALWAYS quicker than everyone else at the lights, despite that i use my handbrake. Its just a case of not being a numpty.

me too, i think it has something to do with the fact your foot is on the accelerator ready to go instead of having to move it from the footbrake to the accelerator. and personally i think its dangerous to be at standstill with your footbrake when going up a hill as its easy to stall a slow moving car when going up a steep hill when moving from footbrake to accelerator
 
You guys all drive normal manual cars, in autos and sequentials you can't do that, you have to put the footbrake in to engage neutral or back into drive or first, so it is a case of foot brake on to get it into gear, you then have to go past reverse to get into drive, and as soon as the reverse lights come on people behind start to beep you in a panick thinking you are going to reverse into them.
In a manual yes, there is no reason to leave your foot on the footbrake I agree, but if you are only sat at the lights for 10 sconds in an auto it is easier for everyone to use it.
It is not a case of being a numpty.
 

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