I have to disagree with almost everything you wrote. First, don't worry about drunk drivers. They're going to do whatever they are going to do and hopefully they won't hit you because...."NO MATTER WHAT LIGHT YOU HAVE OR DON'T HAVE, WITH A DRUNK OR IMPAIRED DRIVER...IT WON'T MATTER. That said, most people who have ever driven while under the influence of alcohol at some time in their life didn't necessarily hit anything ( or anyone ) when they got behind the wheel...just saying.

Distracted driving is another issue. In case of the distracted driver you want the most "attention getting" lamp you can get so that hopefully....they will awaken from their stupor and see the guy on the bike on the side of the road. Makes no sense to worry about someone else and whither or not they are annoyed by your light. Better to "be seen" and not hit then to "not be seen" because you are worried about the annoyance factor of your presence on the road when it comes to other people. ( * I realize I can't speak for others but when I see a cyclist at night with little to no visible presence I am "HIGHLY ANNOYED". Last thing I want to do is hit some stealth cyclist at night! So if you're worried about "annoyance", it works both ways. Take this as food for thought. Conversely when I see someone using a decent bike light I'm happy. )

A Cygolite rear lamp is not so bright that people are going to have to look away unless they are directly behind you. Police and EMV are much brighter than any bike rear lamp and even with those you don't look away unless you are directly behind them.

So you've driven behind a person using a rear bike light for ten minutes...big deal. I've driven behind Fire trucks, tow trucks and police vehicles that I couldn't pass because they are emergency vehicles and their lights are hundreds of times brighter than any typical bike rear light. Yes, it is quite annoying but I wouldn't say that afterward that I was seeing dots or anything like that. I've had to drive right into the setting sun and do it almost everyday, sometimes for as much as an hour. The point I'm making is; Don't stare at bright lights. Don't worry about what others think about your safety measures when on a bike. When it comes to riding a bike on the road at night a little overkill with your lamp choice is better than using lights that you can barely see. People see bright lights a good distance away. People rarely see lamps with poor outputs at a distance. The decision is yours, use what you think is going to increase your chances of being seen. From my point of view "saving your skin" is what the game is all about. Since I can't really control what other people think I don't waste my time worrying about it.