Originally Posted by
RapidRobert
More isn't better from the oncomming drivers' and cyclists' perspective. Too bright of a light from a tiny little source like an LED is dangerously distracting, and can very possibly cause temporary blindness in the center of the field of view. That's why it's against the law to not dim your headlights for oncomming traffic. THAT's a good law!
Too much light can be a weapon. Shining too much light into the face of a nighttime driver is dangerous for EVERYONE on the road then, and for quite a while after the encounter. Do YOU want a temporarily blinded driver comming up behind YOU?
If we cyclist rode our bikes near the yellow line, you might have an argument. However, most of the time we are to the right of the right wheel track of automobiles on the road. If you haven't noticed, the right light on cars is aimed further down the road than the left. It would be difficult to shine the light from my lights...even if they were aimed very high, which they aren't
...into the eyes of oncoming traffic. Even a very wide beam, like a 35 degree flood, wouldn't shine in the eyes of a car that is...or should be...11 to 15+ feet away from me.
Cars are also pumping out 1500 lumens...on dim...per lamp! It's tough to get that kind of firepower. Even if you can (and I do
), the other cars on the road are used to that amount of light. And the drivers are closer to the light from other cars than I will be to an oncoming car. They aren't blinded by those are they?