I always wanted a programmable sign that could display messages to asshats behind me
I’ve wanted a polite version with thank you and stuff on it but apparently they don’t want any lighting that isn’t described in the drivers manual, essentially.
So new idea: circular laminated paper driven by a motor. Or that individual one flap per letter design.
My dad had a college friend who did this back in the 70s, using all electromechanical components. Relays and solenoids and so forth. Hey, they were engineering students, what do you expect? From what he described it didn’t use a drum to display the messages, but rather had an array of six or seven of them that popped up from below, like bread from a toaster. It fit on the platform between the back seat and rear window of his car.
As the story was recounted to me, he did get hassled by the cops for this at one point due to flipping up one of the more expletive laden signboards at an unmarked patrol car. Ultimately they couldn’t find anything to nail him for over it, though.
Meanwhile, my brother in law keeps one of these in the door pocket in his truck:
array of six or seven of them that popped up from below, like bread from a toaster
That is awesome :D
(Referring to the polite signs here of course)
Interesting how presumably simply the tech at the time led them to a solution that may still be legal today, vs. the cheap AliExpress stuff that the DOT wouldn’t like
my brother in law keeps one of these in the door pocket in his truck
Is it printed with the back of the hand on the other side? Because if that’s the front, it looks like he’s giving himself the finger.
His is a bit higher quality than that one, and I have no idea where he got it. It’s made of closed cell foam and is indeed printed on both sides.
Best would be a small LED display that could display a preset phrase, like “thank you” or “you’re blinding me”. The hand is not specific enough, and giving the middle finger will just enrage other drovers.
LED = illegal even inside the vehicle if I recall correctly, California
Not sure what the status is here, but I live in the EU
In my part of California they can’t even pull you over for a missing license plate because the cops were being so racist they basically outlawed traffic stops entirely.
What about those Uber and Lyft LED signs drivers put on the dash? Are those banned also?
Ooh great question!
I looked into it a while back. You can buy them on AliExpress. Search for “car rear digital sign” or something like that.
I’ve repositioned my side mirror to shine back at them. Usually gets them to back up a little bit.
One of the many problems with these massive pickup trucks is that the headlights are so high up that the normal mode is effectively high-beams for anyone who isn’t also in a massive pickup truck
At least for SUVs some manufacturers finally realized that you don’t need to put the beams at the top of the front, you can have the DRLs there and have the beams at the bottom.
https://www.hyundai-forums.com/attachments/1564158285330-png.440196/
That’s the only redeeming quality of the Cybertruck. Its headlights are low in the bumper area.
Also it makes it easy to identify wannabe fascists.
Maybe it’s also bcs it’s a global model & some markets do have prescribed a max & a min height of a headlight from the ground (I heard even UK had or has that).
It’s also why trucks in EU have regular headlamps closer to the ground compared to those in USA.
This is a really good idea, and I’m glad some manufacturers are doing it. It’d be great if Ford could follow suit because the LED high beams in my car blind me every time a retro-reflector is nearby.
The headlights should be pointed at a downward slope on all vehicles. If they aren’t tailgating it’s usually not a problem. Sadly most do tailgate and some even flatten the beam of the lights or they raised the truck and didn’t readjust the headlights which is effectively similar. I drive a Miata, it’s usually not glaring until they’re right up on you at a light.
Random side note, the outside “C” shaped lights(different shapes on different vehicles) in this pic. Those are the DRL(daytime running light) and for anybody that doesn’t know…those are only on the front of the vehicle. I see so many people zooming around with no taillights because of this. They pull up at stops and see lights reflecting off the car in front and just assume their headlights are on. These are sometimes the same people that complain their new cars headlights suck…cause they have yet to turn them on.
Lol, that all sounds correct unfortunately.
The cars with headlights that I find glaring are usually/more often unadjusted low-beams.
Or fog lamps bcs “iT mAKeS It lOoK sPorTIeR”.Interestingly I can code my DRLs (front and back - diffident markets have different rules regarding what DRLs are & when are needed) to different levels & at default they are at 20 or 30% (the 100% being when used with regular headlights on, probably).
I tried it bcs I was curious & set it to 100%, but was def distracting & I reset them immediately (I didn’t even do both sides, just the right one to have a comparison).
It’s totally valid to have fog lights for use in fog because they actually do make a massive difference. I am also a fan of how they look they just fill in the bumper nicely. But using them when it isn’t foggy is pretty stupid. I personally have fog lights but barely ever use them other than when I’m on a back road late at night and just want all the visibility possible.
The problem with how bright they are nowadays is that the downwards angle required to not blind people in regular driving conditions like small slopes is ridiculous and severely restricts how far you can see
they’re just too bright now
I often think about putting an unreasonably bright backwards facing lightbar on my sedan for just such occasions. Guess what bud, now we both can’t see.
Sometimes I wonder if people know how lights work, and this goes both ways apparently. I have a couple Western Stars and a Peterbilt, and the low beams are aimed to have the same throw as a passenger vehicle that isn’t driven by an idiot that can’t aim lights. And those trucks sit much, much higher than a pickup.
hmm… What would the legality be of 3D printing fake machine guns that pop out of the brake lights like a James Bond vehicle; as a scare tactic? 🤔
(The guns don’t need to be fake for this meme to still work correctly.)
Depending on the country. Could be listed as threats or terroristic threats, even if the guns are fake.
Now a up mirror. That might be interesting
The mirror will still get you fucked for creating hazards I bet, but if it only works when the hazard already exists, morally youre in the clear.
How about not a mirror, but a metal sheet that has a mirror finish like those big tanker trucks that blind everyone when the sun is low enough?
And likely illegal, but that will also make things very interesting for you for a bit
Self defense is predicated on the “reasonable person” standard. Anyone finding themselves (or another) imperiled by what they reasonably believe to be a machine gun is justified in doing anything they reasonably believe necessary to end the threat.
Unfortunately those are low beams because the fog lights are on. You probably don’t want to see the high beams
New trucks only have high beams and higher beams.
I always find it funny when somebody with blinding headlights is driving towards me and I flash them, only for there to be some barely discernible change in their lights that I soon realize was them flashing me back
not that I could fucking tell a difference
Fog lights and high beams were independent on all cars I’ve driven, is that not the case in the US?
Nope; factory-installed fog lights turn off with activation of the high beams in the US. Note that we can buy self-installed aftermarket fog lights and drill holes into the dash for the switch, but even then (in the jurisdictions I’ve lived in) you were supposed to turn them off when using high beams. But nobody does.
It’s because seemingly the entire point of fog lights is that you get less reflection back from the fog or falling snow. If you put on the high beams, they lose their point and serve only to further blind oncoming traffic.
I’ve found that sometimes it’s even beneficial to turn off your LOW beams and keep the fogs on.
Sick high-beams, bro. I’m going to slow down to 20 MPH so I can enjoy them longer.
That’s how I do.
If you blind me with super high beams, I need to slow down to be safe.
Yeah, driving slow is my solution for just a out anything that someone is doing stupidly on the road. Am I doing it to be petty? Sure. But is it also making the situation safer? Absolutely. So if I can justify my pettiness, you bet I’m going to do it.
A good focusing flashlight directed into the side mirror has been pretty helpful for getting these idiots to move on
I used to be really good at reflecting with the rear-view. As long as they were far enough away that I could see their windshield, I could usually land a direct hit. I’ve had a few instances where I’ll see the sombitch slam on their brakes.
… but this has got to be a failure of state (legislature & enforcement) on both counts, right?
Taxpayers should be more demanding of some pubic servants (like politicians, even judges in some cases/countries).
Maybe bring that French democracy device on the next electrons.Just ban high-positioned lights (or high vehicles in general), have them mandatory tested every year for alignment, fine folk with incorrect use of high-
beansbeams or fog lights. And, you know, something about guns.pubic servants
Need me one of those amiright?
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