DriveSmartBC - The Importance of Headlight Aim
 

After 20 years of full time traffic policing you accumulate many memories. I was reminded of one on the weekend when a small pickup passed me by and I could see the bright patch from the right low beam headlight shining on the pavement about 3 meters in front of the vehicle. The memory concerns a driver who thought headlight aim was unimportant.

I had stopped that driver in much the same circumstances and issued a repair order for his vehicle. He did bring the order back to the detachment, but it was inside a card offering to buy me coffee so I could sit down, relax and hopefully not take the issue so seriously.

Why worry about headlight aim? If it is set too low your ability to see at a distance is reduced. Set it too high and you can see further down the road but illumination of the pavement for vehicle guidance is affected.

Oddly enough, a driver with mis-aligned headlights is more susceptible to glare from oncoming vehicles. The difference between light levels of oncoming lamps and the visual task area while driving at night is smaller when your headlights are properly aimed than when they are not. Your eyes see the latter situation as one with more glare.

Sorry sir, I still think that headlight aim is something to be taken seriously!

Reference Links

I actually have a friend - and I DON'T know how to deal with him.

He's one of those guys - who has too much pride to read instruction manuals, or ask for directions - and when he DIY's something, if it's good enough for him, he'll just leave it.

Basically - BOTH his front headlights were burnt out, and finally, he decided after a few weeks that it was important for him to put new bulbs in. He was trying to "unscrew" something to get the bulbs out, not realizing that it was his headlight adjustment screw. He managed to do it on both sides as well. Long story short, he finally realized that it wasn't the "screw" to get the bulbs out, and he managed to get new bulbs in. But now, the left headlight is shining UP - DIRECTLY into oncoming traffic, and his right is shining about a meter ahead of his car.

He WON'T let me touch his car, even if I offered to do it myself, he just thinks it's good enough - and he's got too much pride to get someone to "fix" it for him, and he's too damn lazy to do it himself.

What can I do....?

Smash both headlights while he's not around?

show him this thread, and how its a pretty big issue...
and if you want, show him what YOUR headlights look like at night compared to his and the difference in the ability to see further in your car than his

i actually did the same thing by accident on my old car, except i knew that it was an issue and spent a shitload of time carefully realigning them. i was trying to get the entire headlight out though

if he's too prideful to fix his errors, let him get a ticket for it. he's your friend and you wouldn't want that for him, but if it's the only way he'll learn, then it's the only way

Give skidmark his license plate number and the VI ticket can help him understand.
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a certain Nissan dealership in Coquitlam should take note of this.

The one on the Lougheed Highway, just across from the Chevron at Lancaster street?

i thought skidmark was retired?

haha, I wish it were that simple.

He is! (at least from traffic policing anyway...)

"But we have friends in low places......where the tickets flow and the Cop chases"...:)

revscene is pulling his age down..... besides I am sure he knows someone that could issue the ticket.

I love when you give reference links Skidmark.
Thanks!