Riding at night

[peepae]

Can;t see sh*t!!

 

When there's cars passing by with the LEDs, it's like the sun shines in my eyes, blinded for a few seconds. Seems they always go past at bends too. I have astigmatism and glasses for it, but they don't help really, thought they were going to be the magic solve.

 

Anyone knows how to reduce the blinding of the lights without impacting visibility too much?

[husoi]

Have you tried the yellow tinted visor?

Never tried myself but have heard good things about them.

[rennie]

Tinted visor or glasses! These newer vehicles are very bright! 

[AstronautNinja]

Do you not set your eyes to auto-dim? 

[keith1200rs]

Don't look at oncoming lights.  It is easy to get fixated on bright oncoming lights but try to look at the road, not the lights.

[AstronautNinja]

Just now, keith1200rs said:

Don't look at oncoming lights.  It is easy to get fixated on bright oncoming lights but try to look at the road, not the lights.

Oh deer oh deer 

[RideWithStyles]

Astigmatism is where the eye isn’t perfectly round (like a rugby ball) and so the vision as it passes the Len’s doesn’t hit the back of the eye in focus is its generally sprayed and distorted slightly before the sweet spot on the eye sensors.

 

one way is to train to not look at the light but away/around at other points of focus, like a car further up ahead or a section of road lightly luminary’s.

 

Got to agree - most new cars lights are too much, set to a different type of homologation/rating that differs to normal lights of older technology that doesnt seem to relate in keeping with current peoples tolerance.

 

One option as Husoi you said. ive tried yellow tints for other sports and so forth and can be useful, some get on with them while some dont… also legally and technically on how much tint is in the lens (day time use only or not road legal) if is if mr plod or insurance want to drag your arse through that if they get wind…depending on how bothered you are about it.

yellow tints with very white though technically quite blue hue head light will make lights look more green, some colours can look similar to others when you mask them with tints, that depends on how good or badly your eyes perceive colours, some get on with some find it distracting.

 

thing is Rennie tinted visors or glasses at night aint a good idea, there is a limit of how much light your allowed to block out. Then your potential to block out too much and ride half blind…it’s bad enough with chavs (other types included) covering the drivers, passengers and windscreen of their cars…

 

if the visor has loads of micro scratches and pits in, that spreads and disfacts the light and makes it worse.

 

Glasses with anti reflection coatings can help some what. 

Edited August 27, 2024 by RideWithStyles

[JRH]

Yellow glasses may help at night but they must allow75% light through.

 

https://www.i-sunglasses.com/driving/night-driving.htm#:~:text=This means that all sunglasses,% light transmission) are suitable.

[rennie]

I didn't mean chav tinted! There are yellow tinted glasses recommended for night driving and different grades of visors available. I tend to look at the left hand kerb but you have to make sure you don't steer left. Visors in general are much better than a few years ago!

[S-Westerly]

Back when my father was still driving he used to wear yellow tinted glasses at night. He reckoned they helped.

[Fozzie]

1 hour ago, S-Westerly said:

Back when my father was still driving he used to wear yellow tinted glasses at night. He reckoned they helped.

 

The yellow/amber lenses helps with contrast. Which in many people is the part of your vision that fails at a faster rate to other parts like distance etc. I got issued a set when I was working abroad on an oil/gas plant where the lights had to be turned down low at night. Also goes the other way apparently, street lamps with an amber output supposedly help you see better as there's less glare. I can't say I'm a fan of the new LED type lights. 

We installed street lights with a brown hue on a site near Australia, weird looking thing. But it made the site invisible to the sea turtles that nested there. Gave you a right big headache though if you walked around at night for too long. 

[manxie49]

A little trick I was taught a few years ago, seems to work for me anyway, and is similar to what Rennie was alluding too.  Continue to keep your head facing forward, but slightly avert your eyes towards the N/S kerb, works for me.  I did hear some good reviews on some night riding glasses, I tried finding it, I think they were made by a company called Duco??

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I ride a lot at night and in rural areas with cars coming at you up an incline modern headlights are a pain. 

 

I also have astigmatism. The advice to look to the near side is what I do. It doesn't solve it 100% but it helps. 

[ColinWB]

I looked at my visor last night after seeing this thread and it has "daylight use only" moulded on it near the left side pivot, ironically it is just about invisible! So I put my helmet on after dark last night and looked up and down my street and I could see clearly with the visor down. It makes me wonder why it has "daylight use only" on it and if I'll need another visor to ride at night?

[AstronautNinja]

1 minute ago, ColinWB said:

I looked at my visor last night after seeing this thread and it has "daylight use only" moulded on it near the left side pivot, ironically it is just about invisible! So I put my helmet on after dark last night and looked up and down my street and I could see clearly with the visor down. It makes me wonder why it has "daylight use only" on it and if I'll need another visor to ride at night?

Does it have any tint? The UK are very strict with car window tints so I'd expect similar with visors. 

 

I'd imagine some jobs worth officer may have a grumble should they really wish to be a pain regardless if its clearly suitable (as judged by reasonable common sense) for night use. 

[ColinWB]

Just now, AstronautNinja said:

Does it have any tint? The UK are very strict with car window tints so I'd expect similar with visors. 

 

I'd imagine some jobs worth officer may have a grumble should they really wish to be a pain regardless if its clearly suitable (as judged by reasonable common sense) for night use. 

No tint, it's a clear visor with a Pinlock fitted, which it came with.

[AstronautNinja]

1 hour ago, ColinWB said:

No tint, it's a clear visor with a Pinlock fitted, which it came with.

Very strange

[ColinWB]

It's an HJC i-91 helmet with their HJ-33 visor, separate pop down/up sun shield. I've sent a query to HJC.

[Simon Davey]

I'm going to check mine now.. 

. 

[RideWithStyles]

There are many different tints, some look clear but a a very light tint like light smoke or something, which law says if it has any tint it’s bad- the reason my coppers used to get wound up and add that to a reason to stop or bollok you,about back in the early days .

 

It’s because it’s the same injection moulds used from as none tinted to a tinted visor. Most of the time it will say daytime use if tinted. 

Edited September 23, 2024 by RideWithStyles

[JRH]

The pinlock inserts now carry a daytime use only on them. Think that’s come about in the last 10 or so years.

[ColinWB]

@RideWithStyles I had another look at it, definitely no tint, however, I also rubbed my finger over the lettering on the outside of the visor and couldn't feel it, so did the same on the inside and felt it there, so as @JRH said, the wording is on the Pinlock insert. Mine is a Pinlock 70. Looking at Pinlock's website I need the Pinlock XLT for night time riding.

[S-Westerly]

40 minutes ago, JRH said:

The pinlock inserts now carry a daytime use only on them. Think that’s come about in the last 10 or so years.

Well I sure as hell don't take mine out in the dark. I assume that's because of the way oncoming lights get distorted? 

[JRH]

38 minutes ago, S-Westerly said:

Well I sure as hell don't take mine out in the dark. I assume that's because of the way oncoming lights get distorted? 

Neither do I. 

[exportmanuk]

I leave my Pinlock in too  otherwise at night the visor mists up!