this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2025
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i'm still amazed how these fucking lights got through regulation in germany. 'everything' is regulated here. but these blinding pieces of shit got through. i know the answer: money. as in cars, the crown jewel of the german economy. i hate them sooooooo much.
I actually think regulation is how we got them, but not in a known bad way. Originally car headlights had little to no standards, but eventually people realized they’re important to safety and so testing started happening to ensure that headlights met a minimum safety rating. The problem is that the testing was done from the drivers seat, and based on light projection in front of the vehicle rather than taking into account other humans looking toward it. I’ve been a big proponent of LED lights that dim when stopped or slowing, and even halogen/ultra dim lights for city driving, and keeping LEDs for brights. LEDs have really made a lot of brights basically useless, but the brightness, and harshness of color temperature is absolutely detrimental to other drivers.
true, if you're in the driver seat these lights are awesome. I worked as a driver for a few years. Mostly in old shitboxes but sometimes i had the chance drive these modern marvels of technology. no doubt its way better for your eyes and concentration if you are in the driver seat. but for anybody else its just soooo bad. even if you steer a vehicle with fancy LEDs the other car with LEDs will blind you. but as a pedestrian, on a bicycle or in a shitbox they just straight up fuck up your cornea.
Wait, Germany bans good-quality bike lights, but allows unregulated lights on fucking cars‽‽
stop! badly adjusted way too bright bike lights are the most hated things in my life. i have nothing left but spite for them. i'm activily holding myself back right now. i could sputter nonsensical insults for hours because of them. One time i started to carry a stupid bright flash light with myself just to blind them fuckers back. since then i grown up. but awfafhasifhaoshfoahgoiahsdoigasddfafas asfdda fuck
German law literally restricts bike light brightness to a point of being impractical in the dark. It bans blinking lights despite research showing blinking lights increase visibility of cyclists. It requires cut-offs that make it so you literally can't see what's ahead of you until it's too late to react to it, if you're riding at speed.
If you're only ever riding at a slow 20 km/h on relatively well-lit city streets, it might be fine. But that's just not reality.
You're required to have a rear light, but it must be mounted between 25 and 60 cm above the ground...so you can forget about a light mounted on your helmet or backpack...or even at the most natural place for a light...at the top of your seatpost. It's fucking nonsensical. And to learn that despite all this bullshit making cyclists less safe, car lights are unrestricted? Oh boy, am I incensed right now.
tbh i dont care what theoretically is written in law. what i care about are the fuckers who light up the 200m infront of them with their led lights and with that burn up my corneas. everyday multiple times. dont get me wrong, led lights are awesome. i use them myself. but there are too much assholes who only think about them self. even if with 30km/h you certainly dont need the visibility of cars full bright.
am i overreacting? maybe. idk. but these fuckheads drive me mad everyday.