What do you do when the car behind you has its high beams turned on?

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Jul 22, 2010 | 10:52 PM
  #1  
I really hate high beams!

I took my friend back to his home and was on the way back home.
Before my last turn, a car with high beams turned on caught up on me. It's light was shinning on all my three mirrors and it was so strong that I could not see the road clearly. It was so dangerous!!!!

Next time I will turn on my emergency light and stop.

What would you do when you can only see the lights of the car behind you?
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Jul 22, 2010 | 10:55 PM
  #2  
Tap my brakes to light up the brake lights. If that doesn't work, I'll flash my rear fogs. If that doesn't work...I swear a lot and adjust my mirrors.
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Jul 22, 2010 | 10:57 PM
  #3  
I stop.

Dave
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Jul 22, 2010 | 11:12 PM
  #4  
i do a close-open action with my hands going to the back as a signal for them to turn off their high beams. if they don't respond. i do that with slight braking. if they STILL don't respond, i move over to let them through, go to their rear & keep my high beams on for a while then take my rightful place in front of them again

there are some SUVs here that even with their low beams on & in traffic they blind the hell outta me inside the MINI. really irritating. worse if the car/SUV at my back retrofitted HIDs on their clear-lens headlights (which isn't illegal here...yet)
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Jul 22, 2010 | 11:33 PM
  #5  
Thank god for the self dimming rearview! Wish the side mirrors dimmed too though. But yeah, drop back, get behind them and light up the Xenons
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Jul 23, 2010 | 01:31 AM
  #6  
Same as with tailgaters: give them a spray with my windshield wipers + fluid. Hopefully my windshield is especially dirty.

Haven't had this come up yet in the Mini, but I can only imagine that the rear wiper + fluid would would work even better.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 02:52 AM
  #7  
Adjust side mirrors to reflect the light back, During the sumer months my rear wiper washer is modified, I can shoot fluid back about 20 feet or so. HA
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Jul 23, 2010 | 03:38 AM
  #8  
I have 5% tint over top of 20% tint. I can barely see out of my car at night anyway, soni never notice highbeams on behind me.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 03:59 AM
  #9  
What tis'a behind me, is not'a my concern......
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Jul 23, 2010 | 04:06 AM
  #10  
Back when I had a truck, I kept a 12V 1 million candlepower spot light under the seat. I would plug it in and blast them.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 04:40 AM
  #11  
Quote: Back when I had a truck, I kept a 12V 1 million candlepower spot light under the seat. I would plug it in and blast them.


Seriously though, you guys are crazy. I usually pull over and let people by if it really drives me crazy. People don't catch me a lot though.

I don't really condone messing with people who drive like that at night because one of the signs of being drunk is that you forget to put your high beams down. The last thing I want is a pissed off drunk person behind me since I have no idea how quick they are to react and/or whether they're carrying a gun in the car. My philosophy is get the Fk out the way and let them ruin someone elses day.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 04:57 AM
  #12  
If that happens, then you are most likely in the left lane and driving slow or at the posted speed limit...
When you see someone flash high beams, it means you GET OUT OF THE WAY...
...now whether this guy gets into an accident or gets a ticket is not your problem.

Simple driving rule: DO NOT CRUISE IN THE LEFT LANE

I am on your side as a fellow MINI owner but it is what it is
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Jul 23, 2010 | 05:31 AM
  #13  
I lure them into some tight corners and watch for them to depart the road surface.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 05:32 AM
  #14  
If I'm on an Interstate, I'll adjust my speed to get them in front of me.

If a back road, I'll flash my lights on and off a few times. If that doesn't work, then adjust the mirrors.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 05:42 AM
  #15  
In Texas we find that a shotgun works really well for dimming other folks hi-beams...
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Jul 23, 2010 | 05:54 AM
  #16  
Quote: Thank god for the self dimming rearview! Wish the side mirrors dimmed too though. But yeah, drop back, get behind them and light up the Xenons
Flip the tab on the rearview. Same difference.

Being aggressive with dumb**ses on the road is never a good idea, you never know who (or what) is behind the wheel of that other car. Best just to switch lanes as far to the right as possible and let him/her/it pass. If it's a single lane flip the hazards on, slow down as far right into the shoulder/lane as possible and wave at him/her/it to pass you.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 06:51 AM
  #17  
Quote: I really hate high beams!

I took my friend back to his home and was on the way back home.
Before my last turn, a car with high beams turned on caught up on me. It's light was shinning on all my three mirrors and it was so strong that I could not see the road clearly. It was so dangerous!!!!

Next time I will turn on my emergency light and stop.

What would you do when you can only see the lights of the car behind you?
If you see headlights in all 3 mirrors then your side view mirrors are not adjusted optimally. I adjust so that when a car is overtaking me, the image of the car behind is just beginning to appear in my left side mirror and at the same time the image is leaving the rear view mirror. That way there is almost no blind spots. The only time you see a car in the side view mirror is when it is a couple of car lengths back and just about to overtake you. When there is nothing shown in the side view mirrors, no one is close enough to be a danger when changing lanes etc. If you are paying attention to the rear view mirror then there are no surprises.
If bright headlights are behind you then flip up the rear view mirror.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 08:06 AM
  #18  
Quote: I lure them into some tight corners and watch for them to depart the road surface.
^^^^THIS^^^^
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Jul 23, 2010 | 08:55 AM
  #19  
Riding a bike has taught me to not be overtly aggressive on the road. I find now that I'm riding in the MINI I'm super relaxed, compared to riding the CBR and having to be hyper defensive to stay alive. Since I'm still learning to drive stick in a car, I do get tense when people park right up on my *** on an incline at a red light though, hah.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 10:18 AM
  #20  
Quote: I lure them into some tight corners and watch for them to depart the road surface.
that is just plain evil !
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Jul 23, 2010 | 10:46 AM
  #21  
I'll tell you what I don't do......

I don't brake check them

I don't squirt washer fluid on them....

I don't drive slightly off the road so that I throw rocks at them....

I don't flip them off.....

Because doing any of those things makes me just as big a douchebag as they are.......

I move over and let them go by....

Or I drive off and leave them.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 10:49 AM
  #22  
I guess I believe in letting people know that they are doing something annoying and/or potentially dangerous by using non-aggressive warnings like flashing lights. Tossing wrenches is out of line in my opinion, though many of my biker brethren carry nuts and bolts in their jacket/vest pockets for exactly the same reason. Not me, though.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 10:55 AM
  #23  
When this happens to me, I can usually adjust how I see out the rear so that the center of the rear barn doors blocks the high beams. I will usually slow down enough to allow them to pass, or if possible speed up enough so that other cars take/block the high beams from me. Yes the Barn Door Center post does serve a valuable purpose - the High Beam Blocker!
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Jul 23, 2010 | 11:26 AM
  #24  
Quote: If that happens, then you are most likely in the left lane and driving slow or at the posted speed limit...
When you see someone flash high beams, it means you GET OUT OF THE WAY...
...now whether this guy gets into an accident or gets a ticket is not your problem.

Simple driving rule: DO NOT CRUISE IN THE LEFT LANE

I am on your side as a fellow MINI owner but it is what it is
Well, we were on the right lane. I was on street before the last corner from home. So I didn't want to change lane.
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Jul 23, 2010 | 01:34 PM
  #25  
as much as I hate high beamers, I hate the ones with cheap HID retrofitted into their non-projector housing even more.

they glare like %#$@ers and it REALLY annoys the hell out of me.
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