One driver who posts on TikTok under the handle @__kachowski__ shared her own personal pet peeve—exceedingly bright headlights. Not high beams, but those standard front lamps on cars that flood your vehicle and inhibit your sight.
Kachowski detailed a simple way to get back at folks rocking these types of lights. All you need is a headrest and some tape.
Reflective tape, that is
In a caption for her video, which accrued over 8.6 million views, the TikToker showed off her solution. Several strips of what appears to be reflective tape are affixed to both the driver’s and front passenger seat headrests of her car. The material is primarily used for a number of safety scenarios, as it improves visibility.
According to Tape Jungle, there are varying degrees of reflection strength, too, such as SOLAS Marine Reflective Tape, which can bounce beams of light back some 50 yards. This variant is used by the Coast Guard to help improve the visibility of vessels and equipment. Furthermore, it can be affixed to life vests so folks lost at sea can have a better chance of being spotted. There are also standard and engineering-grade reflective tapes that can last several years after being affixed to a surface.
Additionally, reflective tape can be placed on “edges and ledges,” according to the online resource. This can help alert people to potential safety hazards while working or walking in the dark and avoid nasty falls.
Lifted truck revenge
Kachowski writes in her TikTok that there’s a particular driver demographic she’s gunning for with her light-mirror of doom. “I’M FIGHTING BACK I’M TIRED OF BEING FLASH BANGED WHILE IM DRIVING HOME FROM WORK,” she pens in a caption for her video.
Moreover, in an on-screen caption, she states, “Look out ugly [expletive] lifted trucks. Your LED’s gonna be blindin YOU NOW.” According to Car and Driver, Kachowski’s ire for modern headlights is shared by many. Elana Scherr questions in the above-linked piece whether or not newer car headlamps are “too bright.”
She said that she “used to love driving at night.” However, like Kachowski, the experience has been ruined by folks who seemingly have helicopter spotlights attached to the front of their cars. This is due to the fact that many manufacturers have transitioned to installing LED headlights into their cars. Older bulbs had halogen lights, which don’t pack as many lumens in comparison.
In 2022, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration approved the use of adaptive headlights in cars. Your vehicle may already be outfitted with high beams that automatically dim when another car is sensed in front of you. Additionally, these high beams may drop in intensity or turn off when a vehicle is clocked on the opposite side of the ride.
But this new allowance makes room for the installation of auto-changing primary headlamps in vehicles. So we may see more cars with these options straight from the manufacturer pre-installed off the assembly line.
@__kachowski__ IM FIGHTING BACK IM TIRED OF BEING FLASH BANGED WHILE IM DRIVING HOME FROM WORK #FYP #ledlights ♬ Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar
Commenters loved Kachowski’s vengeance
Several folks who replied to the TikToker’s video praised her ingenuity. Others also expressed their disdain for these bright LEDs. “Those headlights are incredibly dangerous, especially for anyone with an astigmatism,” one said.
Another echoed how much they hate driving when someone behind them is rocking these types of lights. “It makes me so mad all these newer cars with blue LED’s. Sometimes they’re so bright I legit cant see the lane lines. Stop using LEDs, what was wrong with the normal yellowish ones?”
Someone else shared a different way in which they get revenge. “I always just adjusts my mirrors so I can’t see the lights and then proceed to drive 10mph under the speed limit. Now we can both be mad.”
As did this person to folks who blast their lights when passing by from the opposite direction. “I put retro reflective tape on my front bumper.”
But there were some who said Kachowski’s tape may end up blinding whoever is sitting in the backseat of her car.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kachowski via TikTok comment for further information.
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