Array ( [0] => Array ( [CMPLID] => 1034394 [ODINO] => 10560763 [MFR_NAME] => Volkswagen of America, Inc. [MAKETXT] => AUDI [MODELTXT] => S6 [YEARTXT] => 2014 [CRASH] => N [FAILDATE] => 20140121 [FIRE] => N [INJURED] => 1 [DEATHS] => 0 [COMPDESC] => EXTERIOR LIGHTING [CITY] => SPOKANE [STATE] => WA [VIN] => [DATEA] => 20140121 [LDATE] => 20140121 [MILES] => 0 [OCCURENCES] => 1 [CDESCR] => I WAS DRIVING BEHIND AN AUDI S6 (ONE OF THE NEWER MODELS WITH FULL LED LIGHTING) AT NIGHT. I FOUND ITS LED BRAKE LIGHTS BLINDINGLY BRIGHT. THE DRIVING LIGHTS ARE VERY BRIGHT BY THEMSELVES, BUT THEY'RE BORDERLINE TOLERABLE, HOWEVER BRAKE LIGHTS WHEN THEY COME ON ARE EXTREMELY BRIGHT - I COULD NOT LOOK AT THAT CAR WHEN DRIVING BEHIND IT, IT WAS TOO PAINFUL TO LOOK AT. I HAD TO TAKE MY EYES OFF THAT CAR AND OFF THE ROAD AHEAD OF ME AS A RESULT OF THIS FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. I COULD NOT HAVE THOSE TAILLIGHTS WITHIN MY FIELD OF VISION, THEY HURT EVEN WHEN I TRIED TO LOOK AWAY FROM THAT AUDI. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING BEHIND NEW AUDIS AND OTHER CARS THAT USE EXTREMELY BRIGHT LED TAILLIGHTS. I COULD HAVE CRASHED BECAUSE WHEN I WAS SLOWING DOWN BEHIND THAT AUDI THAT LIT UP ITS TAILLIGHTS WHEN BRAKING I COULD NOT LOOK AHEAD ON THE ROAD AND AT THE CAR. I HAD TO BRAKE BLINDLY WHILE BRIEFLY LOOKING UP FOR A MILLISECOND OR TWO (AND SUFFERING EYE PAIN) NOW AND THEN TO ENSURE I WASN'T GOING TO CRASH INTO IT. I WAS NOT ABLE TO CONSTANTLY MAINTAIN THE AUDI IN FRONT OF ME WITHIN FIELD OF SIGHT DUE TO SEVERE EYE PAIN IT CAUSED ME. IS THERE A LAW THAT MANDATES A SAFE LIGHT OUTPUT BY THE HEADLIGHTS? BECAUSE I FIND LED TAILLIGHTS IN GENERAL PAINFULLY BRIGHT TO VARYING DEGREE AMONGST DIFFERENT CARMAKERS, WITH AUDI HAVING THE MOST SEVERELY PAINFUL BRIGHTNESS (SIMILAR TO LOOKING AT THE SUN). *TR [CMPL_TYPE] => IVOQ [POLICE_RPT_YN] => N [PURCH_DT] => [ORIG_OWNER_YN] => N [ANTI_BRAKES_YN] => N [CRUISE_CONT_YN] => N [NUM_CYLS] => [DRIVE_TRAIN] => [FUEL_SYS] => [FUEL_TYPE] => [TRANS_TYPE] => [VEH_SPEED] => [DOT] => [TIRE_SIZE] => [LOC_OF_TIRE] => [TIRE_FAIL_TYPE] => [ORIG_EQUIP_YN] => [MANUF_DT] => [SEAT_TYPE] => [RESTRAINT_TYPE] => [DEALER_NAME] => [DEALER_TEL] => [DEALER_CITY] => [DEALER_STATE] => [DEALER_ZIP] => [PROD_TYPE] => V [REPAIRED_YN] => [NICAR_FAILDATE] => 0000-00-00 [NICAR_DATEA] => [NICAR_LDATE] => [NICAR_PURCH_DT] => [NICAR_MANUF_DT] => [nicarid] => 0 ) )
i was driving behind an audi s6 (one of the newer models with full led lighting) at night. i found its led brake lights blindingly bright. the driving lights are very bright by themselves, but they're borderline tolerable, however brake lights when they come on are extremely bright - i could not look at that car when driving behind it, it was too painful to look at. i had to take my eyes off that car and off the road ahead of me as a result of this for extended periods of time. i could not have those taillights within my field of vision, they hurt even when i tried to look away from that audi. i do not feel safe driving behind new audis and other cars that use extremely bright led taillights. i could have crashed because when i was slowing down behind that audi that lit up its taillights when braking i could not look ahead on the road and at the car. i had to brake blindly while briefly looking up for a millisecond or two (and suffering eye pain) now and then to ensure i wasn't going to crash into it. i was not able to constantly maintain the audi in front of me within field of sight due to severe eye pain it caused me. is there a law that mandates a safe light output by the headlights? because i find led taillights in general painfully bright to varying degree amongst different carmakers, with audi having the most severely painful brightness (similar to looking at the sun).
Reported in: SPOKANE WA || Crash: N || VIN #: