Photo: Dangerous Minds
Driving at night can be pretty difficult for some, and that's because the contrast between lit areas and dark ones is greater than ever. Plus, there's the constant glare from all the headlights around, both front and back.
Carmakers have struggled to deal with this situation by making steady improvements on their vehicles' lighting systems. They've also created the dimming mirrors, which definitely help with reducing glare, but also decrease visibility considerably.
The most important breakthrough, however, have got to be the smart LED headlights that can create active cones of shadow that protect the other cars from the full strength of the high beam while also ensuring the best possible visibility for the driver. But these are largely still restricted to premium, expensive cars, so it will be a while until they become the norm.
Not the type to just sit back and get blinded while they wait, Chinese drivers have come up with a different solution. They are now installing ghost decals on the rear windows of their vehicles in an attempt to scare offenders into dimming their lights.
We have no idea what it is with Chinese people and their fear of ghosts, but if you remember a few months back we talked about the so-called Uber ghost-drivers - drivers working for Uber who used "scary" profile pictures just to get the cancellation charge from clients who would give up on the ride the moment they saw who would be their driver.
That sounds ridiculous, and so does this one, but apparently the police thinks it poses a risk to road safety. That's why the drivers using them risk a 100 yuan fine (just under $15), Dangerous Minds says, but since they're convinced this will protect them from other people's blinding headlights, they're probably willing to pay.
You could say the police is going the wrong way about this and it'd be better off tackling the issue of headlight misusing instead of clamping down the ghost/vampire decal trend. Well, it is, and you could say it's employing a very unorthodox method: the officers are forcing culpable drivers to stare back into their own headlights. Assuming they're allowing them to drive off afterward, making drivers temporarily blind might not be the brightest idea, though.
The most important breakthrough, however, have got to be the smart LED headlights that can create active cones of shadow that protect the other cars from the full strength of the high beam while also ensuring the best possible visibility for the driver. But these are largely still restricted to premium, expensive cars, so it will be a while until they become the norm.
Not the type to just sit back and get blinded while they wait, Chinese drivers have come up with a different solution. They are now installing ghost decals on the rear windows of their vehicles in an attempt to scare offenders into dimming their lights.
We have no idea what it is with Chinese people and their fear of ghosts, but if you remember a few months back we talked about the so-called Uber ghost-drivers - drivers working for Uber who used "scary" profile pictures just to get the cancellation charge from clients who would give up on the ride the moment they saw who would be their driver.
That sounds ridiculous, and so does this one, but apparently the police thinks it poses a risk to road safety. That's why the drivers using them risk a 100 yuan fine (just under $15), Dangerous Minds says, but since they're convinced this will protect them from other people's blinding headlights, they're probably willing to pay.
You could say the police is going the wrong way about this and it'd be better off tackling the issue of headlight misusing instead of clamping down the ghost/vampire decal trend. Well, it is, and you could say it's employing a very unorthodox method: the officers are forcing culpable drivers to stare back into their own headlights. Assuming they're allowing them to drive off afterward, making drivers temporarily blind might not be the brightest idea, though.
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