The sky in the UK can be deceptively bright and can cause called veiling glare. This is a lighting engineers term for a condition where a bright background reduces visual acuity. It can also result at night from non-cutoff street lights. It would parallel Alan Kearn's description of the effect of cateracts in the 'Let There Be Light' thread.
I find driving much more relaxing if I keep the sun visors down day and night. I began doing this when I drove in Zambia, where the sunlight is much brighter.
Sometimes passengers automatically put the visor back up because they can?t see the sky. I tell them that I am only interested in what is down on the road, and that aeroplanes are a distraction.
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I too drive around with my drivers side sun visor down for the majority of the time I'm driving, I find it much more comfortable on the eyes, especially at night as it stops the flickering effect as the light from streetlamps disappear at the top of the windscreen.
With the visor down, the actual streetlamp goes out of view well before you reach it.
PP
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On a recent business trip to Gothenburg, I ask the cabbie why he was driving with his sun visor down, when the time was after midnight.
His answer was that under Swedish scamera law, the driver has to be identified for the charge to stick, so by leaving his visor down, it was easier to 'hide' if necessary!
Not sure whether to believe him or not, but he sounded convincing.
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"Sometimes passengers automatically put the visor back up because they can?t see the sky. "
Had to chuckle at that, I keep both visors down, most of the time, day or night, and passengers always immediately flip up the visor, as do garage technicians.
I agree that cutting out the bright sky allows ones eyes to more accuratly adjust for brighness based on the view of the highway.
Another benefit is that the government can't look identify your face via the various Big Brother camera systems.
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Glad to hear I am not alone with the permanent visor deployment. I also keep the sunroof blind drawn at all times for the same reason.
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Makes it a bit harder to read the overhead motorway signs though. :o)
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Another benefit is that the government can't look identify your face >> via the various Big Brother camera systems.
......Gosh, we need another law....
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......Gosh, we need another law....
Sssshhhhhh! Someone will be reading this page and before you know it we'll have one!
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Just as a sideline, my VW Bora has a small additional sunblind just behind the rear view mirror that fills in the gap between the main visors - can't think for the moment of any other model that has such a feature.
I used to have a Jetta with one of those glass sunroofs that can be opened a short way. There was no sun screen with it and on days when the sun was shining it was most annoying not to be able to block the strong sunlight.
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"Just as a sideline, my VW Bora has a small additional sunblind just behind the rear view mirror that fills in the gap between the main visors - can't think for the moment of any other model that has such a feature."
Similar in my Lexus GS - main visor can be extended as far as you like to cover the centre. I seem to recall my old Mondeo did this too.
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I am the one always flipping the visors up, even the passenger one. Being quite tall the visor obstructs my view and the passenger one perfectly blcks my view when turning into a side street. I have half a mind to remove them completely. For bright sunny glare, I have these nifty things called sunglasses. 8-)
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Must be a VAG feature as my A2 has one too. I wife thought it was a bit of a gimmick until the winter sun came out. The only problem I have is if you pull it too far down it blocks the rear view mirror.
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Definitely - current model Seat Ibiza has it too. Less useful IMO than shading the area of glass behind the mirror, and fiddly to pull down, too.
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A Seat is a VAG model anyway so it's not surprising.
But unless you were aware of the small folding central sunvisor in my Bora you would never know it was there - it's invisible until pulled down.
Didn't realise that they are so common, but a boon with the sun low and almost in front of you.
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Must be a VAG feature as my A2 has one too.
Ford Granada's had them in the early 90's
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'96 civic has one. took me six months of ownership before i realised it ;-)
Ed.
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I would love to get one.
When I lived in Zambia, driving west into the late afternoon sun, the sun shone through behind the mirror and between the visors. I bought a strip of self adhesive green tinted translucent material which attached to the inside of the screen. This was a great help. (The same material, abeit clear, was used later for the Darren and Tracy self ads.)
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On a recent business trip to Gothenburg, I ask the cabbie why he was driving with his sun visor down, when the time was after midnight. His answer was that under Swedish scamera law, the driver has to be identified for the charge to stick, so by leaving his visor down, it was easier to 'hide' if necessary! Not sure whether to believe him or not, but he sounded convincing.
SjB, your taxi driver knows his Swedish scamera law.
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