"J. Clarke" wrote
> cshenk wrote:

>>> If a headlight shining into a rear view mirror is blinding a driver in
>>> daylight that driver has something wrong with him. And the modulator
>>> doesn't "spike it".

>> JC, it was at night.

> A legal modulator has a light sensor that turns it off at night.

Ah, there should be no problem at all then. I'd actually *appreciate* this
device in daytime. It would help me see them even better.

>> I don't ride a motorcycle. Several co-workers do and that's how I heard
>> about it. They used the term 'modulator' and said it basically flashes
>> the level higher and lower. If that is right (keep in mind, I don't have
>> a motorbike) they said 'spike'.
>
> A surprising number of motorcyclists don't know much about motorcycling.

Hehehe!

> The modulator reduces the intensity on a regular cycle. That's all it
> does.

Ah. The one in the paper was a night guy driver who apparently was flashing
higher than normal car level beams. That was my take on it.

> Now that doesn't mean that somebody somewhere doesn't make an illegal
> device that overdrives the headlight for the purpose of annoying
> people--there's a certain segment of the motorcycling community that feels
> that they have a God-given duty to be obnoxious pests--but that's not
> safety equipment, that's bling.

Yup. The guys at work were pretty disparaging of the local biker in this
incident.

>> I mean no harm. I just want to warn you if you didnt already know that
>> there is a safe level, and an unsafe one. Too much of it can distract
>> the driver ahead of you and cause an accident which then you get wrapped
>> up in (or killed by).
>
> Sorry if I seemed to snap at you.

It's ok. I do see the variable lights in day here. It actually makes them
more visible which helps alot. At night, they seem to shift too but not to
blinding brights except the rare one.

Want to **** me off? I get ****ed when folks tailgate bikes. Tailgating is
the style here but as dangerous as it is, it's far worse when someone is on
a bike and tailgating them in a 'monster truck' or 'SUV'.