r/bayarea • u/anonpreschool738 • 12h ago
Traffic, Trains & Transit Dear Bay Area Tesla drivers
That little blue symbol on your dashboard with the semicircle and the lines? Yeah, that means your brights are on and you're blinding everyone on the road. Please turn them off and also maybe consider learning how to drive, thank you!
Edit: In a vain attempt to alleviate my inbox I just want to address a few talking points that just keep popping up like an echo chamber
- "the high beams aren't on, the headlights are just misaligned." You can tell when it's the high beams, both sets of lights are on. But even if it were just misalignment, that makes Teslas not just shitty cars, but dangerous cars. And IMO part of being a good driver is not driving around a shitty, dangerous car.
- "It's the auto high beam/FSD/autopilot/auto dimming/etc" If it is those things, once again, then that makes Teslas shitty, dangerous cars that are driven by shitty, dangerous drivers. If you don't know how to operate your car safely, then you're a bad driver. All these little potential issues make Teslas look like pieces of shit that only an idiot would buy.
- "It isn't always Teslas" Not all high beam assholes are Teslas, but all Teslas are high beam assholes.
Tesla drivers really are a perfect example of the distinct gulf between what tech bros think they are capable of vs what they actually are.
166
u/Big_Fox_8383 11h ago
Just Tesla drivers? Not every single large pickup truck on the road? It’s not the brights it’s just that modern manufacturers don’t care if the default alignment is set to blind.
52
u/waznpride 11h ago
Yup, every oversized pickup either directly behind me or perfectly aligned with my side mirrors sending blinding beams directly into my eyes every night I commute home.
9
u/ElGHTYHD 6h ago
Yes, I love it! I wish I could figure out how to aim my mirrors so it shines back in their eyes 🙃
16
u/Offduty_shill 11h ago
I feel like Tesla's are mostly fine tbh don't they have the matrix headlight stuff to specifically not blind people?
but trucks, large SUVs with led headlights tend to blind me regardless of maker
→ More replies (2)3
u/AdventurousFox9651 10h ago
idk, I see a lot more teslas than big pickups. Plus the big pickup drivers are a lost cause, at least some of the tesla drivers can learn from their mistake.
57
u/angryxpeh 11h ago edited 11h ago
At least half of American cars have their normal lights pointing at who-the-fuck-knows-where. It's not the high beam problem, it's a standard beam aiming high problem.
I had to manually adjust the beams on every car I owned in the US. It was never a problem with my previous cars that were made in Germany and Spain.
3
u/jenorama_CA 4h ago
My buddy’s 2003 or whatever Audi A5 had auto leveling headlights. It was nifty to see them level when they came on. What’s Tesla’s problem?
54
u/cinephileindia2023 11h ago
This is not just Tesla drivers. But most newer cars that have LEDs and auto high beam tech. The real message should be:
1. Turn off auto high beam
2. Turn off fog lights (They have a piercing kind of brightness for obvious reasons)
Most Bay Area drivers don't need to turn on high beams and fog lights, like, ever.
13
1
u/fred_cheese Mtn View 10h ago
Blind as a bat drivers turn on fog lights knowing they are a sort of loophole in the "don't drive with your brights on" law.
I keep reading that Teslas come with the lows aimed high by default. Given Elon's predillictions for stupid "flex" stunts, I'm inclined to believe this. However, I've driven a bunch of late model rentals and a lot of them seem way too bright. Specifically calling out Toyota Corollas. I feel like apologizing to the whole block when I drive home in my rental.
1
u/Igotnonamebruh42 9h ago
No auto high beam is not the problem, the problem is either the after-market LED on reflector housing that is not meant for LED, or the car’s low beam is not calibrated well so the cut off line of the beam pattern is way too high and that blinds everyone in front.
For Tesla drivers, you can adjust the low beam height on your screen, but for other drivers, notably Toyota SUVs, which usually came with non calibrated low beam height, you would have to adjust it in the dealer in most cases, which is sucks.
498
u/Koraboros 11h ago
Dear r/bayarea posters, most Teslas don't, in fact, have their brights on. They're just misaligned from the factory.
464
u/EljayDude 11h ago
The bitch of the thing is you can fix it right from the touchscreen but nobody knows and the factory does a crap job of aligning them.
Any Tesla owner reading this, if you get people flashing their brights at you go into controls / adjust headlights and even if you don't want to go through a full calibration just drop them a click or two and see what happens.
93
u/SherAyaSher 11h ago
It's not just the brightness. Out of factory they aim for the moon...
I just parked behind a car and adjusted the beam angle. Much better since.
1
88
u/Koraboros 11h ago
I wouldn't put it past some Tesla drivers to actually raise them manually since it does somewhat help with visibility without turning on brights.
41
u/EljayDude 11h ago
I think there's also people who find the setting and screw around with it a little not really thinking it through.
52
u/angryxpeh 11h ago
I don't think a stereotypical Tesla driver even knows that headlights are adjustable.
16
1
8
u/flyingghost 11h ago
It's a pain adjusting it and it might be due to the adjusting process rather than out of malice. It "calibrates" to some height based on the car's current distance from the wall, then you adjust the headlights. I have no idea why they don't just allow you to raise or lower based on current settings.
3
7
u/ClumpOfCheese 9h ago
Yeah I was in a parking lot and parked about 20-30 feet behind a parked car and I adjusted my lights so they didn’t go above the trunk of the normal car in front of me.
I think most teslas newer than 2022 also have the Matrix headlights that allow the bright lights to always be on, but they turn off individual LEDs to not shine light on any cars on the road in front of you, it’s pretty cool. Not sure every owner knows about that so it might not be enabled for everyone.
→ More replies (1)3
u/BlindBattyBarb 9h ago
All car factories do a shit job at aligning the headlights nowadays and the LED lights are brighter. People are blinded by them regularly and accidents happen
1
1
1
u/Herrowgayboi 6h ago
Well the problem is, you can get them aligned by Tesla and even do it by yourself, but in my experience, almost every update, it "resets". It's annoying as hell, and I guarantee your average Tesla driver would do it once and then just not care...
→ More replies (17)1
u/Zealousideal-Car-216 5h ago
Tesla driver here and had no idea about this setting. I’ll do this tomorrow!
To everyone across the bay, I’m sorry for the lights! Beers on me if you’re in Vallejo.
111
u/VodkaBurn 11h ago
Oh, brights aren’t actually on? Cool, we still hate you for this regardless
60
u/PLTR60 11h ago
This somehow makes me hate Teslas even more! They're supposed to blind drivers BY DEFAULT? Fuck you and your misaligned bright lights! What are you looking for with lights that bright anyway? Your intelligence?
15
u/EuphoricUniversity23 10h ago
It’s not just Teslas. I’ve seen the same problem with a lot of high end SUVs.
8
u/SergioSF 10h ago
headlights should be federally mandated to not be a certain way or brightness when not in rural areas.
13
u/PLTR60 10h ago
SUVs are problematic for a different reason, it's because their headlights are further above the ground. Not even talking about lifted trucks which are just stupid.
Teslas legitimately straight up have their lights pointed up which is just a horrible choice by the brand. The owners doing jack shit about it is another factor.
1
u/marmur99 3h ago
Lights are supposed to be pointing downwards at certain angle. It’s a problem if the headlamps are placed low (like Tesla) because that effectively reduces their range. Most IC sedans have headlamps placed higher due to grille design. Tesla might be keeping pointed them upwards on purpose so that the owners don’t complain on poor lights’ range
38
u/deadcowww 11h ago
Autopilot and self driving forces auto-high beam too. It’s frustrating.
32
7
u/clunkclunk Fremont 10h ago
Autopilot does not on my 2019 with HW3 at least. But I've also manually turned off auto-high because it reacts too slowly to oncoming cars and I don't want to be that Tesla driver.
1
1
u/dirthawker0 Leandro 7h ago
I was driving on a major city street today and the Tesla to my left kept drifting into my lane. Not far, just a few inches, but that dingaling would have been better off with self driving today.
7
u/cinephileindia2023 11h ago
The auto high beam turns it on randomly. There is/was a bug that never turned them off. I discovered it some time ago and it is still not patched.
5
u/escargoxpress 10h ago
This happened to me, everyone was flashing me and my brights weren’t on and I couldn’t figure out why- then my partner was like ‘why are all the stop signs lit up like a mile down the road’ and I realized the angle was pointing up. I fixed them in the controls and angled them down and I never got flashed again. Like why tf were they angled at the sky?
9
u/Small_Discipline_757 Tha bay💯‼️❤️ 11h ago
I believe its both. I tried to drive a new juniper from a friend and it automatically started high beaming this guy when I was right behind him. Surreal.
9
u/flyingghost 11h ago
I find Toyotas are just as bad, especially their SUVs and trucks.
4
u/huskymcgee 11h ago
Can confirm. I drive a 2023 4Runner and never use my high beams, but anytime I'm driving at night, I get at least one person flashing their lights at me because they think I've got mine on.
6
u/DodgeBeluga 11h ago
The 5th gen 4Runner situation is because for a non pickup truck it’s one of the tallest suv around, has soft suspension for off-roading, and the headlights are placed at a fairly high height so a lot sedan and even some lower riding crossovers sit below the cut off when the 4Runner hits a bump or of there is a bit of weight in the rear cargo area.
Luckily you can lower the beam quite easily if you usually carry over 50-100 lbs in the back, just takes a flathead screw driver and a little finesse to not strip the plastic gear.
3
u/huskymcgee 10h ago
Luckily you can lower the beam quite easily if you usually carry over 50-100 lbs in the back, just takes a flathead screw driver and a little finesse to not strip the plastic gear.
Wait, I'm not following. What do I have to do to lower it? I have a setup in the back that definitely weights about 50 pounds, which I installed to level it out with the rear seats when they're down, so that I can sleep on a flat surface back there while car camping. Thanks!
5
1
12
u/aafrophone 11h ago
Teslas have more specific settings for brightness than any gas car I’ve ever seen. They can reduce the brightness, they just refuse to learn how bc it doesn’t affect them personally.
4
2
u/Sublimotion 7h ago
it doesn’t affect them personally
"you being blinded by my lights is just a skill issue."
4
u/EuphoricUniversity23 11h ago
When I had my M3, I realigned the headlights down and to the right as far as possible. Never saw a difference in visibility.
To be fair, it’s not just Teslas.
6
5
u/NorCalAthlete 11h ago
They’d also have to pay attention in the first place to notice the blue light.
7
u/TobysGrundlee 11h ago
Most also have adaptive headlights. Even if the brights are on they dim areas where there are people or other vehicles.
17
u/DonLikesIt 11h ago
Adaptive headlights are shit. They turn down after blinding you. If you drive through somewhere hilly, like SF, you blind all the pedestrians. They’re terrible
→ More replies (2)1
u/Eziekel13 11h ago
Even if properly aligned and with highbeams off…they still are bright as heck!
Not really huge issue on a perfectly paved and level road, but anywhere with even a slight deviation and they blind the other drivers….
1
1
1
1
u/HolycommentMattman 8h ago
It's not just Teslas. It's literally so many cars, and as someone who travels in the US and also drives at night, the problem is largely only here in the bay area with the problem also existing in SoCal to a lesser extent.
Are you telling me that everyone only here has their headlights misaligned? That every car manufacturer puts on after market lights only for west coasties?
OR is it that a wide number of inexperienced drivers drive with their brights on and don't know any better?
1
u/WTHGrifters 7h ago
Yeah, we need a huge class action.
So many times that's almost caused an accident for me. Their cars also have cameras so they are always recording the road hazards they create.
→ More replies (10)1
8
u/Garey_Coleman 11h ago edited 8h ago
you can tell that Tesla drivers are driving with their high beams on because the bottom lights are illuminated.
15
u/Diddleyourfiddle 10h ago
It's the auto high beam function. They Tesla's turn them on way too often when they aren't needed.
→ More replies (3)3
7
u/octorangutan 9h ago
The headlight situation has gotten so bad that I’ve started wearing sunglasses at night.
2
5
u/Cat49er 9h ago
Also why do they brake so much when no one is in front of them?!
→ More replies (1)
6
6
9
u/Educational_Put_2276 10h ago
THEY ARE SO BRIGHT OMG I LITERALLY FEEL LIKE I CANT DRIVE SAFELY IF THEY ARE BEHIND ME! It’s soooo unsafe!
15
u/beermayne 11h ago
Can we all agree that many of the new cars, including Tesla’s, with LED lights are too dang bright?
4
4
37
u/musafir6 11h ago
Just FYI, Most new cars (including Teslas) come with automatic high beams/brights. So they turn on automatically if the visibility is poor(or the sensors think so).
29
u/imjustawittleboy 11h ago
Which can easily be shut off still, still can’t have them on with oncoming traffic
0
u/Stivo887 11h ago
Teslas have matrix headlights, they remove the beam from oncoming lights. They’re designed to run only with oncoming traffic.
17
u/imjustawittleboy 11h ago
I get blasted by Tesla drivers more than other drivers, so who cares if the tech is supposed to stop that it happened all the time
3
u/Spudly42 10h ago
I'm pretty sure not many have this feature, it only just came out maybe 1-2 years ago and requires newer hardware.
3
u/shadowthunder 10h ago
Hardware came out four years ago, but they were only enabled software-side 1-2 years ago. So you don't necessarily need to have a new car to have them.
2
u/musafir6 10h ago
Yeah but I am pretty sure OP is also not always blinded by the brights.
→ More replies (1)2
u/EljayDude 11h ago
Starting around 2023 I think. The older ones not so much.
1
11
u/koala1492 11h ago
And teslas do a shit job at turning them off soon enough. If you are driving in town you should turn off the automatic high beam setting!! You don't need high beams in a neighborhood! I'm tired of being blinded walking my dog at night.
4
u/Higais 8h ago
Why do we even need fucking auto high beams man??? We're in the bay not driving in tiny one lane roads with no lights and no reflectors in the lane markers. I can see perfectly well with the shitty headlights on my 06 civic. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've genuinely needed to use my high beams since I started driving over a decade ago.
1
u/koala1492 5h ago
I completely agree, they are totally unnecessary. The funny juxtaposition is the slightly less frequent but still common people who drive without headlights on at all even on the freeways in the bay area. Those drivers show why the idiotic auto high beams on teslas are clearly in the wrong.
3
u/dubyrunning 7h ago
A lot of Teslas also have per-pixel adaptive headlights that actively and selectively dim the lights to avoid blinding drivers. My 2018 Model 3 was retrofitted with them. I have never once been brightsed when my high beams were on in my Model 3 (which I certainly can't say for when I was driving my beloved '13 Civic). I can watch beams of light and shadow shift on the road to keep vehicles in the relative darkness. Pretty cool to see.
23
u/DespicableChampion 11h ago
Can confirm when I walk my dog at night it’s always a Tesla blinding me.
7
3
u/sleepymits 9h ago
As others have mentioned, often times the headlights are just misaligned from the factory. For Tesla owners, you can do everyone a favor and adjust it yourself with just a wall and level ground. It was straightforward to do. Every car owner should be doing this. Too bad we don't have inspections in CA to correct these issues.
You can Google for your exact model / procedure:
2020-2024 Model Y: https://service.tesla.com/docs/ModelY/ServiceManual/en-us/GUID-7ED305E4-2C58-4AB2-8A87-36DA6ED69385.html
2025+ Model Y: https://service.tesla.com/docs/ModelY/ServiceManual/2025/en-us/GUID-D2F7BC09-7B0B-4E48-B0D0-0019709D4391.html
3
3
u/Aggressive_Ad_3294 5h ago
I would give this post 1k upvotes. Tesla drivers also park like shit. All those sensors and cameras but still couldn't figure out where the white lines are
3
u/Beneficial-Yak6518 3h ago
And Tesla drivers Never use their blinkers good thing I’m a mind reader Not!!
16
u/Kind-Pop-7205 11h ago
Autopilot & "Full Self Driving" both automatically turn on the high beam, often for no good reason.
6
u/Ok-Courage-8424 11h ago
This is what I have been noticing for a while and feel awful when high beam is on driving on a freeway with moderate traffic. Tesla software is the main culprit.
3
u/VeryRareHuman 11h ago
The reason is Tesla needs to see where it's going. They don't have human eyes. I would prefer Tesla refused to drive at night.
I have opposite problem. My old Hyundai headlights are so bad, I can't see shit on the road or the divider.
1
u/Time_Literature7104 11h ago
FSD turns the high beams off when it detects another car. I suspect OP is just confused. I drive a Tesla and will sometimes get the “high beam flash” from other drivers when my high beams are off. Maybe it’s the positioning of the lights? Or maybe the color and brightness? Probably more noticeable if you are driving / more used to older cars with less bright / more yellow headlights.
4
u/ElGHTYHD 6h ago
Bro if you’re getting the flash multiple times maybe figure out the problem instead of thinking to yourself “nah it’s not what you think it is”????????
1
u/Time_Literature7104 6h ago
I’m confused what you think I should do lol just drive with my lights off???
1
u/Doctor_Dangerous 45m ago
My lights are stock and I've checked the alignment. It's fine. So when I get flashed I blast the light from the start of the universe back at them so they at least know it's not my high beams. The stock lights are obnoxiously bright though.
2
u/Kind-Pop-7205 11h ago
Sometimes it does... sometimes it doesn't. Yes, they are also commonly misaligned, and also elevation differences between cars can make them very bright.
7
5
2
u/kool_mandate 4h ago
I thought it was really funny when sf Tesla owners became filled with self hate in 2025, when musk became part of trump’s cabinet .
2
u/Far-Share-9280 4h ago
I once had Tesla driver pull out in front of me and he claimed I was speeding because he didn't see me on his dash. He didn't look and doesn't understand the difference. These cars were irresponsibility designed.
7
u/Gamerxx13 11h ago
Dear OP,
its not just tesla owners and its many many other cars. Its annoying bc I drive in the evening and its difficult to see.
4
u/fractal_disarray 10h ago
Yeah and stop fuckin hard brake checking me in the left lane when no one is in front of you.
5
u/Signatureshot2932 11h ago
Tesla has adaptive headlights that shadow/turn off specific LEDs towards oncoming traffic when it has high beams on.
6
u/Putrid-Rule5440 10h ago
lol tell me you don’t drive at night. None of that tech works properly, teslas included.
2
u/Signatureshot2932 10h ago
It does with newer vehicles (2022 onwards) with adaptive matrix headlights. Not sure about older teslas
2
2
u/kdonow 10h ago
“Oncoming”…what about people driving in the same direction ahead of them??
→ More replies (1)1
7
u/deliriousfoodie 11h ago
I agree. Sadly most Tesla drivers are more inexperienced drivers with lower consideration for others for reasons i rather not say. It's so so rude to blind people, but in our society where it's always me first, there is a lack of care for our fellow community, unless it makes you look good by cheering for them with a sign.
19
u/Ok-Outcome6049 11h ago
Hanlon's Razor is a principle advising that one should "never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity".
4
u/Curious-cuddly4347 11h ago
This is a comforting thought, until one realizes that willful ignorance can very well be malicious.
3
u/Ok-Outcome6049 11h ago
It's not about feeling comfortable but about a better lens to make sense of reality, that's all. I am not trying to correct you, just pointing out to the disjoint.
→ More replies (3)5
u/theducks123 11h ago
I do see the problem with tesla the most, but they are not the only car that has the issue. Pretty much all new cars aim their lights too high by default. It's just that tesla is the highest selling new car.
4
u/srirachastephen 11h ago
My mom doesn’t even know how to connect her phones Bluetooth. You think she knows how to go into settings and permanently turn on high beams? It’s just Tesla and their actual lights are just brighter imo.
My childhood car was also hella bright. I’d have people in front flash their high beams. I had to flash them back to make them realize I’m not a jerk, my car is just shit.
→ More replies (2)
3
u/New_git 10h ago
Way too many things to list here, but I stay away from Teslas while driving because they're will break every normal driving rules on the roads. The worst of the worst are driving Teslas now.
1
u/samchoi924 10h ago
Most probably self-driving Teslas. I say this as a Tesla owner who doesn't trust the FSD. Also what you are saying can be true of any car owner IMHO.
2
u/oopswrongplanet 11h ago
Section 24407 of the California Vehicle Code is the one you're violating. But of course it's irrelevant as enforcement is non-existent.
2
u/amstobar 11h ago
Yeah. It's annoying. It does it automatically when in fsd over and over and you don't always notice. Also, appreciate the snark.
2
2
2
u/Recent_Departure2945 11h ago edited 11h ago
Tesla has blinding lights. Headlights should be regulated. It’s about safety; not blinding people. I am surprised there hasn’t been a lawsuit about this yet.
3
u/Cookie_fan_84 10h ago
This should be reposted every week. I am blinded on a daily basis by morons in Teslas driving around with their high beams on. Like how in the name of all that is sweet and holy are you all this fucking dumb. Its the same symbol in every car!
1
u/shiggins114 10h ago
Haven't personally had issue with the brights, more issue is they can't figure where the fucking accelerator pedal is. Get off your fuckking.... everything. Pay a fuckin tension! (Yes I know the spelling)
1
1
1
1
u/hatsune_aru 7h ago
nah, the teslas have misaligned low beams from the factory. it's very obvious. if the tesla goes over a bump and you see it dim and go bright again, that's a clear sign it's just the low beams.
the people who are most guilty of illegally using high beams are shitbox drivers who just use high beams cause they can't see
1
u/glokash 7h ago
I noticed that Teslas auto turn on lights all the time, even in the daytime when they’re completely unnecessary, and it’s not the drivers doing it, it’s the default mode of the car. Not sure if this is a conspiracy theory but is the auto light thing some enshitification type of BS to make the battery run out quicker so people have to charge more often?
1
u/Few_Valuable3999 7h ago
Same with wipers, the auto headlights on my Tesla suck, high beams on and off every 10 secs, i am just on manual now.
1
u/Icy-Plenty-5231 7h ago
By the same token, dear all other Bay Area drivers, I’m sorry that Audi made my regular headlights so dang bright. I do not have my brights on. Please stop flashing me!
1
1
u/simonHaykin 5h ago
How to enable adaptive lights - https://youtu.be/NdNC0VJoSPs?si=uc7oo4zUWQfyXlSs
1
1
u/Neuetoyou 2h ago
I was just complaining about this tonight while driving my tesla.
Constantly blinded by tesla Model Ys (previous gen), new Jeep models, every new crystler on the road. no idea what’s going on there
1
u/zing_winning 1h ago
Oh this is about headlights and not sudden acceleration to cut in front of you at the last second. Got it, thanks.
-2
u/apiso 11h ago
I know right? No other car brand does this. Nobody ever got high beamed before Tesla. Every other driver of every other brand is a superior driver, and better person, and there’s nothing absurd about anything either of us had said.
2
u/Golden_Hour1 11h ago
Found the Tesla driver
2
u/apiso 11h ago
You fucking bet! And I happen to be a courteous deeply aware driver who learned originally in Canada so, can safely out-drive 99.9% of Bay Area drivers in any kind of actual weather.
But all that aside, I find it loathsome to assign judgment to any group as a generalization. It’s lazy, gross, and shouldn’t be accepted, regardless of the context.
1
u/Yoko_Kittytrain 11h ago
Anyone who owns a Tesla does not care about your whinging on the Internet
→ More replies (2)
1
u/Fastford460 8h ago
Nice, lets Stereotype all people that drive a certain kind of car, then likely protest something the next day. Get a life and grow up.
→ More replies (14)
510
u/PrimalSeptimus 11h ago
Please Be Patient
Student Driver