Auto-High-Beams are Enough for “Reasonable Suspicion”

[Big Norwegian]

I never had a vehicle with auto high beams until the 2020 Ranger and they worked perfectly as do my Bronco. I've never had them go high when it wasn't appropriate . They also go to low beam very quickly , probably faster than I would react , and they gradually fade back up to high so it doesn't look like they are flashing at all . Curious if those that do not like them have the standard halogen lights or LED . My Ranger was a Lariat with LED and the Bronco has the signature LEDs . Also have they added a front level or lift kit that changes the angle of the sensor in the windshield ? Strange that mine perform flawless and is one of the best "Nannies" Ford has implemented so far ,LOL.

Also what do you people consider a nanny ? Auto transmissions ? Automatic door locks ? Cruise control ? To me a nanny is something like the annoying "Keep your hands on the steering wheel" mssg when I've had both hands on the damn wheel the whole time.

Auto transmission and cruise control are convenient, Auto high beam and auto locks are nanny state. I would prefer to have high beams on when I want them on,like when I turn down a rural road and there is a deer in the ditch

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[FordFamily4Fun]

I'm sick of cars with auto lights as well, its why you see idiot after idiot in rain and fog driving around with no lights on. These people are a danger to themselves and drivers around them because they are to stupid and lazy to turn on or off lights themselves when the time is appropriate.

In my experience the Bronco auto lights are pretty sensitive with fog/rain and seem fine too me. The auto high beams are too sensitive IMO and turn the high beams on and off from things light street lights when I would prefer my high beams on given deer.

 

[73Corvetteman]

yes, we’re aware that LEOs regularly pull people over without reasonable suspicion.

Guilty till proven innocent, oh hold it, thats not right...

 

[Drinxxs04]

Around here both the county and city cops drive Explorers, I would think they have auto lights as well, not new tech anymore. Sounds like it's one of those things where they have nothing better to do at 2am and you just happen along.

The interceptors don’t have the auto high beam. And in our policy to have high beams off.

 

[Drinxxs04]

As well as a common DUI behavior is no lights, excessive changing lights, unable to maintain lane, etc. only one and at that time is more than reasonable.

 

[prospectfour]

Add to this another warning of “technology attracting unwanted attention”…

following a cop in a neighborhood with ACC set. We were coming out of a 25MPH zone into a 35MPH zone. He sped up. Bronco speeds up to match his car. He pulls over, lets me pass the gets behind and flips on the lights.

after getting my IDs he lectures me about the speed limit not changing until the “line at the sign”. Told him I had ACC set so only reason I sped up was because he did.

didn’t get a ticket or anything. Not sure what that nitpick was all about. ( this was 3 in the afternoon on a weekday)

anyway….just another thing to be aware of

Biggest ticket of my life was from behind a NY state trooper. Nothing was getting me out of that stop.

Revenue generation machine at work, that’s why I don’t go crazy for these law enforcement Broncos. How many people got fleeced at the margins for that department to get their badlands?

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

As well as a common DUI behavior is no lights, excessive changing lights, unable to maintain lane, etc. only one and at that time is more than reasonable.

So, in your opinion, would the Bronco's auto high beams switching from low to high when conditions are met and vice versa be excessive changing lights? He had lights on and no mention of unable to maintain his lane. Bronco also has Lane reminder and Lane centering (I think) which would help alleviate that for a buzzed/tired/inattentive driver.

 

[Rydfree]

Auto transmission and cruise control are convenient, Auto high beam and auto locks are nanny state. I would prefer to have high beams on when I want them on,like when I turn down a rural road and there is a deer in the ditch

I'd say auto high beam and door locks are convenience items as well . Things such as reminders to keep your hands on the wheel , lane keeping and traction control to some degree are nannies. It's a good thing we can simply turn them off in the menus....or bitch about them if we can't figure out how ,lol.

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

The interceptors don’t have the auto high beam. And in our policy to have high beams off.

No high beam policy? Odd, so even if they're on some rural highway in Wisconsin they have to keep their low beams on? Seems like a safety hazard to me and any potential issue of blinding an incoming vehicle would be negated by what the strobes do to other drivers.

 

[K9handler47]

In my experience "reasonable suspicion" at 2am is a lot more flimsy than during the day so I'm not surprised at all. I think they're naturally suspicious of every single person that is out driving at that hour.

Auto high beams are common enough now that he's had to have seen thousands of them on patrol and I'm sure there's plenty others as finicky as the Bronco's.

Cop here! Let me preface this with I do the swat K9 stuff and haven’t dabbled in traffic for awhile but this is not reasonable suspicion for anything. What state are you in?

 

[0ne]

Auto headlights/running lights should be standard and un-switchable on any vehicle with daytime running lights, switchable or not. Far too many people driving around at night thinking their DRLs are headlights while totally blacked out from behind.

 

[Footer]

Not a fan of either.

 

[broncobase1]

I don't understand your post -- you say its not a rant about law enforcement and to go away if that's your thing, but then complain about being pulled over for flashing lights. What kind of responses did you expect to get? That said -- I HATE HATE HATE auto hi-beam, I disabled that feature on day one. Anyone with contantly flashing hi-beams should be pulled over auto or not, its annoying and dangerous for everyone else on the road. The guy behind you is going to think you are flashing him which in some areas is like flashing the bird. Its also not that common, I don't see many cars flashing hi-beams. I think most people disable it. It should be illegal for sure.

 

[FordFamily4Fun]

I don't understand your post -- you say its not a rant about law enforcement and to go away if that's your thing, but then complain about being pulled over for flashing lights. What kind of responses did you expect to get? That said -- I HATE HATE HATE auto hi-beam, I disabled that feature on day one. Anyone with contantly flashing hi-beams should be pulled over auto or not, its annoying and dangerous for everyone else on the road. The guy behind you is going to think you are flashing him which in some areas is like flashing the bird. Its also not that common, I don't see many cars flashing hi-beams. I think most people disable it. It should be illegal for sure.

OP just described a situation that involved a cop and wanted to state they did not want to make it a whole cops are good or bad thing. Will you get pulled over for auto high beams going on and off like OP did? A cop posted above it was not reasonable suspicion and OP should not have been pulled over. What this thread has become is a "rant" about is auto high beams. That's fine. I'm all for lively debate. I posted earlier I did not like how sensitive they are. If they could work in a proper fashion I have no prob with them.

 

[hozer]

FWIW Ex Canadian here. Once got pulled over for this exact thing and was told pretty high correlation to Impaired Drivers and High Beam erraticness.

Figured that made sense, we both went about our evening after.

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