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triple beams

 High beam, low beam and ultra-low beam headlights.
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The headlight height of SUV's, along with the popularity of high intensity lights, results in discomfort for the smaller cars on the road.

Low beams just aren't low enough when a Hummer is behind a Mini. A third intensity is required: ultra-low beams would have a slightly lower focal point and be dimmer than the existing low beam setting. In heavy traffic or at stoplights the larger vehicle will switch down to the ultra-lows to ease the blinding effect on the small car in front.

—rbl, Aug 20 2003

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       I protest the WIBNI, it is certainly something the manufacturers could build into new models. I'm not suggesting it be automatic, the driver will still need need to switch to the ultra-lows.
—rbl, Aug 20 2003
   

       The kind of people who would buy a Hummer are the exact same people who couldn't be bothered to switch the lights to "low".
—DeathNinja, Aug 20 2003
   

       beam me up rbl.
—po, Aug 20 2003
   

       <DeathNinja> You're probably correct about the Hummer, however I drive an SUV (not a hummer) and occasionally switch my lights off when I'm behind a sports car (at a stop light, say). We're not all troglodytes.   

       There may be legal/liability issues with "ultra-low beams". The NHTSA has been looking at the issue of HL height and will probably lower the height restriction, but it will be years before the millions of existing cars go away.   

       So in the mean time, why can't there be a film on your rear-view window that is electrically switchable, like an LCD, and it detects the bright lights and "dims" your rear-window automatically? This would be easier than having your entire rear window be flippable like the Day/Night toggle on your rear view mirror!   

       Or, mirrors on top of your rear fenders, carefully aimed to reflect the light back at Humvee height? :-)
—musicator, Aug 20 2003
   

       I had exactly these on my Acura. Very low beams (driving lights) but coming from the headlamp assembly and focused downward, plus the two normal levels. There's actually a fourth level and that is the low plus high beam "passing lights," a mode that is activated by holding the passing brights momentary switch stock inward.
—bristolz, Aug 20 2003
   

       As per the 'dimmer for sideviews' up on the idea list, I often find the blinding from my side mirrors is worse than the rearview. [bz] passing lights are common, have never seen ultra-lows. Many of the cars in Canada of reduced intensity daytime driving lights, as all cars since 1989 had to have daytime lights, unfortunately the tail and running lights don't come on in all cars.   

       I've noticed that some large delivery trucks (5-ton) have the headlights mounted down in the front bumper instead of in the grill area.
—rbl, Aug 20 2003
   

       On all vehicles sold in Canada you can switch your lights to "day-time" running mode, which is essentialy ultra low.   

       and many cars have the dimmer feature in the rear view mirror. Adding this to the side view would be good.
—SystemAdmin, Aug 20 2003
   

       I thought these were called fog lights?
—dickity, Aug 20 2003
   

       Is it just me, or is it getting worse? I feel like I can't go a block without someone flashing those fancy xenon bulbs in my eyes, or blinding me with malaligned SUV bulbs. Assholes. [+].
—Blumster, May 17 2005
   
      
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