And, notably, those couple of seconds can be key to seeing far off wildlife that may decide to cross the road.

Also notably, so bright they burn the retinas of said wildlife and any drivers or pedesttrians approaching you.

Well, the new stupid bright lights, yes. The idea of brights in general, though, not quite as bad.

I'm also not clear why someone would leave brights up once they are close to something that has eyes. The idea is you can see them further away. But, as you get close, drop the lights.

I think part of the problem is people drive at the speed limit regardless of conditions. If its dark and wet you really should not drive at the same speed as when its sunny and dry. If you are unfamiliar with a twisty road you need to slow down. If there are more pedestrians around than usual you need to slow down.

I agree with you 100%. The speed limit isn't seen as a limit, culturally, in the united states from what I can tell. Anymore, it's treated as the minimum socially acceptable speed on roads.