Bright headlights prompt safety fears as drivers are becoming ‘increasingly dazzled’

Drivers are struggling with bright headlights while driving at night, according to recent research.

The survey asked 2,700 drivers about their main issues while driving and found that 89% say vehicle headlights in the UK are too bright.

Headlights – What’s Causing The Issue?

There are several factors that are causing drivers to be dazzled by headlights, including:

• The angle at which the headlights are seen
• The increased power of LED technology in headlights
• The different way in which the human eye perceives blue light from LEDs compared to yellow halogen lights

Additionally, two-thirds of drivers who are struggling with oncoming headlights say it’s happening more frequently, while 64% also believe they’re at an increased risk of collisions because of it.

It could also be an issue if you’re driving on a road with low-level or no lighting, meaning that some drivers will use full-beam headlights to view the road in front, which could cause an issue for oncoming traffic.

What’s Being Done About Drivers’ Concerns On Headlights?

The research into the issues around headlights is relatively new, which means there isn’t a consensus on whether the issue is something that needs addressing formally…

But given that being unable to see for just 1 second while driving at 60mph would see the vehicle travel 13 metres, it’s clear that it’s a potential hazard.

A quarter of drivers in the survey said that LED highlights, which are fitted to the majority of modern vehicles, are causing significant issues with glare, but 22% per cent weren’t sure whether any specific type of headlight was the cause.

The issue appears to be a combination of the angle of the headlight beams, the power of the headlights and how drivers use the headlights (whether that’s full beam or dipped).

It could also be that vehicles that sit higher on the road naturally shine their headlights at a higher angle due to the need to keep the road in front of the car lit…

This could cause issues for drivers of vehicles that are lower down, such as hatchbacks and estates.

And the research seems to reflect that, with 61% of drivers in lower vehicles saying they’ve experienced issues with headlight glare from taller vehicles, while just 28% of drivers of taller vehicles have reported issues.

This could mean a disparity in the relative chances of headlight glare causing issues depending on the type of vehicle you’re driving – for example, it appears that an HGV driver shouldn’t experience many (if any) issues…

But someone in a smaller van, hatchback, or estate could experience headlight glare from that very HGV.

What Do The Guidelines Say?

The regulations that govern lighting on vehicles are decided by the United Nations, with the government in the UK having input on those decisions.

But the likelihood is it will take a significant amount of research before widespread changes are considered.

The current data shows that since 2013 there have been an average of 293 accidents each year where dazzling headlights were cited as a contributing factor.

Have you experienced issues with dazzling headlights? Do you think changes need to be made? Let us know in the comments below.