Headlight ‘Glare’ – Are Modern Vehicle Headlights Too Bright?
Headlights have been a road safety concern amongst drivers and road safety campaigners for some time.
In fact, new figures have revealed that 36% of drivers surveyed believe ‘most’ vehicle headlights can be too bright, with 59% saying ‘some’ of them are.
And many drivers believe the issue is only getting worse, with brighter headlights being fitted on new vehicles as older vehicles are phased out.
With half of the drivers surveyed saying that driving at night feels less safe because of headlight glare, it’s clear that there is a road safety concern – but what can be done?
Headlight Glare – What’s The Issue?
Some road safety campaigners are calling for regulations on headlight brightness to be tightened, but that’s not as simple as you might think.
That’s because the regulations that govern lighting on vehicles are decided by the United Nations, with the UK government having input on those decisions.
It’s not simply the brightness of headlights that causes glare issues, though, it’s also the angle at which they’re seen and the different way our eyes perceive LED light compared to the old halogen lights.
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.
It’s an issue that’s become more prevalent in recent years, which means that research is still limited in a wider sense.
Dazzling Headlights – The Road Safety Concern
Being unable to see for just 1 second while driving at 60mph means that the vehicle travels an additional 13 metres, which highlights just how dangerous it can be.
LED lights are fitted to most modern vehicles and many drivers believe that they’re causing significant issues due to the power of them in comparison to halogen lights.
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.
Vehicles that sit higher on the road such as SUVs, vans, HGVs and other taller vehicles naturally shine their headlights from a higher angle, which could also cause issues for some drivers in oncoming traffic.
In fact, 61% of drivers in lower vehicles say that they’ve experienced issues with headlight glare from taller vehicles, while just 28% of drivers of taller vehicles have reported issues.
That could mean that the issue is skewed more towards private vehicle drivers rather than fleet drivers, but it’s not to say that it’s not an issue that won’t affect fleets at some point or another.
Do you think the government needs to look at tighter regulations on headlight brightness and the way they’re used? Is it an issue that you’ve noticed on the road? Let us know in the comments below…
