Glaringly Obvious
The RAC is asking the government for action on headlight glare
Lucy England
With or without your headlights on!
Have you ever been dazzled while driving at night? Have you noticed this getting worse and is it something which puts you off riding or driving at night? It seems that many people are struggling with night time headlight glare, and the RAC has got wind of this and is investigating the situation.
After an in depth study of 2000 drivers by the RAC * an overwhelming nine out of ten think that at least some headlights are too bright, and the problem is getting worse, and three in ten think most headlights are too bright.
A huge 91% of drivers say that they sometimes get dazzled when driving at night and 74% say it happens regularly.
Blinded By The Light
Of drivers surveyed, 67% say that they have to slow down in order to be able to drive safely while dazzled and 64% think that some headlights are so bright that they risk causing an accident, with 5% saying they personally have had near misses due to being dazzled.
One in 10 drivers say that they even avoid driving at night because they don’t feel safe, and think the dazzling headlights might actually cause an accident – this figure is higher for over 65s, standing at 14%.
With 85% of drivers saying that they think the problem is getting worse, the RAC asked drivers how long they estimate that it takes their eyes to recover after being dazzled. The results were rather alarming, 68% say that it takes between one and five seconds, 11% say they think it takes six or more seconds for their eyes to get back to seeing properly – enough time for a driver travelling at 60mph to cover 160 meters or 40 car lengths. Of course travelling along at night you are unlikely to only meet one dazzling oncoming car, in fact the most likely scenario is car after car, so that adds up to a long time dazzled in many night time journeys.
Many and Various
There are various possible reasons for this problem. It could be that lights are just getting brighter. Many cars now have LED headlights which gives them a more focused beam which the human eye reacts to differently than its predecessor, the yellower halogen bulb. LEDs USP is that they will increase driver safety by lighting up the road ahead better, but this is to the detriment of oncoming cars, thus making the safety element negligible – if you can see your bit of road better, but oncoming traffic is blinded, then that does not seem so very safe for anyone.
Some drivers surveyed think that the problem is caused by headlights being badly aligned. Apparently 5% of class 4 vehicles failed their MOTs due to poor headlight aim. Not so many really although the figures could be higher due to inaccurate testing.
High and Mighty
The prevalence of high vehicles like SUVs could be contributing to the problem as their headlights are higher up and could be in exactly the right position to dazzle motorcyclists or ordinary car drivers.
A very high 81% of drivers believe that something should be done about this issue, rising to 87% among drivers between 45 and 54.
The RAC has raised this matter with the Department of Transport and is meeting with the Government to discuss it.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said:
“Our figures suggest drivers are more concerned than ever about headlight glare, with a huge proportion wanting to see something done about it. We urgently need the Government to take a closer look at the issue, ideally by commissioning an independent study to understand what’s causing an increase in reports of dazzling and, most importantly, what can be done to keep drivers safe.
“With spring still a long way off, there’s a good chance many people will do most of their driving in darkness over the next few months and, according to our research, that means an awful lot of drivers will experience the discomfort and even danger that comes from being dazzled by headlights.
“On the one hand, brighter headlights can be a good thing as they give drivers a clearer and safer view of the road view of the road, but that appears to come at a cost for those on the receiving end of excessively bright lights.
“The numbers of reported road casualties where headlight glare was listed as a contributing factor might be small when compared to something like speeding, but that only tells part of the story. Is it right we have such a high proportion of drivers who feel unsafe when they’re driving at night, with some having even given up night-time trips altogether?”
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town said:
“The RAC has demonstrated that some car headlights can dazzle, causing a danger for oncoming drivers. We know drivers in other countries share this concern. So, government should take action now to be on the side of road safety and ensure everyone keeps to the Highway Code, which states drivers ‘must not use any lights in a way which would dazzle other road users’.”
IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards Nicholas Lyes said:
"Drivers are increasingly telling us they are concerned by modern headlights and some are now even limiting the amount of time they spend driving during darkness to avoid glare. Being dazzled by a headlight has a worrying impact on road safety and we need policymakers to take this matter seriously.
Dazzling headlights from on coming traffic is of course an issue for motorcyclists too, although the benefits of having bright lights are higher as motorcycles need to be clearly seen at night.”
Any comments or personal experiences to add to this story – we’d be really interested to hear your views particularly on how dazzling lights affect motorcyclists. Let us know at: [email protected]
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