A quarter of UK drivers are reducing night-time travel due to dangerously bright headlights, with many blaming intense LED and bi-xenon lights for glare that hampers visibility, according to new Royal Automobile Club (RAC) research.
The study found that three-quarters of those cutting back on night driving cite dazzling headlights as the primary reason, with issues including difficulty seeing indicators, judging distances, and estimating vehicle speeds.
SUVs, which sit higher, were often named as a contributing factor.
The RAC has called on the Government to regulate headlight brightness, angle, and intensity, as public concern grows.
The UK Department for Transport has commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory to investigate the issue, with potential law changes on the horizon.
Since 2013, an average of 280 crashes per year have been linked to headlight glare, highlighting the urgent need for action.
Image credit: Eugene Triguba
I agree some of these LED headlights are just too bright at night and it’s worse when it rains.
And by design.
In NZ, of course, it’s not just bright headlights: It’s the white paint on roads that when it rains and under reflective light can become hard to see. You then cannot see road markings, center lines and so on.
And dazzling road signs which use glass in the paint.