Three-quarters of AA members have said they feel LED headlights on vehicles are causing them to be “blinded” while driving.
The poll follows similar concerns being raised by the RAC, which called for an independent study into the issue after its own survey showed more than four out of five (85%) drivers affected by headlight glare said the problem is getting worse.
At last summer’s Centenary Light Summit, WSP’s Allan Howard outlined how developments in car design and vehicle lighting are raising concerns around glare, especially disability glare at night.
He argued growing concerns have led to a call for the lighting industry, including the ILP, to work to make the car industry sit up and listen (‘Why I don’t like driving at night’, Lighting Journal, September 2024, vol 89 no 8).
Allan is also working with consultancy firm the Transport Research Laboratory to evaluate the impact of bright lights on road users under a research project backed by the Department for Transport (DfT). The results of this are expected to be published in the summer.
The AA research suggested that dazzling headlights contributed to 216 collisions in 2023, statistics showed, 11 each in Kent and Surrey – the worst affected council areas. This was up from 211 the year before, but down from 315 in 2017 and 309 a decade ago.
AA president Edmund King said its members are “feeling the strain of brighter headlights more than ever before, as well as brighter brake and traffic lights”.
“Conversely, they also say brighter lights enhance road safety. The problem seems to be LED lights on higher vehicles such as SUVs,” he added.
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