Drivers demand government action to reduce glare from car headlights
Press Release, December 30, 2023
Car headlights should be better regulated to reduce the dazzle they cause oncoming drivers, says a new Report by concerned road users, light experts and other specialists:
"Modern Vehicle Headlights Dazzle Drivers and May Compromise Road Safety"
The Group – led by Baroness Hayter, a long term consumer champion – will meet the Department of Transport’s Lords Minister on 16th January to present the case, and to urge the government to undertake research to better understand the causes of the problem, and to investigate the need to introduce appropriate standards on new tech, high spec headlights including LEDs which produce glare that can temporarily blind other drivers, risking road safety. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, between the ages of 15 and 65, the time it takes to recover from glare increases from 1 to 9 seconds. At 60 miles an hour, that’s 250 yards in 9 seconds.
Baroness Hayter said:
“The Group’s first interaction with Ministers led them to say: No problem here, no evidence of deaths or serious injuries. Since then, the public have reached out to tell us they disagree, and that many are stopping driving at night, with 8 out of 10 drivers surveyed wanting action to reduce glare. We know other countries share our concern, with drivers demanding action. Government needs to heed the call for action and be on the side of road safety. The Highway Code states “You must not use any lights in a way which would dazzle .. other road users” – a requirement breached on every road every night.”
Rod Denis of RAC said:
“A large majority of drivers we surveyed tell us they find the dazzling nature of some car headlights makes driving difficult, if not unsafe. While current regulations governing vehicle headlights are agreed at an international level, we think the whole topic warrants more focus from the Government. There is a good argument for independent research to be commissioned that gets to the root causes of headlight glare so that the problem so many drivers face can be tackled.”
Dr John Lincoln of LightAware, the Report’s lead author, said:
“Many modern headlights are incompatible with dark-adapted human eyesight – particularly for older drivers. They are too bright, too blue and are blinding over too long a distance. Regulation is required to cut the risk of accidents and reduce driver fatigue.”
Note to Editors:
The Group’s work followed an Oral Question from Baroness Hayter in the House of Lords on 30 January which led to cross Chamber support on the issue, followed by responses from the public calling for action. The Group subsequently reviewed the literature from the UK, Europe and the USA, finding growing demands for restrictions on glare. The meeting with Lord Davies of Gower will take place on 16 January 2024.
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Contact details:
Baroness Hayter 07932 692 327 [email protected]
Rod Denis [email protected]
Dr John Lincoln 0131 662 1620 and 07804 609614? [email protected]
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This report was produced by a group chaired by Baroness Dianne Hayter.?
Dr John Lincoln of LightAware drafted this report on behalf of the group:
Mark Baker President, Soft Lights Foundation, www.softlights.org , [email protected]
Lord Clancarty Member, House of Lords
Rod Dennis Senior press & public affairs officer, RAC
Nicholas Lyes Director of Policy and Standards, IAM RoadSmart
Tim Riley Trustee LightAware Dr Peter Veto Pixun Technologies
The report also draws on input from the College of Optometrists, SMMT, FIA Europe, Jonathan Fong of the ABI and Nicole Winchester of the Lords Library.
Telecom Sys. Admin
5 个月Has this made any progress recently? As a society with roads that are already extremely dangerous, we need to begin fixing this problem now!
Senior public relations & policy professional | Media spokesperson | Campaigning | Storytelling through data
10 个月Thanks for sharing this. You may be interested in some new research done for this group, that was published last week: https://media.rac.co.uk/pressreleases/a-glaring-problem-rac-calls-for-action-on-headlight-glare-as-eight-in-10-drivers-affected-say-problem-is-getting-worse-3296130
Senior public relations & policy professional | Media spokesperson | Campaigning | Storytelling through data
10 个月Thanks for sharing this. You may be interested in some new research done for this group, that was published last week: https://media.rac.co.uk/pressreleases/a-glaring-problem-rac-calls-for-action-on-headlight-glare-as-eight-in-10-drivers-affected-say-problem-is-getting-worse-3296130
Digital Marketing Specialist at The Outsourcing Institute
10 个月The Craig Highlight Reel - Royal Blue & Tackett Creek, TN Trails and Climbs https://youtu.be/M4B_FdmzRso?si=2HpwVBYumAcCm2sO
Consultant/Coach for Weibull analysis, FMEA, and technical problem solving
10 个月Current headlights seem to spread light equally. (I think required by law). Why not allow focused LEDS to reduce light sent to the left of the vehicle (In US), and focus on the ground to the left (below 1 meter high)? This would reduce the light to oncoming drivers (typically on your left, driver's eyes 1 meter above ground). My car has a feature that detects oncoming traffic and dims the headlights if they are on high. If this were a mandate, in 20-30 years the current drivers that always drive with high beams would be fixed.