GOVERNMENT ACTION
RAC CALLS GOVERNMENT TO ACT ON HEADLIGHT DAZZLE - 89% DRIVERS SAY SOME ARE TOO BRIGHT
An RAC survey of 2,000 drivers found that 89% think at least some headlights on cars on the road today are too bright, of which 28% – a higher proportion than ever – think most are. Of the drivers who complain about bright headlights, 91% say they get dazzled when driving, with 74% saying this happens regularly. When it comes to the effects of glare on drivers, 67% who suffer say they have to slow down consid- erably until they can see clearly again, while 64% believe some headlights are so bright they risk causing accidents. In fact, 5% of these drivers say they’ve nearly had a collision themselves. Alarmingly, 7% say they
find
headlight glare so bad that they avoid driving at night altogether, a figure that rises to 14% for drivers aged 65 and over. While the RAC has been surveying drivers on dazzling headlights since 2018, these new findings show more drivers than ever are suffering from them, with 85% of those affected stating they believe the problem is getting worse. The RAC asked drivers to estimate how long it takes them to see clearly again after getting dazzled by other drivers’ lights. While 68% say it takes between 1-5 seconds, 11% say it takes 6 or more – which is enough for a driver travelling at 60mph to cover 160 metres, the equivalent of 40 car lengths. The reasons could be due to the increasing prevalence of cars with LED headlights, leading to a much more intense and focused beam to which the human eye reacts differently, compared to convent-
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ional ‘yellower’ halogen bulbs. While LED headlights are great for improving a driver’s view of the road ahead, this can be to the detriment of other road users who encounter them. However, 44% of drivers think the dazzling is caused by badly aligned headlights. A FoI request submitted to the DVSA in November 2023 shows that since 2019, an average of 1.6m, or 5%, of Class 4 vehicles – which includes passenger cars – failed their MOTs as a result of poor headlight aim. Further, the DVSA stated in 2016 that ‘headlamp aim consistently tops the MOT compliance survey as one of the most likely items to be assessed incorrectly by testers’, so the actual figure could be much higher. The increasing popularity of cars that sit higher on the road, especially SUVs, may also be a factor with those in conventional cars suffering the most - 62% of conventional cars blame the dazzling on higher vehicles. But whatever the causes of headlight glare, it is clear how strongly drivers feel about the issue with 81% saying more should be done to tackle it – this rises to 87% among drivers aged 45 to 54. Government collision statistics show that since 2013, there has
been an average of 280 collisions a year where dazzling headlights were a contributory factor, with six a year involving someone losing their life. As a result of the sentiment among drivers, the RAC has raised the issue of headlight glare with the DfT and has been working with Baroness Hayter, to
highlight
drivers’ concerns to Government. The RAC compiled a report of its research and has met 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. “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?” Mike Bowen of the College of Optometrists, said: “We urge the Government to commission more technical and clinical research to have a better understanding of this issue and how to ease the effects of dazzling headlights.” Baroness Hayter said: “Govern- ment 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’.”
FEBRUARY 2024 PHTM
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