Government to review LED headlights after driver complaints

The UK government is set to review LED headlights after a survey revealed that 80% of drivers are concerned about being ‘dazzled’ by them when driving at night.

The survey was conducted by the RAC and put to 1,701 UK motorists, who said that the brighter LED headlights were making them more nervous on the road, with the clocks recently going back.

This has prompted the government to look further into the issue as part of its upcoming Road Safety Strategy. The BBC reported that research will take place into how modern vehicle designs are causing such a glare, while possible solutions will try to be found to combat the problem. As well as looking into LED headlights, the Road Safety Strategy is also set to bring in stricter rules on drink-driving and more rigorous eye tests for older drivers.

What has changed with headlights?

According to the RAC, dazzling headlights have contributed to around 250 accidents a year, although it is unsure as to whether this has increased over time.

While many modern cars have automatic headlamp dipping, which lowers the lights when an oncoming vehicle is detected, there are still several reasons why more and more motorists are raising glare from LED lights as a serious issue. One source of glare is understood to originate from drivers retrofitting their vehicles, replacing old halogen bulbs with LEDs.

There is also a rising number of SUVs on the road, which sit higher compared to a hatchback or estate car, meaning the headlights will more directly confront oncoming vehicles.

Other issues raised as evenings get darker

The RAC’s survey also highlighted other issues worrying drivers as evenings get darker by the day on the run up to the winter solstice on December 21.

These include 63% of people who said the darker nights would make it harder to spot hazards, as well as 41% who said darkness makes it harder to judge the speed of other vehicles.

A third of drivers said they are nervous about driving in the dark due to the difficulty of judging distances other vehicles are at on the road, while a quarter of those surveyed said they feel less confident about driving at night in general.

words: Mike Booth
picture: GEM Motoring Assist