Turning the spotlight on headlight glare

New research has indicated that 82% of drivers are concerned about being dazzled by vehicle headlights as the evenings get darker.

The new research comes from the motor insurance and roadside assistance provider RAC, which surveyed 1701 UK drivers.

The brightness of some headlights was found to be the top reason for feeling nervous when driving in the dark, according to survey results.

Among the 38% of survey respondents who are nervous about driving in the dark, 75% said it was because of bright headlights. This is compared to the 63% who said spotting hazards is harder in the dark, and 41% who said they cannot judge the speed of other vehicles as easily.

A third reported that they are nervous about driving in the dark as they find judging the distance of other vehicles harder, while around a quarter feel less confident driving at night in general.

Rod Dennis, senior policy officer at the RAC, commented: “Unfortunately, for a lot of drivers the annual onset of darker evenings coincides with another unwelcome arrival – that of overly-bright headlights that they believe make driving more difficult due to dazzle and discomfort.”

“While most of us have no choice other than to adapt to driving at night more often as the clocks go back, the fact headlight glare is the leading cause of nervousness underlines it’s a problem that needs tackling,” he said.

The RAC also acknowledged that brighter headlights can provide drivers a better view of the road ahead. Dennis noted: “There’s a balance to be struck.”

The RAC began campaigning for the causes of headlight glare to be investigated following a rise in complaints from drivers about getting dazzled.

Joint work with IAM RoadSmart, Baroness Hayter, and The College of Optometrists, led to the Government commissioning independent research which is due to be published soon.

Dennis said: “We look forward to the publication of the Government’s report and hope that it helps explain why so many drivers report struggling to cope with dazzling headlights – whether that’s due to changes in technology, the fact more of us than ever are driving vehicles that sit higher on the road, or for some other reason.”

The RAC also hope the report will include recommendations that will lead road users to feeling safer behind the wheel at night.

Headlight glare debated in Westminster Hall

Peter Lamb, member of parliament for Crawley, held a Westminster Hall debate on vehicle headlight glare standards on 29 October.

Lamb opened the debate with an acknowledgement of the valuable role that headlights play in road safety, but stated: “In recent years the glare from headlights has begun to tip over from enhancing road safety to compromising it. On average each year, police are called to 280 collisions and six fatal collisions where headlight glare is cited as having played a role in causing the accident.”

He identified several factors involved in increased headlight glare, from poor alignment of headlights, to the rising adoption of SUV-style cars, to the replacement of traditional halogen lightbulbs with LEDs.

MPs shared concerns from their own constituents around driving at night, and the resulting effects of isolation – particularly for older people and those living or driving in rural areas. Headlight glare is also a concern for cyclists and pedestrians.

Lamb noted that there are steps drivers can take to reduce headlight glare, but added that driving-related law in the UK “should not be reliant on voluntary measures by drivers.”

“The track record of accidents stemming from headlight glare is now sufficiently clear, but it is time for that to be recognised in law with a new standard to ensure that headlights in the United Kingdom do not exceed safe levels of brightness,” he said.

He noted the Department for Transport’s commissioned research into the impact of headlight glare, which is still to be published, and the potential implications of the new road safety strategy.

“I hope that this debate will help to maintain pressure for the action that our constituents deserve at the earliest opportunity,” he concluded.

Vision standards a “greater, and quieter threat”

Shockat Adam, member of parliament for Leicester South, attended the debate and shared his experience as a practising optometrist. He said: “Many of my patients have told me of their utter despair when they want to drive at night.”

Adam raised two challenges: the impact of modern car lighting, particularly a lack of research and legislation around it, as well as the issue of vision standards.

Adam quoted RAC research which found that it takes 68% of drivers up to five seconds to recover after they have been dazzled.

“The greater, and quieter, threat is the number of drivers who already have poor or unsafe vision and continue to drive anyway,” he emphasised, pointing to the Prevention of Future Deaths report published earlier this year following fatal crashed caused by undiagnosed sight loss.

“These figures are deeply concerning, and reveal that our current self-referral system is failing and many people either do not know their vision has declined or choose to ignore it,” he said, calling for a change to legislation, along with more research on lighting.

The greater, and quieter, threat is the number of drivers who already have poor or unsafe vision and continue to drive anyway

No sharp rise in glare as factor in accidents

Greg Smith, member of parliament for Mid Buckinghamshire, noted the concerns regarding headlight glare, supported by the findings of the RAC’s surveys.

Smith shared: “However, we should also be guided by the data on collisions. The Department for Transport’s records show that the number of road traffic accidents in which dazzling headlights were recorded as a contributory factor has not risen sharply in recent years; the figures fluctuate from year to year, but they do not indicate a dramatic upward trend.”

However, he acknowledged that “glare is making people feel less safe, which in itself is a serious issue.”

Road Safety Strategy, research, and incoming requirements

Simon Lightwood, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, referenced the work underway to develop the new road safety strategy.

Lightwood explained that, to strike the right balance between visibility and glare, all vehicle headlamps are designed and tested to follow international standards developed under the United Nations. These standards define the beam pattern and include maximum and minimum light intensities.

“Nonetheless, we know that lots of people raise concerns about headlamp glare, and we are told that some drivers, as has been mentioned, choose not to drive at night because of its effects,” he said.

Lightwood added: “While police collision statistics do not indicate an increase in collisions caused by headlamp glare, the issue can lead to social isolation, which impacts on people’s wellbeing and their ability to undertake everyday tasks.”

The Department for Transport has raised the issue at the United Nations international expert group on vehicle lighting, Lightwood said, adding that proposals to amend headlight aiming rules were agreed in April 2023 along with requirements for mandatory automatic headlamp levelling based on the loading of the vehicle.

Those new requirements are expected to take effect in September 2027 to permit time for vehicle manufacturers to redesign their products and adapt the manufacturing process, Lightwood said. He commented: “Once implemented, those tougher requirements will help alleviate the number of cases where road users feel dazzled by vehicle headlamps.”

He confirmed that the research commissioned by the Department for Transport spent several months gathering real-world glare data when driving at night, using an instrumented vehicle and machine learning analysis tools to determine the main factors that influence glare. The publication of final report for this is due shortly.