Car headlights BBC News

I agree with how difficult driving is with the glaring headlights. This is worse when it is pouring with rain. I was advised to wear yellow tinted glasses (over my glasses). Not sure it worked but made me feel calmer. Some of the lights are blinding; it is awful

It can also be drivers who have new cars and don't consult the car manual before driving their car for the first time?

The BLUE light on the dash board says your head lights are on.

infoman

It can also be drivers who have new cars and don't consult the car manual before driving their car for the first time?

The BLUE light on the dash board says your head lights are on.

Not all new cars have traditional dashboards many look like the screen of an iPad/tablet.

I think there are multiple factors involved in this debate, LED lights are brighter than previous headlights, there are more cars on the road along with the fact that our eyes change as we age.

DH has a high 4 X 4, I mainly drive a low sporty number, our lights are always on automatic, you have to flick a switch on steering wheel to engage full beam.

We have just come back from dropping DGD off. We had to drive in rush hour traffic through two towns, with poor street lighting. DH could hardly see, due to blinding headlights and the faint road markings added to his stress.

I once got chased by a police car because my car had been for its MOT and they’d turned the fog light on which is illegal unless it’s actually foggy. As I hadn’t had it long I didn’t notice. I was scared to stop as it was on an isolated bit of road and I’d heard of non police cars doing that so I drove to a nearby station before I stopped the car. I did say to them that I didn’t think boy racers were in the habit of driving Toyota Yaris’s.

Thank fully nowadays most modern cars automatically switch off the fog lamps,when the car is stopped and the lights have all been switched off.
How many of us recall being behind he driver in front with their fog lights on in bright day light,wishing there was some way of telling their fog lamp/s are on?

I was driving slowly down a lane yesterday evening and lo! there was a young man looking at his phone in the middle of the narrow road. Could you believe it? There were cars parked on one side of the road. Thank goodness I'm not a boy racer [we have plenty of those around]. He was wearing a dark coat. I waved my arms at him [when I was static of course] and made some facial expressions and he suddenly realised his predicament and went to the pavement. Crazy! It shocked me I have to say. And yes, I had my headlights on!

I agree with everything written on here and also avoid driving after dark like like the plague! An additional hazard of course, is potholes!!! After dark on a country lane? Gives me the shivers even thinking about it!

Totally agree about headlights and potholes. Now overly bright and/or flashing Christmas lights are adding to the problem.

Beside lights that are too bright, I also notice lots of headlamps that are out of adjustment and are shining up down left right all over the place. People need to have that checked and set properly from time to time. My garage does that automatically when they exchange a lightbulb, or when I ask them to do that as part of the winter service.

I put my hazard lights on if someone is tailgating me. People also have less efficient night vision as they age.

Our car automatically dips its full headlights as it goes along. Useful.

I avoid night driving if possible, but if it is necessary I do adjust my speed to what I feel safe with. I will not be intimidated to drive faster.

Headlights are a fact of life, if they affect you should not be driving at night!.

Every car has its headlights checked annually at the MOT the problem is not them it’s you!

On Monday night my grandson was driving home along a country road, approaching him was a car following the white centre line at 20 mph with 8 cars following him.
Grandson stopped and pulled over, the other car drove straight into him. The driver was 91 and admitted to the police he couldn’t see a thing, the police took his licence off him on the spot.

Thankfully nobody was injured, just 2 cars written off, so all you bloody drivers who are dazzled at night STOP DRIVING you will kill someone.

If headlights were dipped instead of being driven on full beam this wouldn't happen , my last 2 cars had a push switch next to the steering wheel , which lowered the beam on the headlight even lower

boyjess

If headlights were dipped instead of being driven on full beam this wouldn't happen , my last 2 cars had a push switch next to the steering wheel , which lowered the beam on the headlight even lower

Yes you do get the odd driver who doesn’t dip, others are complaining generally that headlights are too bright, their eyes are old and not reacting like they used to.

A lot of drivers leave their headlights on instead of dipping them for oncoming cars. Not the odd driver, many drivers.

madalene

A lot of drivers leave their headlights on instead of dipping them for oncoming cars. Not the odd driver, many drivers.

Maybe they also have poor eyesight and can’t see where they are going without full beam headlights.

Maybe automatic headlights are why cars approaching me as I walk along a nearby unlit part of the road don’t dip their lights. It often happens, do drivers dip lights to save dazzling vehicles or the people in them? Therefore why not pedestrians?

If dazzled I stop and shade my eyes hoping they get the message.

bikergran

My little 14 year old car has a lever on the driving mirror underneath.
If someone is up my arse backside, I can flick the lever and it sort of tilts the mirror to take way the dazzle from the car behind. But yet still allows me to see what is behind me.

I have that on my ancient rust bucket too. I still night drive but only locally where I am used to the roads and where the blasted potholes are lurking.

00mam00

Maybe automatic headlights are why cars approaching me as I walk along a nearby unlit part of the road don’t dip their lights. It often happens, do drivers dip lights to save dazzling vehicles or the people in them? Therefore why not pedestrians?

If dazzled I stop and shade my eyes hoping they get the message.

Automatic dip on cars react to the lights of an oncoming car, they would not react to any person or object, mine react to street lights as well.

So in a lit area in town everyone should be using dip, outside town in unlit areas I would have thought bright headlights were good showing hazards in plenty of time, they should of course use dip if it’s a pedestrian or cyclist.

"they should of course use dip if it’s a pedestrian or cyclist."

This is actually part of driving classes here (when you must dip (in build up, lighted areas, or when encountering another car), and when you should dip (outside build up areas, when meeting pedestrians, cyclists or animals)). Must meaning you can be fined if you don't, especially if it it results in an accident.

David49

Headlights are a fact of life, if they affect you should not be driving at night!.

Every car has its headlights checked annually at the MOT the problem is not them it’s you!

On Monday night my grandson was driving home along a country road, approaching him was a car following the white centre line at 20 mph with 8 cars following him.
Grandson stopped and pulled over, the other car drove straight into him. The driver was 91 and admitted to the police he couldn’t see a thing, the police took his licence off him on the spot.

Thankfully nobody was injured, just 2 cars written off, so all you bloody drivers who are dazzled at night STOP DRIVING you will kill someone.

Well there you've told me off mate. Lets meet again when you are a few years older, and talk about the issue again.

Meanwhile, some research on the issue by German automobile club ADAC and a group of European automobile clubs:
"*How much do LED headlights really dazzle?*"
www-adac-de.translate.goog/rund-ums-fahrzeug/ausstattung-technik-zubehoer/licht-und-beleuchtung/blendung/?_x_tr_sl=mt&_x_tr_tl=de&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp
"*Danger from glare: Many drivers are affected*"
www-adac-de.translate.goog/news/auto-lichter-blenden-umfrage/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp#verursacher-fernlicht-nummer-eins

Adfitionally, light sources for cars you can buy on e. g. Amazon "directly from the factory" have sometimes been found faulty, as in not conforming to European requirements (something I heard in a radio interview a while back) . They are built in a way that the light stream hits the oncoming traffic, which is actually forbidden. But they are cheap...

Another web article on LED and their (dis) advantages from a technical and medical viewpoint :
Bright LED headlights: safety at the expense of others
www-paten--der--nacht-de.translate.goog/grelle-led-autoscheinwerfer-sicherheit-auf-kosten-anderer/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Delphin

Another web article on LED and their (dis) advantages from a technical and medical viewpoint :
Bright LED headlights: safety at the expense of others
www-paten--der--nacht-de.translate.goog/grelle-led-autoscheinwerfer-sicherheit-auf-kosten-anderer/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp

You are correct there are replacement bulbs that can be fitted into existing headlights, mainly in older cars, many are illegal and should not be available in the UK. They should get picked up on the MOT

At 75 my eyes are normal, driving home on Sunday I took particular notice it was very busy only 2 cars were abnormally bright.

PS when I’m old and my eyes are bad, the wife can drive.