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Drivers complain of dazzling headlights as more LED bulbs installed in cars

Following a rise in complaints the Department for Transport set up a United Nations working group to explore why more drivers felt car headlights had become overly bright - Telegraph 
Following a rise in complaints the Department for Transport set up a United Nations working group to explore why more drivers felt car headlights had become overly bright - Telegraph

Modern car headlights are too bright and are distracting drivers, the RAC has warned, as it is feared that "energy efficient" light bulbs are behind a rise in complaints.

Some 15 per cent of drivers have suffered a near-miss due to the brightness of some new car headlights, according to a new report by the motoring body. 

Following a rise in complaints the Department for Transport set up a United Nations working group to explore why more drivers felt car headlights had become overly bright. 

The rise in popularity of LED lights are among the potential causes of the problem being explored by the group. 

LED lamps produce light using light-emitting diodes and have a lifespan and electrical efficiency which are several times greater than incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps.

Lighting experts said it was "no coincidence" that makers of upmarket cars have been fitting more car headlights with efficient LED lights over the past decade, instead of traditional halogen bulbs.

Stephen Dixon, a lighting expert at the Quality Light Source Factory, said the rise of LED lights in car headlights was likely to be why people perceiving them to be brighter.

He said: "LED light is more directional. Rather than being big spread of light which comes from a halogen bulb, LED light is more focused. It is also a traditionally brighter light which appears as blue white, hence why it appears brighter in the dark."

LED lights are most commonly found in upmarket cars as well as top-spec versions of mid-range vehicles. 

LED  - Credit: Jann Lipka
LED lightbulbs are more energy efficient than traditional bulbs Credit: Jann Lipka

All cars sold for road use in the UK have to be fitted with headlamps that conform to standards set by the EU in line with the United Nations’ World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations.

Government guidelines say all vehicle lamps and in particular headlamps, are designed and tested to ensure that they balance the need to be sufficiently bright to illuminate the road ahead whilst limiting the likelihood of affecting the vision of other road users. 

For all vehicle lamps irrespective of technology used to generate the light, there are approval requirements that define maximum and minimum intensity, light pattern and position on the vehicle. Before vehicles can be sold and registered in the UK, they must be approved to the required regulations.

RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said: “The intensity and brightness of some new car headlights is clearly causing difficulty for other road users.

"Headlight technology has advanced considerably in recent years, but while that may be better for the drivers of those particular vehicles, it is presenting an unwanted, new road safety risk for anyone driving towards them or even trying to pull out at a junction.

"Drivers also find it very distracting when they have to contend with being dazzled by bright lights in their rear view mirrors.

“While regulations specify that all types of dipped headlights must fall between a maximum and minimum luminosity the night-time driving experience of motorists of all ages is very different with many saying dipped beams of some modern vehicles are too bright.

“We look forward to seeing the progress of the United Nations’ vehicle lighting working group in April.”