Drivers urged to use button on dashboard to solve problem 'ruining nine in 10 journeys'

James Rodger
·2-min read
The issue, which has been highlighted as we head towards Christmas, could catch road users, motorists and drivers out as we head towards the festive season.
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Drivers have been urged to use a button in a car to stop a winter distraction. The issue, which has been highlighted as we head towards Christmas, could catch road users, motorists and drivers out as we head towards the festive season.

It comes amid reports headlights are dazzling motorists. Simon Waye, Technical Engineer at ATS Euromaster, said: "These tips can help everyday drivers adapt to the demands of winter roads, keeping themselves and others safe during one of the most dangerous times of year for road users."

ATS Euromaster recommended that drivers who are being dazzled by another vehicle behind them try to adjust their interior mirror. Pulling the tab will reduce the amount that is reflected, meaning that drivers will get significantly less glare from the headlights behind them.

READ MORE: DWP four-week Universal Credit warning before payments are stopped

READ MORE: Everyone on PIP, DLA and Carer's Allowance to wake up to bonus payment

READ MORE Santander paying out 12 payments worth up to £25,000 before Christmas

The policy and standards director for charity IAM Roadsmart, Nicholas Lyes, believes the Government could use the annual MOT test to help drivers. He said: “We could change the MOT test to fail a car if it is emitting a certain light that would be a road safety hazard.”

The road safety experts I spoke to welcomed the Government’s study. The RAC’s Rod Dennis explained: “This is only the beginning. There’s a long road in front. And even then, any changes will only affect new vehicles. But we want to get the study done and then go from there. We are cautiously optimistic.”

IAM Roadsmart’s Lyes added: “We think this is a very positive thing. This is a real problem and one that’s very complex so it’ll be difficult to understand what to do for the best, but it’s very welcome that they’re doing the research in the first place.”

And clinical adviser at the College of Optometrists, Dr Paramdeep Bilkhu, said: “Further research is needed to fully understand which headlight factors are responsible for glare so we can identify what needs to change while enjoying the benefits of better light technology.”

Latest stories

  • Bus swerves off road and into group of pedestrians at bus stop

    Shocking footage shows the moment a bus swerved off the road and onto the pavement - into a group of pedestrians waiting on the side of the road. The collision happened at 10:30am this morning on Lightmoor Way, Telford. The video shows the bus - which was heading to Telford Centre - drive into a group of three people. A crowd of people then run to the scene, to try and push the bus off the person who had been hit. The bus reverses off the pavement and emergency services were called to the scene.

  • Trump’s Bid to Rebrand Air Force One Comes Back to Bite Him

    President-elect Donald Trump probably won’t even get to fly on his improved Air Force One planes, and might have to reluctantly leave them to his successor, according to reports. In his first term Trump ordered two 747-8 jumbo jets to be heavily updated and they were slated for delivery in 2026 and 2027. However, the $3.9 billion deal with Boeing is reportedly so delayed that the models will be ready only after the 78-year-old leaves the White House. The MAGA chief reportedly made the deal his p

  • Electric cars in winter: How cold weather affects EV range and charge

    Like everything powered by lithium batteries, electric cars can perform less well in the cold. Here’s what that means for you, and how to work around it.

  • Train firms worst for punctuality and cancellations are revealed

    Ministers may look to renationalise poor performers ahead of schedule

  • Sadiq Khan raises daily Tube cap by up to 70p in blow to commuters

    Sadiq Khan has announced an almost 5 per cent rise in London Tube and rail fares in a new blow to commuters.

  • 'It seems to be getting a bit out of control': E-bike and e-scooter crimes soar 730% in five years

    The officers seize it and take it to "the cage" - a lock-up behind nearby Bishopsgate police station - from where it will be taken away and crushed. Then, the officers are straight onto their next target - a powerful e-bike that can reach speeds far higher than the 15.5 mph allowed by law. City of London Police sergeant Stu Ford says they could be out doing this all day, every day.

  • 'Oh My Gosh!': Plane Crash That Injured 4 Caught on Dashcam

    Four people were injured after a small plane crashed onto a road and struck three vehicles at a busy intersection in Victoria, Texas, on Wednesday, December 11.The Victoria Police Department said officers responded to reports of a small plane crash at the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and Zac Lentz Parkway shortly after 3 pm.Police said five people were involved in the crash. Four people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries while one person was transferred to a hospital outside of town. The pilot was being evaluated.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). confirmed a twin-engine Piper PA-31 crashed in Victoria at about 3 pm.In an update on Wednesday evening, police said local traffic routes had been adjusted and the Mockingbird Lane and Zac Lentz Parkway intersection would remained closed until further noticeThis dashcam footage captured by Anthony Poynor shows the moments before and after the crash. Credit: Anthony Poynor via Storyful

  • Horror crash leaves trail of destruction with cars wrecked along street

    A driver ploughed into several cars and two houses

  • Sadiq Khan causes Christmas chaos for black-cab drivers battling gridlock

    Sadiq Khan has been accused of bringing London to a standstill at Christmas, with taxi drivers saying changes to road layouts mean the capital is “grinding to a halt”.

  • Trump team aligns with Tesla in looking to end required crash reporting

    STORY: President-elect Donald Trump's transition team wants to scrap a federal rule for automakers, a move that would benefit Elon Musk's Tesla.That's according to a document seen by Reuters, in which Trump's team recommended doing away with a requirement to report car crashes.Removing the rule could cripple the government’s ability to investigate and regulate the safety of vehicles with automated-driving systems. Under the program, Tesla has reported most of the crashes – more than 1,500 – to federal safety regulators.The automaker has also been targeted in investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, including three stemming from the crash-disclosure data.Sources told Reuters that Tesla despises the rule, as it believes NHTSA presents the data in ways that mislead consumers about the automaker's safety.Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world's richest person, spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars helping Trump get elected president in November, and has been promised a post in the new administration.The Trump transition team, Musk and Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.According to the document seen by Reuters, Trump's team called the car-crash reporting measure a mandate for "excessive" data collection.Reuters could not determine what role, if any, Musk may have played in crafting the recommendations or the likelihood that the administration would enact them. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing most major automakers except Tesla, has also criticized the crash reporting requirement as burdensome.In addition to ditching the reporting rule, Trump's team recommended the incoming administration "liberalize" autonomous-vehicle regulation and enact "basic regulations to enable development" of the industry.

  • Security Camera Captures Moment Car Flipped, School Bus Hit in Boston

    A vehicle was flipped on its side and a school bus was hit in a multi-vehicle crash in Boston, Massachusetts, on the evening of December 10.Security camera footage captured by a local business shows a school bus waiting to turn left across traffic at the three-way intersection of Warren, Waverly, and Copeland in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. A car in the left-turn lane can be seen attempting to quickly move into the right-hand lane, but does so at the moment another vehicle is passing on the right. The passing vehicle was flipped onto its side on impact and a third vehicle was rear-ended into the school bus.Two children were on board the bus at the time of the crash, reports said.According to local news reports citing officials, no one was taken to the hospital following the incident. Credit: Cesar Rivera via Storyful

  • Firefighters Forced to Scatter as Their Truck Is Hit in Roadside Crash

    Footage from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office shows the dramatic moment a truck crashed into a police vehicle and a fire truck that were at the scene of a separate crash along a highway in Comstock Township, Michigan, on December 12.Hazardous weather created difficult driving conditions on Thursday, resulting in multiple vehicle collisions and slide-offs, the sheriff’s office said.According to the sheriff’s office, first responders were on the scene of an accident when the truck hit two vehicles, one belonging to the Comstock Fire Department, and the other to Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office.Photos from police show the extent of the damage from the crash.The video shows the fire crew running, with one of them knocked to the ground. No injuries were reported, however, and police urged drivers to exercise extreme caution in the severe weather. Credit: Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office via Storyful

  • Ian Hislop injured after e-bike crashed into him while crossing the road

    Ian Hislop, the Private Eye editor, was left with head injuries after an electric bike crashed into him while he was crossing the road.

  • A Southwest Airlines plane narrowly avoided a collision when it landed on a runway that already had a plane on it

    A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 was cleared to land on a Long Beach runway which was occupied by another plane — but slowed down in time to taxi away.

  • Overweight lorry breaches traffic restrictions in town centre

    A lorry driver was issued with a Traffic Offence Report after driving through Leiston despite the 7.5 tonne weight limit.

  • Ford Escort Mk1 returns with souped-up engine and £300k price tag

    The Ford Escort is to return with a souped-up engine delivering nearly three times the power of the original – and a £300,000 price tag.

  • Wreckage From Plane Crash Seen Scattered Across Texas Intersection

    Four people were injured after a small plane crashed onto a road and struck three vehicles at a busy intersection in Victoria, Texas, on Wednesday, December 11.Footage from Anthony Poynor shows the wreckage of the crash scattered across the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and Zac Lentz Parkway.The Victoria Police Department said officers responded to reports of a small plane crash at the intersection shortly after 3 pm.Police said five people were involved in the crash. Four people were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries while one person was transferred to a hospital outside of town. The pilot was being evaluated.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed a twin-engine Piper PA-31 crashed in Victoria at about 3 pm.In an update on Wednesday evening, police said local traffic routes had been adjusted and the Mockingbird Lane and Zac Lentz Parkway intersection would remained closed until further notice Credit: Anthony Poynor via Storyful

  • Cherry Hill, leading model engineer who made working steam-powered locomotives at 1:16 scale

    Cherry Hill, who has died aged 93, was one of the world’s foremost scale model engineers, outshining her mostly male competitors to win numerous awards including nine gold medals at the annual Model Engineer Exhibition in London, and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the top prize for model engineering – also nine times; some called her the Fabergé of model engineering.

  • Why the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado Might be the Marque’s Most Beautiful Car

    The model generation built from 1967 through 1970 was a favorite of the Rat Pack, and still has game today.

  • Pedestrian seriously injured in car collision at zebra crossing

    The incident happened in Sea Road, near the junction with Endwell Road in Bexhill, at about 7.20pm on December 11