Nine in 10 drivers (89%) think some or most car headlights on the UK’s roads are too bright, and the problem is getting worse.
Of all of those who believe headlights are too bright, 64% think there’s a risk of causing other drivers to have collisions
A new RAC study of 2,700 drivers’ views has found 63% of drivers who get dazzled say it’s happening more often than a year or two ago.
And, of all of those who believe headlights are too bright, 64% think there’s a risk of causing other drivers to have collisions while two in three (67%) say they can’t tell if the headlights of oncoming cars are dipped or on full beam.
Perhaps surprisingly, younger drivers are most likely to complain about bright headlights and the effect this has on their driving. Three in 10 (30%) of those aged 17-34 think most are too bright, compared to just 19% of those aged 65 and over.
While 23% of respondents blamed the LED headlights fitted to an increasing number of modern vehicles, the RAC’s research suggests that the increasing popularity of higher-riding SUVs might also be exacerbating the problem for those in conventional cars that sit much lower, such as hatchbacks, saloons and estates. Six in 10 drivers (61%) of lower-slung vehicles who said they suffered from glare blamed the headlights on taller vehicles, yet just 28% of drivers of taller vehicles blamed others in similar vehicles.
It’s not the first time the RAC has spoken out about the issue; it first raised the topic in 2018 and highlighted that the regulations that govern vehicle lighting, including headlights, are decided on at an international (United Nations) level, with input from the UK government. Nearly four years on, drivers remain overwhelmingly supportive of the matter being looked into with 82% saying they’d like something done to help reduce headlight glare.
RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “While the apparent dazzling effect caused by headlights is a complicated one, it’s blindingly obvious just how many drivers want the issue looked into by the Government with a view to improving things for the future. Despite the RAC first having flagged drivers’ concerns several years ago, we’re not aware anything at all has happened – which will no doubt be extremely disappointing to many drivers.”
Official government data shows that since 2013, there has been an average of 293 accidents a year where dazzling headlights were a contributory factor. Of these, six were fatal accidents.
And the actual number may be higher, given that an investigation may not be able to determine whether or not a collision was directly or indirectly caused by the glare from another vehicle’s headlights.
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