A survey commissioned by the Royal Automobile Club has found that excessive headlight glare is actively discouraging motorists from driving at night.
The RAC’s survey, believed to be “the most in-depth research into motorists’ views” on this issue, found that of those drivers who consider headlights to be too bright, up to a quarter of them are spending less time on the road at night. Of this particular group, 75 percent stated specifically that intense glare from headlights was among the main reasons why driving at night had become uncomfortable and/or more difficult.
The study, which polled 1,866 active drivers with a full, current license in the UK in December 2024, is part of an ongoing investigation by the RAC into the conditions that most likely lead to headlight glare, and how these can be addressed.
The situation had such a “profound impact” on drivers, it even sparked calls for UK government action, with a full report on the matter set to be delivered during the summer.
A Quarter Of Motorists Now Limit Their Nighttime Driving
Of the 1,866 drivers polled for the survey, 25 percent admitted they limit their journeys at night as a direct result of headlight glare from oncoming vehicles. A further 22 percent were similarly desirous to drive less in the dark, but have obligations (e.g. work commitments) that prevent this. One in 20 drivers, meanwhile, even admitted they had stopped driving altogether at night.
The effects of headlamp glare were also studied during the survey. The majority (59 percent) of those who admitted to driving less at night stated that glare from overly bright headlights made the experience either uncomfortable or more difficult, with many stating they had been temporarily blinded in previous instances. 41 percent admitted to feeling less safe on the road.
As well as general fatigue and eye pain, some even state that headlight glare has contributed to headaches (9 percent) or migraines (4 percent) while they were behind the wheel.
Logistical concerns were also flagged, with 79 percent of those polled collectively agreeing or strongly agreeing that dazzling headlights made seeing an oncoming vehicle’s indicators more difficult. Concerns regarding the speed of an oncoming vehicle, plus their distance and position on the road, were also put down to headlight glare.
Perhaps surprisingly, motorists less than 35 years old were more likely to say that vehicle headlights are too bright, dispelling a myth that the problem afflicts only older motorists.
High-Tech Headlights Among The Causes
Though not actively stated by the survey’s data, one possible cause for the effects of headlight glare is the development of lighting technology in contemporary vehicles. 72 percent of “glare sufferers” for example, believed white LED or bi-xenon headlights were the most likely cause, as opposed to older halogen headlights (3 percent).
An increasing move towards SUVs and other large passenger vehicles over the last two decades is another concern, though the results are speculative. 56 percent of the drivers of ‘normal’ ride-height vehicles polled, for example (hatchbacks and saloons) considered cars with a larger ride height (SUVs) were more to likely blame, compared with just 28 percent of drivers of higher ride-height vehicles. Indeed, the latter group considered no particular vehicular group to blame.
Why Headlight Glare Could Be An Issue In North America Too
Despite the data, the RAC stopped short of calling for sweeping changes, stating that headlight glare needed to be tackled, albeit not at the expense of “potential road safety benefits afforded to people driving vehicles with brighter headlights,” particularly on unlit stretches of roadway.
Although the results of the RAC survey catered exclusively to UK roads, dazzling headlights are an increasing concern in the USA. A change to road safety regulations in 2022 now allows the use of adaptive driving beam headlights on American roads (a feature prevalent in Europe since 2012), but the additional costs and potential difficulties attached to both their manufacture and safety clearance have left many brands reluctant to move on them. A lack of overhead street lighting, as stated in a 2019 report by the American Automobile Association, has also led to American drivers using their high beams more frequently.
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