RAC Welcomes Government Plans to Research Dazzling Headlights Issue

Modern vehicles have brighter, more efficient headlights than say 30 years ago. That’s good in terms of drivers spotting hazards in the road at night. The downside is that some drivers can be dazzled by those lights and then suffer a collision. For car insurers it’s important that a balance is struck between the extent of the beam and its potential effect on road users in oncoming lanes. 

That said, the issue of dazzling headlights is something of a hobby horse for the RAC, who gain lots of MSM coverage from their routine surveys on the topic. IE researched online for accidents specifically caused by dazzling lights and could find only two. One of which was a road rage incident where a driver was annoyed because someone failed to dip from high beam – different thing basically.

In fact, far more accidents are caused by a low sun in the sky blinding drivers at junctions, or the brow of a hill, not dazzling headlights. But you can’t turn down the sun using EU regs. Anyway the RAC seems happy that the government are going to spend some money looking into the issue, here’s the word;

Following confirmation the Government will be commissioning research into the issue of headlight glare:

RAC road safety spokesman Rod Dennis said: “We are delighted to see a commitment from the new Government that independent research into the issue of dazzling headlights is being commissioned, especially with darker evenings now on the way. We hope it leads to a better understanding of what is a complex problem, but one that is undoubtedly affecting drivers up and down the country – in fact, more drivers have contacted us with their concerns about this topic than any other in recent times. We’ve worked hard over a number of years to raise this topic on drivers’ behalf and now look forward to supporting the Department for Transport in this piece of work.”

Baroness Dianne Hayter said: “For anyone who suffers from headlight glare and wonders what is being done about it, this will be a very welcome announcement. We know some drivers have stopped driving at night, and we know concern about dazzle isn’t only felt by drivers in the UK but further afield as well. Getting to the bottom of these issues and deciding a way forward is extremely important.”