Are headlights getting even brighter or is it me?!

[Riskyrice]

Dear god, the season of night driving is always bad, but it seems headlights are getting even worse? Driving home just now was like being attacked by hundreds of torches right in the eye! I've still got white spots.

I do wear glasses and have mild astigmatism, but it's getting to the point where it feels borderline unsafe to drive at night. Is there anything I can do to reduce the dazzling?

Nope you're not imagining it. It really dazzles me too - I think I'll get some tinted glasses and see if they help. Can't believe manufacturers are allowed to make the default headlights so damn bright.

Also to the suggestion to keep your distance from the car in front when the OP is talking about oncoming traffic. Have you tried reversing when they approach

They are definitely brighter than they used to be. I work in a rural office and hate driving home at night now. One of the road I use is quite busy but only partially white-lined and I find it really hard to judge the width between me and the oncoming car in the narrow bits. Luckily I'm only office based 2 days a week now though. Counting down the home trips until mid Feb when it seems to be light enough to drive home in dusk rather than dark.

I thought that it was illegal for lights to be dazzling?
Can’t drive with fog lights on? Which aren’t as bright?

Im afraid it is an unavoidable consequence of aging.

At 35 your eves are appreciably worse at recovering form glare than they are at 25.

Here’s a paper from 1980. it’s not a recent phenomenon.

books.google.co.uk/books?id=XPk5AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA106&lpg=PA106&dq=time+taken+to+recover+from+headlight+dazzle&source=bl&ots=OmR2I-m3p3&sig=ACfU3U0ZFUsW5o9z-GVUePQmgVUAHiw0XQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-5a_iuJj0AhVvg_0HHXQYBI8Q6AF6BAgdEAM#v=onepage&q=time%20taken%20to%20recover%20from%20headlight%20dazzle&f=false

@Seeline

They don't seem to be 'directed' as well as the old ones either. They point directly ahead, whereas the old ones were angled more towards the pavement.

Some are so bright, it makes seeing the ridiculously small indicator lights almost impossible.

Yes I agree, not sure ifs the design of the cars or people don't bother to adjust them properly, but some people have them at an angle which probably improves visibility for them, but dazzles others.

I agree about restrictions on light intensity being brought in.
Also what is the reasoning that the lights these days are on all day long so including bright sunny days ?

LEDs are brighter than bulbs used to be.

And led light is directional than dispersed I think.

I agree. Gives me a headache. Newer SUVs are the worst offenders - it’s as if headlights are always on full beam.

Apparently so. I don't like them.
There's been a couple of newspaper articles about it.

I flip up my rear view mirror if someone has bright lights on behind me. I also adjust my wing mirrors to go out wider. The blue lights are definitely brighter. But also the cars with a double set of headlights in the bumper dont help.

We had someone driving too close behind us at twilight the other day with blinding headlights. DH flipped the rear view mirror but it was still bad and also catching the wing mirrors. He put his fogs on for a moment and then the driver seemed to realise she was being a problem and dropped back.

There does need to be some regulation now LEDs are so bright. Do the French still use yellow anti glare filters on their headlights? That seems like a good idea.

@FrancescaContini

I agree. Gives me a headache. Newer SUVs are the worst offenders - it’s as if headlights are always on full beam.

I’m always tempted to put my full beam on in retaliation.

@Vanishun

You can buy yellow night time driving glasses that help a bit (they also do over-glasses if you already wear them).

I always glance down to the left hand road line as cars pass right by.

Yes, I do this too. Keeping a careful eye on the lights of the car in front but looking more towards the left hand side of the road to avoid being dazzled.

people with blue eyes tend to be more sensitive to this.

Most people, particularly those with Chelsea tractors, have not the slightest clue that the angle of their headlights is adjustable, and they are all left on far too high.

Either that, or, being the kind of person who thinks driving an X27 is a sensible thing to do, they probably deliberately have their headlight angle at it's highest just because they don't give a shit about anyone else...

Highway Code seems to say it’s not allowed?

114
You MUST NOT
use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders
use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves to avoid dazzling other road users (see Rule 226).

I really struggle with the brightness of modern car lights, I have tried yellow anti glare glasses but they didn’t seem to do much.
Can anyone recommend a really good pair?

It might be worth having your eyes examined.how old are you?it could be cataract?i had the same problem and after I had cataract done, it was much much better!no more bright lights(it was even worse when it was raining at night)

@Prattypitel

It might be worth having your eyes examined.how old are you?it could be cataract?i had the same problem and after I had cataract done, it was much much better!no more bright lights(it was even worse when it was raining at night)

OP says they are 30 is that quite young for cataracts?

I find that keeping my windows clean and smear free helps as smears on the glass can diffuse the light, spreading the dazzling effect over the windscreen.

Yes, they're definitely a lot brighter, most people that I talk to think the same too. Totally unnecessary for them to be so bright. It's about time something was done about them as they obviously adversely affect other drivers.

I feel the same. I would have thought the car behind me recently was on full beam but we were on city roads so they can't have been.

Hell yes.

Lights are so much brighter now. Even daytime lights are dazzling.

Yes. It's because far more cars now have LED headlights which are brighter and the light from LED bulbs doesn't disperse like previous types, so it's more intense. I hate them.