To think night driving is getting more dangerous

[DazzledbyHeadlights]

Since a few years ago - and now that cyclists/pedestrians have more right of way. I agree and think it works well during the day.

However at night? Headlights seem to be more blinding than ever. Spotting a dimly lit cyclist in front of a full dazzling tank of a car is hard.

In addition, many pedestrians seem to have a cavalier ‘my right of way, I’ll step out’ attitude. I was driving along a 40mph stretch this evening and - 3 times - a dark figure suddenly appeared, stepped out onto the road and I needed to break quite abruptly.

LED/HID lights cant be swapped out to the old halogen variants tmk.

Back to manufacturer issue then.

Nodding along to a lot of comments here. I have good eyesight (don't wear glasses or need to) but am finding night driving becoming horrible due to the blinding lights on so many cars. Coupled with cyclists dressed totally in black, or pedestrians who walk out without looking.

The other one I've noticed a lot lately are cars driving at night with only one working headlight, and that single light on full beam. I've not seen this regularly ever until the last few months, so I wonder if that's becoming a thing. Police presence is so rare I can't imagine people get pulled over much for that.

I also drive a Civic, and I regularly get flashed by people who think Ive got main beams on so it's not just a SUV problem by any stretch.
I have not, it's because the later models are LED, and they're not incorrectly adjusted either.

The majority of modern cars have LED or Xenon bulbs instead of halogen because technology has moved on and LEDS are better for the environment emissions-wise.

I dont think these lights are going to go away.
Tinted windscreens help mitigate some of the glare (but legally need to let 75% of the light through at the front)

Again it’s about competing needs. As pp said eco credentials compared to safety of road users. Surely there’s a balance.

Perhaps legislation could look at limiting lumens of headlights.

Maybe maybe not. It's not just one manufacturer using LED/Xenon, they all are, and they're all road legal as theres no legislation here for max brightness, only rules round adjustment etc.

I expect that as lights get brighter, there will be some sort of legislation to cap them coming in at some point. Or not.

Ha, sorry just saw that as I posted the above.
Yes I think legislation will come eventually. But it might not cover current vehicle outputs as to recall and refit etc would be a logistical nightmare so I suspect that current lights will remain within legal limits.

I think a basic understanding of biology is missing. Ie in dark conditions our pupils expand to let in more light. So why do we need to be dazzled by extra bright lights. Surely people in government and design know this?

Yup. I followed a bike on a semi rural road with one of these lights. In their effort to be visible they're blinding the people driving behind them.

nb. I pulled back far enough so I wasn't dazzled.

I've had to stop night driving at the moment. We live in a village and the surrounding lanes are awful. Windy, full of dog walkers, cyclists, horse riders etc, which is fine during the day (although annoying in the case of cyclists as there's no room to legally pass them on some stretches now the law has changed and it can make you late but hey ho) but the glare from oncoming traffic at night is madness! With no street lights you get used to driving with your headlights only and then the oncoming car lights are like the brightness of a thousands suns suddenly shooting out of the darkness! It's honestly blinding and with so little room to manoeuvre it's really quite dangerous.

Grrrr, damn those other road users

It is not always about speed. Driving on a bendy country road even at 20 is dangerous if you have just passed 2 cars with blinding headlights, you cannot see at all for a good few seconds and that is enough time to knock a cyclist off a bike.

Re adjusting the headlights, DH looked up how to do it on our Discovery Sport but found the knob adjuster thing that was allegedly there, wasn’t on our car. I need to have a look myself in case he missed it.

I’m another one with an astigmatism and even with glasses I’m finding it really hard to drive at night, especially in the rain as PPs say.

i also run a lot in the dark at the moment (marathon training) and always wear hi viz and a light front and back; the front one can be dipped down so hopefully I’m not dazzling anyone. However it really makes you notice how close to invisible other pedestrians can be - even at walking/ running speeds and with a light it’s really hard to see someone dressed all in black until you’re pretty close to them.

As an aside, our local Facebook page regularly has complaints about runners not wearing lights, but also about runners wearing lights so I can’t win!

Because cars are designed with drivers in mind, and LEDS make for better visibility.

Yes I get that. But that’s my point. Unintended consequences to other road users. Manufacturers and legislation should take into account impact on oncoming road users.

To see or to be seen? Both. Preferably without one blinding the other in the process.

Yes ⬆️

Yes the superbright lights help the driver of that vehicle see better if the road is dark and unlit - but my beef is that in town with streetlights that is not needed so much.
As a pedestrian I walk along city roads in the dark and oncoming cars blind me as their lights are just at my eye level.

I can see to walk on the lighted streets without a torch - there is no reason why a huge SUV needs eye-blinding superbright headlights that light up the entire 2 lane road (and pavement).

This is why all round inc windscreen tints are becoming more common in modern cars. To mitigate glare and improve privacy.

My only useful suggestion at the moment for those who do find that they are blinded on the roads would be putting a (legal) tint on the front screen if they are seriously concerned.

This is bearing in mind that as yet legislation doesnt exist, and LED/Xenons are staying indefinitely.

Mine cannot be adjusted. Believe me I have checked at the main dealer.

Around 25% of people are unfit to drive, some through medical reasons, others by conduct. Then of the 75% there are those who have not had a recent eye test and are more likely to suffer from limited night vision than in the daytime. Then there are those who have SUVs and should in my opinion have to pass a test in one before owning one (most would opt for a smaller car than another test I think).

YANBU OP.

@Carnewb

There's nothing I can do about it, I'll say it again, if someone flashes me because they think I've got main beam on, I will quickly flash back so they know I haven't.

Think we will just have to agree to disagree.

Then there are those who have SUVs and should in my opinion have to pass a test in one before owning one (most would opt for a smaller car than another test I think).

I drive an SUV and would consider myself a good, safe driver. I have been driving 12 years and never an accident, speeding ticket or anything. I can park my car safely and sensibly within spaces and know how much space I take up.

After reading this thread, I paid attention to the number of cars with bright headlights on the way home and it was actually saloons and hatchbacks that were blinding me.

Headlights are too bright, and energy saving street lights are too dim. There are a couple places near me that still have older style lights, and the difference in visibility is really noticeable. Poor road markings and more street furniture just adds to the problem. I try and avoid driving in the dark as much as I can now. I think it's really difficult to see pedestrians and cyclists (even ones with lights) in poorly lit streets. We do have a lot of deliveroo cyclists who seem fond of dressing in black, having no or poor lights, and like zigzagging through the traffic which doesn't help either.

I was fully in support of the changes to the law in respect of drivers/cyclists/pedestrians etc. but they didn't go far enough. The following should have also been made law.

All cyclists/scooterists/e-cyclists must always wear a helmet
All cyclists/scooterists/e-cyclists must always wear some form of reflective clothing, either top or bottom half, that is easily visible and not covered up (by a backpack/just eat food-box etc)
All cyclists/scooterists/e-cyclists must have have sufficient lights (both front and back, provide more than adequate light to the direction of travel, and are clearly visible to others) on their bike/scooter/e-bike

Failure to comply with the above would mean the police can impound your bike/scooter.

If they can impound a car because of no tax/MOT/insurance, then bikes/scooters shouldn't be a problem

This doesn't solve the issue of LED lights on cars, but at least it would make these road users more visible to those in cars.