To think that bright LED car headlights need banning?

[BurntBroccoli]

Drive home this evening at rush hour and the overly bright LEDs seem even worse than ever! The red brake lights are awful too.

I cleaned my windscreen both inside and out but it's not made much difference. I've had my eyesight checked in preparation for the dark nights and new glasses with anti- glare coating on but I'm still blinded! Even tried looking to the side but the lights dare still blindingly bright. Any slight hill they are there right in your field of vision.

I really don't think I can drive much longer and I'm really worried as I live rurally.

I've taken to wearing yellow night time driving glasses (and looking a right knob in the process) because these lights are so blinding. I used to enjoy driving and started to think it was old age creeping up on me.

It hit the national news last night and it is another case of introducing a technology / device that was inadequately tested and trialled on those that use it, in the setting it is used. Headlights take adjusting according to who is in the car, differing heights of cars add to the issue, as does the state of the roads, lacks of markings, light bouncing off potholes / water, let alone into the eyes of the drivers. We are not biologically equipped to deal with blinding lights, in any setting, but on a road they are deadly. There was also a news article about people going out more for breakfast / lunch and less activity in towns in the evening and I am sure that not wanting to drive at night is adding to this.

I thought it was age, but my optician says that everyone is complaining of the issue with LED lights, so this is obviously something that really does need rethinking on cars.

From a pedestrians's perspective:

Ultra bright headlights stun your vision and make crossing roads and junctions very dangerous.

Animated indicators are just as dangerous. When you're looking left/right it's now far easier to miss the indicator.

Car drivers, please check your headlights and downgrade them if you can, your current vehicle may be dangerous to other road users.

Same here. They might as well have their high beams on!

Blinded this morning by someone who might as well have stuck my face up against a floodlight in Wembley.

They are awful, I don't understand how they can be legal.

I used to enjoy driving at night with fewer people around but not anymore and I avoid it now due to being blinded a lot. At my gym some people sit in their cars with the headlights on and I can’t see properly to reverse as I’m blinded. They seem oblivious to the floodlights they are creating. It would be good if something is done before this gets any worse although I’m sceptical the car manufacturers will bear the cost of changing the lights. The 4x4 are worse as I’m in a lower car.

Yeah I hate it. I used to think it was just me as I had laser eye surgery a few years ago which can cause increased light sensitivity and glare especially at night, but looks like it affects a lot of people. I don't know why it's not law to put those deflector stickers on like it you have to if you drive to France and other European countries.

I drive one of those awful suv's, high up and with bright leds, live rural and honestly they are amazing, they light up the road fantastic.
I also drive a golf with led that light up the sides of the road, got an intelligent lighting system on both cars. And from a drivers point of view they are brilliant.

Saying this, last week I drove my sons saloon and the oncoming vehicles lights were terrible, blinding me.
I suggest night glasses may be worth looking into, I never knew led were an issue till last week.

I ended up getting a bigger car, just so my driving position is higher and i don't get quite as dazzled. I still do, but it's better.

Rural roads are the worst because they arent lit up so a car coming towards you, cancels out your own light and my visibility reduces drastically. It feels so dangerous on some roads and used to really stress me out when i was doing late shifts and driving a lot in the dark in the winter.
I have astigmatism too.
On roads that actually are lit, its fine, but the dark roads in the country. Horrible and dangerous

It doesn't help that councils are switching off street lighting (as a money saving exercise?) so there is no ambient/background lighting so it's like driving on country lanes but these are major roads. Getting floodlight glare from oncoming traffic then the camera flash effect which prevents you from seeing potential hazards in your path because it causes a temporary blindness.

Not to mention the glare from roads in wet weather, particularly on tarmacked roads (as opposed to stone chipped roads). It just seems to create a mirror effect and road markings become invisible.

Urgh, I could rant about this all day

Oh thanks for that! Will try and watch on catch up later.
I'm just thankful that the nights are getting a bit lighter so I'm not housebound in the evenings.

I complained to our council about the street lights being turned down and how it was risky for pedestrians and active travel. They knew their claims about it saving energy was rubbish and admitted it was as they need the money for adult social care.

I've nearly fallen over kerbs and potholes thanks to the stupid dimmed streetlights. I won't go out late anymore as it's horrible to walk in a dark area, even with a torch.

Yes I can imagine a lot of people don't realise.
It's not the car owners' fault, it's the manufacturers!

The corner of our road is so dark. Was much better with the orange lamps

The guy on the bbc took his car to the garage as he was getting flashed by other drivers all the time. They said his lights were on the right setting! Ridiculous they are being made like this.

The deflectors are due to our lights being configured to drive on the left. Ours dip to the left, that’s a bit of an issue when driving on the continent. On LHD cars they dip to the right.

Omg agree with this op! It’s so awful.

the other two things I have noticed are:

is the number of driver with multiple lights out
ie it looks like a motorcycle is coming towards you! 😱
its insanely dangerous

men in particular no bothering to indicate - like it’s too much work….

add this to the blinding headlights and it’s super dangerous on the roads

Totally agree. I've just bought some night driving glasses - although they do make me look like Ali G!!

Ha ha! I got some small clip on ones!

They do work a bit when there's lots of oncoming traffic, but on the dark country roads I have to flip them up as the definition goes.

Yep, totally rural here with next to no light pollution. On a full moon you could drive without lights & on a new moon it's pitch, pitch black cos there are no street lights at all. The roads are two car width wide at max, often one & & a half with the huge modern SUVs & high end cars - which make up the majority of visiting vehicles in the school holidays. Visitors also have a habit of driving in the middle of the road, away from the hedges.

These lights do, completely, blind you & you've no idea where you or they are on the road. I've had to come to a complete standstill many times cos you just cannot see anything. I mentioned previously on this thread & see other pp have mentioned it too now but being so bright behind me that MY car is casting a shadow ahead of me is absolutely batshit. It's not just being head-on to them, they reflect off all the mirrors into your car so flipping the rearview makes little difference.

I've stopped driving at night due to this 😞