To hate these dazzling bright white headlights

[MargoLivebetter]

The clocks have changed and my post work drive back from the station is across country roads is in the pitch dark. Half an hour of being tortured by dazzling white headlights on I'm guessing the newer cars?! You can tell that they are on some kind of automatic dip too, as it takes ages for them to lower properly, unlike when someone manually dips their main beam.

I really, really, really hate them. I wondered if it is because I'm in my mid 50s and I hate everything and maybe my eyes are less reactive, but my DC in their mid 20s say that they find them blinding too. (And I do have my eyes tested annually and my vision is fine.)

Does anyone have any tips for making them less blinding? Can I get glasses with anti-glare (that actually work) or have some kind of anti-glare filter on my windscreen? Or should I get similar fitted on my own car and somehow the dazzle from my headlights would cancel out their dazzle?

Yanbu. I basically avoid driving at night as much as possible now. My little car is blinded by them.

People keep telling the government it's a risk but no one seems to be able to do anything about it.

They're awful and so fucking antisocial. I'm in a very similar situation and my drive home in the evening is now made much more difficult by them.

Their dipped is the equivalent of old high beams, it's far too much.

I was pleased to see this but who knows how long it will take..

Headlights to be reviewed after drivers complain of being 'blinded' at night

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn971jlpvvro

It's so stupid from the manufacturers pov as well - do you really want to blind someone driving directly towards you? Doesn't seem overly wise.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1j8ewy1p86o

https://metro.co.uk/2026/08/27/dame-jenni-murray-died-car-crash-dazzled-lights-29475528/

Recently, poor Jenni

Didn't know about Jenni Murray. That's awful.

In my opinion it's also the combination of white dimmed streetlights and bright LED car lights that makes it hard. Being back orange streetlights.

DD and I were talking about this just the other day. I drive her to a hobby along a country lane with many twists and turns despite which people still speed quite dangerously. Add to this the bloody headlights -I hate it and just assume they're incompetent drivers, but perhaps you're right and it's an auto dip. I never drive on full beam anyway as I find that dipped beam is sufficient for the visibility I need when driving at a sensible speed in dark places. When visibility is restricted, you can't see when someone is going to drive around the corner, so I'd rather not have my full beam on in case I dazzle anyone unexpectedly.

It is a huge problem. At the moment all you can do is look to the edge of the road instead of the headlights, I haven’t explained that well, but it’s just a glance and it sort of resets your vision a bit.

I do also think the auto-dimming / auto lights should be banned. They're not reactive enough and people should be capable of driving their own fecking cars (and if they're not then they need their license removing).

Agree, that's the only way I can follow the road, is by keeping my eyes focused on the kerb or verge on the left hand side when these dazzlers come at me.

I'm on a FB group for my car's make and it's full of idiots self-adapting their headlights to LEDs but not doing it properly and sometimes tweaking them to make them legal for the MOT and then changing them back after. I'm going to have to leave the group because I'm about to explode.

Yep I read this recently and tried it and it does help a lot - so when I'm being blinded, I look to the left hand side of the road - follow the line/cat's eyes and it really does help - just for a couple of seconds (until the twat with the ridiculous lights has gone) and then all is good.

I agree, and I am part of the problem (not by choice). I have a pick-up (company car) with the most ridiculous LED headlights. I hate this time of year as I get constantly flashed as people think I am driving around with my main beam on like some sort of asshole. I have switched off the auto dip, and have them lowered as far as they will go as they can be adjusted in the cab, but I still get flashed relentlessly. I barely ever use the main beam as it isn't necessary. I dread coming up behind smaller cars in queueing traffic also as my headlights go straight through their back windscreen and into their rear view. Prior to this I had a 2018 of the same model, no problem at all. Why do they do this??

I find it's particularly bad with 4x4s. Many of them seem to have headlights at the exact height of my eyes!

To get to my MIL's, I have to drive through a network of narrow, unlit lanes without pavements and it's particularly bad there, especially as the council can't even be arsed to paint a reflective line to show you where the carriageway ends.

I don't see her half as much in the winter, because I like to leave in time to get that bit of the journey over before it gets dark, and it barely seems worth doing a 80 mile round trip to see her for just a couple of hours.

I hate it too. I have got some of those yellow night driving glasses and they do help with the glare but they also make everything too dark when there’s not oncoming lights, so they’re not really an ideal solution.

As a pedestrian, I'm absolutely fed up of them. Oh, and if you're a driver, please turn off auto-dip. It doesn't work for pedestrians and it's bloody dangerous.

Take it to a garage to have the bulbs changed or a (legal!) film applied.

There are ways to fix this.

It's a company car so I doubt they will pay for bulb changes (or be remotely interested, frankly)

However I didn't know there was film, I will look into this and they probably wouldn't even notice... thanks!

Abra I recall reading about illegal MOT'S going on too. There's a lot of criminals who can bypass our systems these days.

My newer car has these too…I’ve switched all the auto controls off and put lights up/down manually…helps a bit.

On the receiving end side of things I found myself struggling with brightness until friend told me to stop focusing/looking at the lights (in annoyance mostly lol) I keep eyes on road ahead and slightly left until other car has passed. Seems to work for me so far.

There are films but I'd only go to an official outlet somewhere e.g. Halfords, don't buy any randomly off the internet / Amazon as you risk buying something that's too much and could get you pulled over!

God I hate them. My car is quite low down and I’m absolutely blinded by idiots in massive cars which are lit up like a bloody Christmas tree. I’m very tempted to get a row of spotlights put on my roof and start dazzling the buggers back. Something like this…

Love that @Iheartmysmart I think I'll be getting some of those too 😂