Are modern LED headlights on cars dangerous?

[timoc]

Coming home tonight I was overwhelmed by the dazzling, super brightness of of car coming towards me in my taxi.
I asked the taxi driver why the headlights were so very, very bright, and he told me that they were the newer LED headlights which were many times brighter than the old style headlights.
I do understand that we need to see where we are going on the road in the dark, but I would suggest that the new type of headlights would be the cause of many crashes due to drivers being dazzled.

What are your thoughts, have you been forced to stop because oncoming cars have dazzled you?

 

[Born_To_Lose]

I know there has been a lot of complaints about these headlights, especially from older drivers.

 

[hollydolly]

yes they are, and they are particularly bad in areas where I live where there are no street lights for about 6 miles in the very narrow , very bendy, very hilly, country road going through the woods leading to my house...

I have had to buy yellow lense glasses to reduce the glare and they really work.. thank God , because really I was beginning to think it wouldn't be long before there was an accident due to being blinded by oncoming cars!

 

[timoc]

yes they are, and they are particualrly bad in areas where I live where there are no street lights for about 6 miles in the very narrow , very bendy, very hilly, country road going through the woods leading to my house...

I have had to buy yellow lense glasses to reduce the glare and they really work.. thank God , because really I was beginning to think it wouldn't be long before there was an accident due to being blinded by oncoming cars!

I'm glad, you be ultra carefull when you are out and about in your car at night, Holly, me, I'm happy to let others drive now.

 

[againstthegrain]

There is excellent headlamp tech available (BMW and others) to alleviate some/most of these issues, but most of it's not legal in the US.

 

[retiredtraveler]

Dangerous to me and most older people. Aging eyes can't deal with them for several reasons.

 

[LadyEmeraude]

I see them as dangerous and problematic.
I for one have had to mostly stop any nighttime
driving, due to the contrast of oncoming headlights
and my changing vision.

 

[jujube]

They are actually painful to me, especially the "blue" ones. Feels like pins in my eyeballs....

 

[Nathan]

The headlamps from the 50s were plenty bright!

 

[Bretrick]

I find them incredibly dangerous. Momentary blindness, travelling at night on a narrow road doing 100 kmh is fraught with the possibility of running off the road.
I limit my nighttime, country driving to nil, if I can.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I choose not to drive at night, especially when it’s raining.

The bright lights, failing vision, slower reflexes, traffic, etc… all conspire to make me a hazard to the health and well-being of those around me.

Be honest about your limitations and choose to do what’s best for you and the people around you.

 

[timoc]

I've just been talking to a neighbour at my front gate.
He told me that his son was coming home from work at 11pm when a car came around the corner and effectively blinded him with his headlights. This caused his son to mount the pavement and crash into a bollard damaging the front wing and suspension.
He didn't know who the driver was or what make of car, it never stopped, and now he has had to foot the repair bill of £850.
As you can imagine, this young fella is furious.

 

[IrishEyes]

I wouldn't be surprised if when one day we go to renew our license they have a booth they can make dark
and have that type of light flash at you and gauge your ability to see. Thus limiting your hours of driving if you fail it.

 

[BJintheUK]

I remember being told by a scientist friend of mine back in the 70s that being blinded by oncoming headlights could easily be avoided by car manufacturers. Apparently windscreens and headlamp glass can be polarized. So he said that the obvious thing to do would be to orient the windscreens and headlights differently, i.e. orient the polarisation of windscreens vertically and of the headlights horizontally, or vice versa. That way you'd be able to see oncoming headlights, but they wouldn't be able to dazzle you.

As far as I know this has never been done by any manufacturer, but the science exists and could easily be utilised with minimal cost for each and every car on the road.

 

[Ronni]

Nighttime glare from headlights was reduced significantly after my cataract surgery.

Regular headlights don’t bother me overly mi h. It’s the folks who keep their hi beams in co tinupusly when night driving. Have a little co sideratuon!!

My vehicle is equipped with automatic hi/low headlight beams so at least I know I’m not bothering oncoming drivers the way I’m often bothered!

 

[MACKTEXAS]

If the driver needs that much light to see, maybe they shouldn't be on the road.

 

[Jeni]

Some areas are cracking down on the ones who have colors accents etc.
Rain makes the glare even worse I found.

 

[George1959]

I have had to buy yellow lense glasses to reduce the glare and they really work.. thank God , because really I was beginning to think it wouldn't be long before there was an accident due to being blinded by oncoming cars!

My wife uses yellow glasses too, even during the day if there is haze or fog.

I tried and couldn't stand them.

 

[hollydolly]

My wife uses yellow glasses too, even during the day if there is haze or fog.

I tried and couldn't stand them.

I don't know what type she uses.. but the yellow lenses I have are like normal glasses but with a lightly yellow tinge... when I'm looking out of them in the dark, they are perfecty clear

 

[911]

Before my retirement, I investigated accidents where the driver claimed to be blinded by the oncoming traffic with brighter than normal headlights. I would write the accident report and include the driver’s statement and let the insurance companies and lawyers battle it out.
There was no way I was going to determine who was at fault, only to be sniffed out by an attorney if the claim went to trial.

 

[hollydolly]

I've just been talking to a neighbour at my front gate.
He told me that his son was coming home from work at 11pm when a car came around the corner and effectively blinded him with his headlights. This caused his son to mount the pavement and crash into a bollard damaging the front wing and suspension.
He didn't know who the driver was or what make of car, it never stopped, and now he has had to foot the repair bill of £850.
As you can imagine, this young fella is furious.

yep this is the problem... I visualise this scenario every time I drive at night..... you don't have to have failing eyesight to be the victim of a driver whose lights are so bright you're blinded.

The problem here as well, where I live is because there's no street lights on the road through the woods, people use full beam, and I spend a lot of my time flashing people to get them to turn their full beam off.. not everyone does... .. and even wearing yellow lenses won't really help with that.. total blindness..