‘We nearly crashed on a bend’ How car headlights are ‘blinding’ drivers at night

Let’s face it – driving in winter isn’t the best.

Roads can be wet, icy and snowy. Even during windy days, you can find yourself sighing, wondering if it’s best to do a work from home day or cancel your plans completely rather than face the weather.

But motorists have said there’s a huge issue that’s cropped up in the last ten years or so that’s leaving them equally frustrated – dazzling headlights.

According to a new survey, commissioned by the RAC, four out of five drivers say they’re concerned about being dazzled by headlights.

The poll of 1,701 regular UK drivers suggested the brightness of some headlights is the most common reason for people feeling nervous when driving in the dark.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has already commissioned their own report into headlight glare, reportedly set to be published soon. Some outlets are already reporting the UK will push for a ‘global ban’ on the blinding lights (sorry to all The Weeknd fans out there).

We asked our readers what they think about them – and if they’ve ever had issues with the headlights – here’s what they had to say.

‘I thought a UFO was landing over the hill’

Diane Bowles said some car lights are so bright they look like a ‘UFO was landing over the hill I was about to ascend.’

Fiona Maxwell said: ‘Yes! It’s like getting laser eye surgery whenever you’re out at night if you don’t drive an SUV.’

Susan Jones said: ‘Definitely, I use night driving glasses, I look like Ali G lol, they work, that’s all that matters.’

Jacqui Beckley added: ‘We nearly crashed on a bend once after being blinded by white lights.’

But it turns out it works both ways – with the drivers of the vehicles with the lights also feeling frustrated with how bright they are.

Rob Moseley said: ‘Yes! I flashed my lights at someone, who was blinding me with main beams, and they flashed their high beams back which were not as bright.’

Anthony Walsh said: ‘Yes they are. In the dark other drivers keep flashing me thinking I have by full beam on.’

Car owner Nicole Shellard agreed, saying her car is ‘ridiculous.’

‘Oncoming cars and lorries end up flashing me, which is dangerous, because they think I’ve forgotten to turn my full beams off,’ she admitted.

But it’s not just drivers – pedestrians said they’ve been affected too.

Domokos Zsolt Mate said: ‘Even when you are just walking on the pavement, I feel sometimes I might fall in a ditch sometimes.’

How common are headlight glare crashes?

Both seasoned and new drivers alike have good grounds for being worried about crashing. Being dazzled contributed to 216 fatal or serious injury crashes in 2023, according to government figures.

Admiral, the insurer, told Metro it received 53 claims last year where dazzle from headlights or being blinded was mentioned.

In 25 claims logged in the last two months of 2024, headlight dazzle was mentioned as a cause, suggesting there might be a similar spike before the end of this year, Admiral said.

Direct Line insurance told Metro its research suggests that around 4.7 million of the estimated 44 million drivers in Britain won’t drive in the dark.

Is it the fault of all the new cars?

The development of vehicles is happening at a breakneck speed, with robot technology paving the way for things like the UK’s first driverless taxis.

Regular cars and their lights have also developed, and experts are pointing the finger at the headlights of modern cars being the most responsible for the dazzling.

Ian Edwards, the director of New View Consultants specialising in road safety, told Metro that new lights are LED, which are whiter and brighter, and often fitted on taller vehicles, making the dip function less effective.

‘There has been shift over the last 20 years to much taller vehicles,’ he said.

‘The light itself is higher and then you have this intensity.’

But a third factor is also playing a role – the aging demographic of drivers.

He said: ‘We’ve got more older drivers on the road as the overall population is getting older.

‘What happens from about 50 onwards is your glare recovery begins to reduce. That’s your ability to recover if a bright light is shone into your eye.

‘Generally, that begins to decline from about 50. There are many factors, but cataracts for example scatter the light in your eye, and as we aged, the lens itself gets more calcified.’

Rod Dennis, RAC’s senior policy officer, said: ‘Unfortunately, for a lot of drivers the annual onset of darker evenings coincides with another unwelcome arrival – that of overly-bright headlights that they believe make driving more difficult due to dazzle and discomfort.

‘While most of us have no choice other than to adapt to driving at night more often as the clocks go back, the fact headlight glare is the leading cause of nervousness underlines it’s a problem that needs tackling.

‘At the same time, it’s important to remember that brighter headlights can give drivers a better view of the road ahead – so there’s a balance to be struck.’

Optometrists have also warned that they are receiving more frequent complaints from a growing number of patients suffering from glare.

Denise Voon, a clinical advisor at The College of Optometrists, said: ‘Patients are telling us more frequently that headlight glare from oncoming vehicles is affecting their ability to see clearly while driving, particularly at a time when brighter LED headlamps and larger SUV-type vehicles have become more common on the roads.’

Is anything being done about dazzling lights?

The issue has become serious enough for the government to take notice and steps are being taken to tackle illegal retrofit headlights.

The House of Commons is set to debate possible new standards for vehicle headlight glare tomorrow, which could soon pave the way for new legislation.

In the meantime, we’re expecting the Department for Transport’s report to be published in the next few weeks, before it’s later taken to the United Nations for discussion.

A DfT spokesman said: ‘We know headlight glare is frustrating for many drivers, especially as the evenings get darker. That’s why we commissioned independent research to better understand the causes and impact of glare, which will inform new measures in the upcoming Road Safety Strategy.

‘Alongside this, DVSA has stepped up surveillance to intercept the sale of illegal retrofit headlamp bulbs for on-road use, and anyone caught could face a fine of up to £1,000.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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