Are headlights too bright?
Bright Lights
Have you noticed new car headlights are more blue than the lights on older cars? This is because new cars come with high intensity discharge beams, these are more blue-white and brighter. A study has just been started by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to see what impact these new brighter lights are having on drivers. They have started this research as the number of drivers reporting being dazzled by lights has increased recently.
If a bright light dazzles a driver it can cause an accident. Your eyes will take between one and four seconds to recover from a bright light. If you’re travelling at speed your car will have travelled a long way in the time it takes for your eyes to be able to see again.
There is a fine line between being well lit so that you can see and be seen by other road users and being dazzling so that you cause an accident. Car manufacturers have gone towards a blue light as it causes more contrast, so it makes it easier to see objects on the road. Older cars have halogen bulbs, which are a yellower light. It isn’t known if the blue lights are just brighter, or are in some way causing more glare.
Do you find newer lights are too bright? We’ve got an article about checking your headlights, if you’d like more information about how to check and adjust your headlights.
Learning to drive safely is very important. We have experienced driving instructors that will be able to teach you not just to pass your test, but to drive safely for years to come.
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