The increasing issue of drivers being dazzled by the bright lights of oncoming vehicles is expected to be tackled in the government’s new road safety strategy.
Three-quarters of people who took part in a recent survey said that bright headlights were the reason why they felt more nervous driving in the dark.
The RAC canvassed its members as part of a joint campaign for the causes of headlight glare to be investigated, while TRL – the Transport Research Laboratory – were commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) last year to explore why drivers are being dazzled by headlights.
The DfT has confirmed that the results of that research are expected in the next few weeks, and that it will inform its forthcoming road safety strategy.
In the RAC survey, 38% of people who responded said they are nervous about driving in the dark, of which 75% cited headlight glare as the main reason why. 63% said hazards were harder to spot in the dark, while 41% felt they were not able to judge the speed of other vehicles as easily.
The RAC has been campaigning on the issue of headlight glare since 2018, along with the College of Optometrists, IAM RoadSmart and Baroness Hayter.
RAC senior policy officer, Rod Dennis, 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.
The RAC says it is looking forward to the publication of the Government’s report and hopes that it may explain why so many drivers report struggling to cope with dazzling headlights.
