Urgent driver warning as government to launch independent probe into car headlights after thousands sign petition

DRIVERS are being warned with the government to launch a probe into car headlight dazzle.

Thousands signed a petition demanding action over the brightness of some vehicles’ lights which prevent motorists from seeing clearly.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has acknowledged that “further evidence” is needed on the issue.

It has commissioned an independent report in response to a parliament.uk petition calling for MPs to review legislation – which garnered more than 10,000 signatures.

The DfT said: “All vehicle headlamps are designed and tested to follow international standards to ensure that they are both bright enough to illuminate the road but do not affect the vision of other road users.

“The standards define the beam pattern and include maximum and minimum light intensities.

“We know that lots of people raise concerns about headlight glare – but also that the police collision statistics don’t show any underlying road safety issue.”

But it added the report will be used to “better understand the root causes of driver glare and identify any further appropriate mitigations”.

The government department has also moved to tackle headlight misalignment, having raised the issue at the UN’s expert group on vehicle lighting.

“Proposals to amend headlamp aiming rules were agreed in April 2023, together with requirements for mandatory automatic headlamp leveling, which automatically corrects the aim of the headlamps,” the DfT said.

It went on to say, the new rules on beam alignment are due to come into force in September 2027 and “will help alleviate the number of cases where road users are dazzled”.

“Once implemented, these tougher requirements will help alleviate the number of cases where road users are dazzled.

“In addition, the DfT also plans to commission independent research to better understand the root causes of driver glare and identify any further appropriate mitigations.”

RAC survey

A recent RAC-commissioned survey found more than four out of five drivers affected by headlight glare believed the problem was getting worse.

The poll – by Online95 – of 2,000 UK drivers also suggested 89% thought some car headlights were too bright.

About two-thirds of those affected by headlight glare said being dazzled forced them to slow down considerably, while a broadly similar proportion believed some headlights were so bright they risked causing accidents.

Of those who complained about brightness, 74% said they were regularly dazzled while driving and 85% said they believed the problem was getting worse.

The RAC said it believes headlights appear brighter on modern cars due to LED usage instead of halogen bulbs.

RAC safety spokesperson Rod Dennis praised the DfT’s acknowledgment of the issue as “a real turning point”.

“Once implemented, these tougher requirements will help alleviate the number of cases where road users are dazzled.

Department for Transport

“The topic has undoubtedly struck a chord with motorists up and down the country, with many people contacting us directly to call for something to be done,” he added.

Government figures show that, since 2013, there have been an average of 280 collisions on Britain’s roads every year where dazzling headlights were a contributory factor.

Of these, six a year involved someone losing their life.

But Mr Dennis said there were “known shortcomings concerning the official road casualty data not accurately capturing the true number of incidents associated with headlight glare”.

The Labor peer Dianne Hayter, who has also urged the government to take action over headlights, told the Guardian: “This is a victory for all those drivers affected by glare who’ve complained to their MP, signed the parliamentary petition, or indeed sought help from an optometrist only to discover the problem was with headlights, and not their eyes.”