Car lights have become far too bright and are damn dangerous.

Nasqueron

Veteransaver said:

Some newer cars have chromatic/electric rear view mirrors which do eliminate the dazzle from behind.

I have this in my 2014 Mazda, the difference between that and when they move out to pass is stark, the lights are ridiculously bright on many cars now, I largely suspect after market bulbs.

It's hardly limited to OP / old people either, research by the RAC indicates 89% of us think some or most lights are too bright now with 88% getting dazzled with 30% of young (17-34) thinking most are too bright vs 19% over 65.

There is a fair chance it's also related to more and more oversize / unnecessarily large vehicles like SUVs/pickups with higher lights

HillStreetBlues

To be it seems worst, also seems to be more of a delay in dipping the beam,
I expect it's down to the automation of some cars, the driver is now oblivious  to the delay as it doesn't affect them.

sheramber

I got glasses with  no prescription adjustment to them but with tinted glass for driving at night.

They counteracted the dazzle for oncoming lights.

My driving mirror had a postion to do the same. I tilted it down and it stopped the dazzle.

RebTech

Money_Grabber13579 said:

...it’s only recently that lights have started to dazzle people.

Sheer tosh, I'm twice your age (70) and getting dazzled at times has always been an unpleasant feature of night driving.

born_again

peter021072 said:

For the first time for a few years I had to drive long distance at night, mainly on the motorway. My eyes are good for long distance so I don't wear glasses.

One issue which stood out for me was the brightness of headlights, both head on and in the mirrors. When dazzled, what we should be concentrating on (other vehicles, cyclists, signs, pedestrians) are far less visible. Perhaps the length of time since my last night driving makes it more obvious to me, because all the culprits are modern cars with bright LEDs. Older cars like my own don't dazzle at all, but of course neither do they light up the road ahead to the same degree.

What seems to have happened is that manufacturers (presumably unburdened with meaningful regulations on dazzle other than direction), believe that new customers desire brighter lights.  However, I don't think having brighter lights would have helped me with the contrast problems, especially to the side and rear. 

What is needed is a form of turning down the headlight brightness, at least on well lit roads, where bright car lights are more likely to hinder rather than help society in general.

The RAC recently found that Nine-in-10 drivers (89%) think some or most car headlights on the UK’s roads are too bright, with an overwhelming majority of these (88%) saying they get dazzled by them while driving, and it’s younger rather than older drivers who are more likely to complain. 

So why has the advice always been never look at the lights, but look to the left so they do not dazzle you?
Passed test back in the 70's & well used to riding bikes with 6V headlights.

You can't say ANY light will not dazzle you, as looking at it will.

lordmountararat

Individuals have to take personal responsibility for this. I am 77 and no longer drive in the dark, except around the well-lit town I live in, because I find the brightness of modern headlights unnerving. Motorways are an absolute nightmare.

peter021072

It's unlikely to be an eyesight issue if even more young than older people are dazzled. However, I'm surprised to see the lack of data on how headlight brightness's have changed over time.

Interestingly ITN have just broadcast a report on this. They report 280 headlight glare collisions per year and 6 deaths. Also 1.6 million vehicle fail their MOT due to wrongly aligned headlights.  However, I can't recall being dazzled by any of the old style lights, which I would expect to be more likely to be maladjusted.

Rod Dennis from the RAC explains it here

“Modern LED headlight technology may also have a part to play as the human eye reacts to the so-called ‘blue light’ from LEDs differently to the ‘yellow light’ of conventional halogen headlights. This presents a real irony: the brighter and better your vehicle’s headlights are, the clearer your night-time view of the road ahead is, often it seems at the expense of anyone coming towards you.”

I think the problem is down to having too much focus on what the individual thinks they need, and not enough thought on what is best for society as a whole. I can't see the point of having bright lights at all on roads which are well illuminated, only for the less well lit country roads. I'm sure manufacturers could deliver something which adjusts the headlight brightness depending on the illumination, but they need to be guided by legislation. 

born_again

 I'm sure manufacturers could deliver something which adjusts the headlight brightness depending on the illumination,

It's called Auto lights. Another pain

sevenhills

born_again said:

 I'm sure manufacturers could deliver something which adjusts the headlight brightness depending on the illumination,

It's called Auto lights. Another pain

But with good weather and street lights, headlights are not required.

But you rarely get people switching them off, then back on again when needed, unless their battery is low.

I am generally one of the last vehicles to switch my headlights on.

WellKnownSid

peter021072 said:

However, I can't recall being dazzled by any of the old style lights, which I would expect to be more likely to be maladjusted.

You are kidding?  Halogen bulbs are routinely put in upside-down and sideways.  I don't think the MoT even cared until more stringent testing was put in place in the last 10 years.