Motorists driven off the roads at night by ‘too-bright’ headlights
Written by Sam Clark on 25th February 2025
A QUARTER of drivers are avoiding night-time driving because they say headlights are too bright for them, according to a survey by the RAC motorists’ organisation.
Between a third and two-thirds of all drivers say modern headlights – which often use LEDs or halogen bulbs – can be too bright.
They told the survey this makes driving at night uncomfortable or even dangerous, and leads to migraines or eye strain as they struggle to see past the glare.
An RAC campaign has led to a government study, which is due to report in the summer,
The RAC found that 75% of motorists are now driving less at night as a result of bright headlights. Furthermore, 49% say they don’t feel safe enough – and 5% have even given up driving at night altogether.
I asked a few local drivers for their thoughts on the issue:
Ninety seven per cent of drivers told the RAC that they feel affected in some way – with eight-in-10 saying they struggle to see flashing indicators through headlight glare.
Just over three-quarters (77%) also say they find it hard to judge the position of upcoming cars when their lights are too bright, while 74% struggle to anticipate or correctly judge how fast oncoming cars are going and exactly how far away they seem.
What this research indicates is that these distracting and dangerous lights are clearly having an effect on some driver’s safety and confidence when on the road.
The research shows that drivers of smaller cars tend to blame higher-riding SUVs, while SUV drivers don’t see the link.
Since 2013, the research shows there have been, on average, 280 collisions per year where police crash investigators have said headlights were a factor.
