Have car headlights got too bright? Yahoo readers have their say - 'Constantly dazzled'
Ministers have promised the findings of a probe into safety fears over car headlights will be published later this year - but what do Yahoo readers think?
Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After the poll closes, we'll publish and analyse the results each Friday, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers.
When it comes to the glare of oncoming car headlights, it's clear that Yahoo readers are almost universal in their view - they're too bright!
Our most recent Poll of the Week asked readers 'Are car headlights too bright?' and a decisive 90% of 3,400 voters responded with 'Yes, I often notice this'.
Just 182 voters - barely 5% - said they had not noticed this issue, with a similar number declaring themselves undecided.
The poll's Have Your Say feature attracted some passionate comments, with many drivers explaining how they had given up driving at night due to their experiences with bright headlights.
Bridget F, from Devon, wrote: "I no longer like driving at night as I'm continually being dazzled by LED car lights. There is no need for this to happen. There is nothing wrong with my eyes as I have them checked regularly. The area that is illuminated by LED car lights is wrong and not needed."
I'm continually being dazzled by LED car lights.Bridget F
Similarly, Hilary G, from Suffolk, wrote: "I have definitely noticed that newer lights are so much brighter and more dazzling, which can be extremely hazardous in some locations. My husband feels the same, and says it has put him off driving in the dark."
Many of the respondents referenced the rise in popularity of LED headlights, including Imelda I, from London, who wrote: "The new LED headlights are aggressively bright. They can make a driver feel temporarily blinded as he faces oncoming traffic."
Robert G from Hertford agreed, writing: "New LED headlights are far too bright, especially in poor conditions e.g. heavy rain. We have managed for decades with softer yellow lights people just need to slow down. Solution: continue to use LED but enforce producer to use a warm white temperature rating."
We have managed for decades with softer yellow lightsRobert G
Some, like Vernon S, from West London, pointed the finger at "big [SUVs] and Range Rovers that are elevated above ordinary cars", branding them the "worst culprits".
It wasn't just car drivers who told us about noticing brighter headlights. Jen H, of East Sussex, wrote: "I have cataracts I am waiting to be dealt with and find the headlights are horrendous at night when walking the streets."
While Tony M, from Swansea, wrote: "I must say this winter has been particularly bad with travelling to and from work in the dark. It seems every car has these blinding lights. On a few occasions, I had to pull over and stop.... I could not see anything. Parked cars or maybe a pedestrian crossing the road. I am a HGV Driver. So it's not a case of over reacting. It's a real course of concern."
On a few occasions I had to pull over and stop... I could not see anything. Parked cars or maybe a pedestrian crossing the road. I am a HGV Driver.Tony M
On the other hand, a small minority of the Have Your Say respondents did not have a problem with headlights, such as Ecky W, from Edinburgh. He wrote: "I was taught years ago drop your vision to the road. And things like that don't bother me. Fast snow that blinds us from where we're going, just look at the road or the white line in front of you and keep car left or right." (Ecky Watson, Edinburgh)
Our poll followed reports by campaigners showed a majority of drivers claimed to have been "blinded" by headlights. According to the RAC, dazzling lights are increasingly considered a "danger for oncoming drivers" and could be to blame for road accidents.
The AA claimed the problem is not just one for approaching vehicles, with more than half complaining about lights from cars behind them and a quarter even raising concerns about brake lights.
Graeme Downie, Labour MP for Dunfermline and Dollar, in Scotland, submitted a formal question to Parliament on the back of the two surveys. In response, Lilian Greenwood, the minister for the future of roads, said national statistics "do not show any discernible trend to suggest that advances in lighting technology are contributing negatively to road vehicle collisions".
But she also added that, in response to widespread public concerns, a probe into the issue had been launched which is due to report back later this year.
Read more of Yahoo UK's Poll of the Week articles
