Fight Headlight Glare

Volume 4 Issue 42

May 2005

You are driving at night. You round a curve. WHAM!

You are blinded by an intense bluish white light in the opposite lane. You have just encountered what many drivers consider this nation’s most serious highway safety hazard – headlight glare.

Both claims are correct.

“We think there is some problem with glare but we think it is a good tradeoff. Our overall opinion of HIDs is that they are good things. HID lamps can be and, normally are, better for seeing,” describes Michael Flannagan, research scientist of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (TRI) which has been studying the problem.

A Society of Automotive Engineers technical paper agrees with the TRI study pointing out that HIDs wider beam and greater light output make them dramatically better than the current tungsten halogen lights at showing up edge of the road hazards such as animals or pedestrians, adding that the same characteristics that make HIDs better for drivers using them also create more glare than the average car headlight.

The glare does not cause accidents according to the NHTSA which can not find one death or injury caused by HID lights.

That conclusion and the facts that most drivers using HIDs love them, that auto parts suppliers make good money selling the lights (Mercedes charges $850 for the HID option on its cars and catalog firms charge as much as $1,500 for kits to replace ordinary auto headlights with genuine HID lamps) and that HIDs give nearly three times the light from the same power allowing auto designers to be more creative with headlight designs but still meet Federal headlight standards, mean that there is no motivation for auto manufacturers to return to the average headlights even though drivers are complaining about them.

The change has to be made by the Federal government which can overhaul its auto headlights regulations forcing the redesign of all automobile headlights, compromise the change to something less than a complete change or do nothing. Whatever happens is not likely to occur for over a year.

But there are things you can do now to avoid being a victim of these new glaring lights and of misadjusted and misused auxiliary driving and fog lights and high mounted truck and van lights which also cause glare.

Adjust before starting to drive the switch on your rearview mirror to night which helps reduce glare. If you are considering buying a new car, buy one with auto dimming rearview mirrors. Automatic dimming mirrors darken to reduce glare from the headlamps of vehicles approaching from the rear. The brighter the glare, the darker the mirrors become, making nighttime driving safer. About 10% of vehicles sold in the US are currently equipped with this valuable safety feature. Usually auto-dimming mirrors can't be ordered separately and are only available as part of expensive luxury group packages.

Be aware of SUV glare as you drive at night. SUV and truck headlights are usually mounted at the same height as most normal car's rearview mirrors. When an SUV travels behind a car, the glare from its headlights is reflected off these mirrors directly into the driver's eyes. Dr. Alan Lewis, president of the New England College of Optometry, has done extensive research on the effects of glare. He found that during nighttime driving, headlight glare from vehicles traveling behind you can temporarily blind you, increasing your reaction time by up to 1.4 seconds, even after the source of the glare is removed. The time it takes to stop your vehicle, or to avoid someone in the oncoming lane, is doubled if you succumb to temporary glare blindness.

Dim your interior dashboard lights as this will help your eyes adjust quickly to the sudden brightness of the lights of oncoming traffic.

Drive on roads with white lines running down the right side so you can focus on the line at night and use your peripheral vision to watch oncoming traffic.

If you need glasses wear ones with antireflective coatings (AR). AR coatings are similar to the coatings found on microscopes and camera lenses. They consist of several layers of metal oxides applied to the front and back lens surfaces. Because of the layering effect, AR coatings sometimes have a hint of green or purple color, depending on the individual manufacturer's formula. Each layer is scientifically calculated to block reflected light. The result is that you'll see a reduction in glare, annoying reflections, and halos around lights. This is a great safety benefit when you're driving at night.

And, if you have been in the opposite lane of vehicles using HIDs and want changes so you are not blinded by them, email the NHTSA on its Web site at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/.

Finally, do not be part of the problem but be part of the solution.

Adjust your headlights properly or have the work done by a certified mechanic so your lights do not create more glare than they have to.

Dim your bright lights when entering a heavier traffic area or approaching an oncoming vehicle so you do not blind drivers in the opposite lane.

Think before buying auxiliary lights such as HIDs, Do you really need them if they are going to blind others when you use them. And, use fog lights only when it is foggy. Using fog lights otherwise just endangers other drivers and does not help you at all.

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