If you have driven on the roads lately and found yourself struggling to
see or needing to flip your rear-view mirror because of the glare from
bright headlights, you're not alone.To get more news about
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We asked ABC Radio Brisbane listeners if they thought bright car
headlights were increasingly becoming an issue for fellow road users and
hundreds on social media told us it was.
Overwhelmingly, people said headlights are too bright but many thought
the safety benefits of brighter beams far outweighed the
negatives.Queensland's peak motoring body, the Royal Automobile Club of
Queensland (RACQ), said it had not seen an increase in complaints but
said it was apparent it was an issue of "constant concern" to drivers.
"[We haven't seen an increase] from month-to-month or year-to-year that
I'm aware of, but it is a constant area of concern," Steve Spalding,
RACQ's Head of Technical and Safety Policy, said.Increasingly car
manufacturers are making vehicles with LED or High Intensity Discharge
(HID) lights which come across as brighter and often have a blue tint to
them.
Not only do these lights provide better illumination than halogen
lights, LEDs claim to consume less energy which translates into fuel
savings and emissions reductions.
But the RACQ says HIDs and LEDs are typically the source of frustration
for fellow road users.The Australian Design Rules (ADR), the national
standards for vehicle safety, set out guidelines which dictate the size
and shape of a car's headlight beam as well as the amount of permissible
glare.
Oftentimes it is the aim or position of the lights, not their wattage,
which causes the glare — which is one reason why there is no maximum
wattage specified in legislation.What the ADR does require is cars
equipped with HIDs to also have a self-levelling mechanism to ensure the
headlights are always aimed at the ground.
It also requires the vehicle to be fitted with a headlight washer to
minimise the build up of dirt and grime, which can affect how the light
is dispersed.Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios, from the Centre for Accident
Research and Road Safety Queensland, said the rules struggle to keep up
with the pace of technology.
"All the vehicle standards are part of the Federal Government
[legislation] so in Australia we don't allow vehicles that don't fit a
particular standard," Dr Oviedo-Trespalacios said.
The Wall