Motor Vehicles: Lighting
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of bright vehicle headlights on people with (a) sensitive and (b) elderly retinas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood
Approved Halogen, Xenon and LED light sources have been permitted in road vehicle headlamps for many years; no UK specific assessment has been made of their effect on drivers' safety and visibility for vulnerable road users. Nevertheless, international regulations require more powerful headlamps to be fitted with an automatic washing system to reduce the risk of light being misdirected by dirt on the lens, and with an automatic levelling systems to allow the correction of headlamp aim when the vehicle is loaded.
We know headlamp glare is a real frustration for many drivers and is even discouraging some from driving at night and in the recent Road Safety Strategy we have committed to carrying out further focused research in this area. In advance of the next phase of work we are engaging with the College of Optometrists to better understand the issues and experiences their patients are raising with them.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →