SeeSafer

A recent Society of Automotive Engineers technical paper agrees. It notes that HID lights wider beam and greater output makes them dramatically better than tungsten-halogen lights "in detecting edge-of-roadway hazards, such as pedestrians and animals." But the same factors also "may produce more glare," acknowledge the authors- John Van Derlofske, John Bullough and Claudia Hunter of the lighting research centre at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. Though HID lights are distracting, toning them down seems unlikely. Automakers are pushing them as the hot item, starting with luxury cars. "They're pretty cool," says Fred Heiler, spokesman for DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz brand. HID headlights are standard on the top-end Mercedes-Benz S-class Sedans and CL Coupes, and optional on all other Mercedes models. "There's been some discussion about them because they're brighter, but we know it's primarily the colour of the light, and not the intensity, that takes some people by surprise, we're going to the trouble and expense in order to use something as close to daylight as possible," Heiler says. Automakers like HID lights because: - They can be profitable, either as stand-alone options or as part of high-dollar packages. Mercedes charges $850 for the HID option, and that's cheap. Catalogue firms get up to $1,500 for kits that replace ordinary lights with bona fide HID lamps. Their efficiency - nearly three times the light from the same power -gives autodesigners freedom. They can sculpt and squeeze and shape headlights as they do sheet metal, confident that HID bulbs throw off enough light to meet federal/legal standards. Normal halogen bulbs confined and shaped the same way might not. In other words, HID technology gives designers lots of light to waste in pursuit of styling goals.

Because HID lights are on high-end cars, they've become a fashion statement. Auto-parts firms sell blue-tint halogen lights that resemble the HID colour, for those dying to have their $9,000 Kia Rio's mistaken at night for $120,000 Mercedes-Benz S-classes. "People will put blue filtering on filament bulbs and advertise it as giving HID-like performance. It doesn't. It gives you the colouring," Flannagan says. In fact, ersatz HID could be triggering many of the complaints because. "They are causing a lot of glare. They're bad optically and scattering light all over," he says. But the real ones have won the hearts of driving enthusiasts. "From a driver's standpoint, they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. The drivers who have them aren't complaining about them. They light up the road markings much better," says David Van Sickle, director of auto and consumer information for the motorists' organization AAA. But Massey, the St. Louis SUV driver, insists there's no need for the special lights: "Regular ones are fine. No matter how much better you can see, it can't be so much better that it's worth blinding people."

High-intensity-discharge (HID) headlights would take a few minutes to get bright if xenon were not added to the gas sealed inside the headlights. That's how the lights have come to be known, incorrectly, as xenon headlights even though xenon isn't what produces the characteristic blue-white colour. Xenon, which ignites easier and faster than other HID gases, acts as a starter. It accelerates HID lights start-up process, making the technology suitable for cars and trucks, where waiting a few minutes for lighting is impractical. With xenon involved, HID lights are shining pretty well after 1 second, and are as ready as they'll ever be in a few seconds. Xenon is responsible for the bright flash as the headlights are turned on, and it's xenon that glows brightly temporarily until the harder-to-ignite gases are fully awake. Mirrors inside the light assembly capture, amplify and direct the light; lenses aim and focus it. High Intensity Discharge (HID) xenon headlight systems, which are three times brighter than the halogen headlights used on most cars, could cause road accidents by dazzling oncoming drivers and pedestrians.

How 'XENON' - HID work - Read more ..

Speaking at the 26th annual meeting of the Macula Society, Martin A Mainster said HID bulbs may make good headlights but the glare they cause could visually disable oncoming drivers, particularly the elderly. "Xenon headlight systems project more light than conventional halogen headlights. Therefore, drivers of cars equipped with HID headlights benefit from increased road visibility and greater driving safety because they can see hazards earlier and have more time to respond. "But for the elderly in particular, who are already handicapped by night-time driving difficulties, glare from HID headlight encounters on two-lane roads can be dangerous," Dr Mainster said-His interest in the area was stimulated about three years ago when a 65-year-old diabetic patient of his, with 20/20 vision and minimal retinopathy, told him he had been involved in a road accident after having being temporarily dazzled by the lights of an oncoming car. The patient remarked the lights were the brightest he'd ever seen, with a bluish hue. Dr Mainster began to investigate headlight design issues to find out if there was anything unique about the lights that might cause more problems for oncoming drivers.

His research led him to a manufacturer's website which acknowledged that HID headlights are brighter than halogen headlights but added that they were an irritation only because people tended to stare into them due to their novel bluish tint. "The truth, however, has nothing to do with a 'photophilia' effect, nor do the blue-white HID headlights have greater potential to produce disability glare simply because of their colour. Rather xenon headlights are potentially more visually disabling than halogens for drivers who confront them because they are three times brighter," Dr Mainster said.

He explained that the brighter light of the xenon bulbs creates more disability glare for onlookers by several mechanisms. Increased brightness is associated with more light being scattered in the eye, which leads to reduced retinal image contrast and therefore greater disability glare from the optical phenomena of dazzle and veiling. Brighter light sources also increase scotomatic glare, known more commonly as photo stress. Photo-stress occurs because it takes time for visual sensitivity to recover after eyes are exposed to brilliant light flashes. "Veiling glare makes it difficult for the eye to see targets between bright light sources, while dazzle glare from oncoming headlights makes it difficult to identify the edge of a curving two-lane highway when driving at night. Photo-stress can startle and disorient drivers, and also cause after-images that interfere with vision," Dr Mainster added. Older drivers, in particular, are adversely affected by visual problems from increased headlight brightness because of age and pre-existing disease-related ocular changes which make them more susceptible to veiling, dazzle and scotomatic glare. "People over 50 years are more prone to disability glare because they have increased intraocular light scattering. Their photo-stress recovery time is also increased. And disability glare is increased by findings which are more common in older people, including cataract, IOLs and retinal disease," Dr Mainster said.

"I have noticed more cars with more and brighter lights. In many cases with additional lights so strong that they are brighter than the headlights. I'm sure that some of these lights don't meet registration requirements." "Drivers with their fog lights on when there is no fog are idiots." "Why does everyone seem to drive at night with their high beams on? The bright lights dazzle drivers and are the cause of more car accidents than we care to give credit for." "Glare from fog lights used when it's not foggy add to the hazards of driving in the wet at night. Not only is it illegal, it won't actually help your night vision. All it does is double the glare for oncoming motorists." "Since their introduction to the automotive market, high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, commonly known as Xenon headlights, were subject to controversy. On the one hand, they improve safety of their users allowing them to detect road hazards, road signs and pedestrians or animals at greater distances. But at the same time they reduce safety of the drivers who confront them. As they are brighter than conventional headlights, they cause disability glare and photo stress, leading to impaired visual performance of oncoming drivers and animals crossing the road"- Aim of the initiative Ban Xenon Headlights Initiative is a think tank aiming at:

BAN XENON and high beam headlights - Read more ..

- pooling the knowledge of potential hazards arising from the use of HID headlights
- collecting evidence of accidents caused by disability glare and photo stress produced by HID headlights
- raising awareness of the general public and state authorities about the risks of Xenon headlights
- making a contribution to the European target of saving 25.000 lives per year on European roads

The illuminated surface areas of high-intensity discharge and tungsten halogen headlamps in the USA

B Schoettle M Sivak, PhD, M J Flannagan, PhD, G Adachi The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, basc@umich.edu

This study was designed to compare the illuminated surface areas of high-intensity discharge (HID) and tungsten halogen low-beam headlamps in the USA. A sample of 20 tungsten halogen lamps and 17 HID lamps for model year 2000 vehicles in the US was examined. The illuminated surface area was determined using a modified version of an Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) method for evaluating the illuminated surface of signalling devices. The main finding is that the HID low (passing) beams generally have smaller illuminated surface areas than do the tungsten halogen low beams. Because smaller light sources result in more discomfort glare (presumably via greater luminance), the present finding suggests that the smaller illuminated area is one reason for drivers reporting more discomfort from HID lamps. An implication is that the increased discomfort from HID lamps could be reduced by increasing their illuminated surface area.

DISCOMFORT GLARE IN HALOGEN AND HID HEADLIGHTS AT 1 LUX

DISCOMFORT LEVEL Conventional halogen - just admissible headlights HID ( Xenon) headlights - disturbing Source: 2001 Public Survey by National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For evaluation, De Boer rating scale was used (1 = unbearable, 9 = just unbearable).

Bright lights, big controversy You're driving at night, 'round a bend and -ouch! -you're staring down the barrel of high-calibre headlights boring right at you. Some creep left on the high beams, you grumble. But no, those are too bright, too white, almost blue, like an iceberg. What the heck are those lights? Can that much glare be legal? Isn't it unsafe? The lights are xenon-gas-ignited, high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlights, often known simply (and incorrectly) as xenon (ZEE-non) headlights. They are wildly popular with some motorists, and, if properly aimed, they are quite legal.-But they are not benign: The glare they produce is real, and its effects measurable in scientific studies. HID headlights pour out more illumination than conventional tungsten-halogen headlights do, especially to the sides. And they do it at the blue end of the colour spectrum where the eye's sensitive at night. The result: Oncoming drivers are often surprised by the light and frequently say it hurts.

"They're too bright," says motorist Michelle Massey of St. Louis, who often drives her sport-utility vehicle on secondary roads at night. She's afraid that the glare's bad enough, and the vehicles close enough to each other on winding two-lane roads, that a collision is likely.

Federal safety regulators are concerned, as well. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is about to start a process that paves the way for the biggest change in headlight regulations since they were established in 1968. The agency also will look at glare from high-mounted truck and van headlights, and from auxiliary fog and driving lights. NHTSA "has been receiving complaints of glare" and wants to hear, officially, what people have to say, says Richard Van Iderstine, chief of the agency's visibility and injury-prevention division. NHTSA could do nothing, could swing the other way and overhaul regulations so that every headlight would have to be redesigned, or come to rest between those extremes. No decision is likely for more than a year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to ask for public comment on headlight glare this summer. The invitation will be published in the Federal Register and on the agency's Web site, www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

In what could be an epic battle, the xenon warrior princes will be automakers and driving enthusiasts in support of bright whites vs. many ordinary motorists tired of squinting and squirming. "They are major cool," says Gordon Wangers, driving enthusiast and boss at AMCI, a California testing firm that validates automakers' advertising claims. "I never tire of switching them on and watching that bluish-white, fire-up-and-focus routine. In fact, I always do it two or three times to show off if I have passengers," Wangers says. The only drawback Wangers sees is that "on dark, twisting roads, the line between lighted and dark is too pronounced. ... Conventional headlights have a more natural fade area." Wangers says he's not bothered by HID glare when he's on the other end of the beam. Nor is Matthew Strahan of Mount Pleasant, Tenn., who's about to buy an Acura CL with HID lights and thinks "they are useful. They do well in the rain." Driving toward HID lights has "never bothered me at all," he says, and "it makes no difference to me" that others dislike the glare. If it weren't the headlights, people would find something else to complain about, he's sure.

If nothing else, high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlights have sent headlight repair and replacement costs through the sunroof. The cost trend was sharply upward even before HID lights because automakers had begun using sleek, one-piece composite halogen headlights that integrated with modern styling better than older, less-expensive round or rectangular lights. The composite's one-piece design means it has to be replaced completely even if damage is minor or cosmetic. Add HID lights' expensive components to a fender-bender and stand back. Somebody's going to have to write an enormous check. If it's your insurance company, expect it to eventually show up in your rates. State Farm Insurance, the biggest auto insurer, offers some illuminating contrasts between the replacement costs for standard halogen lights in composite housings and xenon-fired HID lights. On the other side are motorists like Rebecca Boudreau of Aliso Viejo, Calif., who sums the universal objection nicely: "I don't like them. They bother my eyes. I think that they're bad for (others who are) driving."

What'll make this tough to resolve is that both sides are right: HID lights provide better lighting, and they also produce more glare. Headlights have to meet federal minimum and maximum illumination standards, measured at a variety of points around the light beam. But within those standards, there's enough room - physically and legally - for light to shine where oncoming drivers think it shouldn't.

The university has spent at least 10 years trying to quantify the problem, and thinks it has done so. The short version: Oncoming drivers are bothered by HID glare because of its harsher, blue light. Light from conventional tungsten-halogen headlights is toward the softer, red end of the spectrum. Halogens have to put out 1.5 times as much light as HID lights do to cause the same wincing, squinting and looking away. "We think there is some problem with glare, but we think it's a good trade-off," Flannagan says. "Our overall opinion of HIDs is that they are good things. HID lamps can be, and normally are, better for seeing." A recent Society of Automotive Engineers technical paper agrees. It notes that HID lights' wider beam and greater output makes them dramatically better than tungsten-halogen lights "in detecting edge-of-roadway hazards, such as pedestrians and animals." But the same factors also "may produce more glare," acknowledge the authors, John Van Derlofske, John Bullough and Claudia Hunter of the lighting research centre at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. - By James R. Healey, USA TODAY

People from East Anglia are the safest drivers when it comes to using their headlights appropriately. In contrast, motorists from Northern Ireland are the most reluctant to switch their lights on, with almost a fifth (18 per cent) claiming that they never think it's dark enough to justify using their headlights. And a worrying 118,000 Welsh drivers claim that they don't turn on their headlights frequently in a bid to conserve their car battery!

Worldwide Menace - Read more ..

Research commissioned by esure car insurance revealed that potentially over 26 million UK motorists are unaware of the Highway Code guidelines when it comes to using their car headlights. Over 4 million motorists don't even know that their car had sidelights, more than 2Â½ million motorists have never used their fog lights before and almost all UK motorists (99 per cent) have been dazzled by oncoming traffic using full beam headlights. Nine out of ten (90 per cent) UK motorists questioned have flashed their car lights to alert fellow drivers of the need to switch on their headlights. However, this well-meaning reminder could be doing more harm than good: over half of motorists questioned worry that something is wrong with their vehicle when they are 'flashed' by another car and 57 per cent mistake the signal for 'police ahead'. In fact, 65 per cent of respondents admitted to confusing the flash of a car's headlights as a sign to slow down, causing potential danger on UK roads.

Despite new EU legislation proposals to combat misuse of headlights by enforcing drivers to have their lights on constantly, concerns have already been raised about the environmental issues surrounding this. As a result, esure is looking to develop a concept that is an in-car light sensor to combat the existing forgetfulness and confusion that surrounds this issue. Indeed, 65% of motorists questioned said they would like to have an in-car gadget to remind them when to turn on their vehicle's lights and to help reduce accidents caused by improper use of car headlights. The light alert consists of a simple sensor that is easily fitted to the car dashboard and registers when it is sufficiently dark enough to switch on the headlights. The driver is alerted by an unobtrusive beep and a light on the device which will indicate which lights to turn on. Mike Pickard, Head of Risk and Underwriting at esure, said: "As the nights become longer and darker, it is essential that motorists use their headlights properly while driving. It can be easy to forget to turn on your lights, especially when you've been driving for long periods of time or after you have stopped for petrol. Drivers must be extra vigilant during the winter and ensuring you are driving with the correct lights on is an important issue when it comes to driving safely."

Gender Divide:

Women are more prone to worrying than men: when a fellow motorist flashes their headlights at them they are three times more likely than men to feel 'panicked and stressed' and a massive 59 per cent of women questioned (compared to only 44 per cent of males) worry that something is wrong with their car. Professor Steve Stradling, Professor of Transport Psychology at Napier University and member of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said: "Misuse of headlights at this time of year can be particularly dangerous for motorists, especially on badly lit roads. In particular, drivers should try to use dipped headlights and not full beam unless absolutely necessary and always remember to leave adequate space between their vehicle and the car in front, so as not to dazzle other motorists." www.esure.co.uk

India

"Watch out high beam drivers, cops are here"-Geetanjali Gayatri CHANDIGARH, June 21: The State Vehicle Act 1990, a part of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, has Rule 106 dealing with dazzling lights which directs drivers to dip the beam of the vehicle headlights as it approaches an oncoming vehicle. It says: "The driver of a motor vehicle shall at all times, when the lights of the motor vehicle are in use, so manipulate them that danger or undue inconvenience is not caused to any person by dazzling." Traffic police have no precise statistics to blinding headlights being a major cause of road accidents, but according to DSP Traffic D.S. Thakur: "When we examine the causes of serious road accidents occurring at night, in many cases we find that the driver had been blinded by the headlights of the oncoming vehicle." On the basis of FIRs, the Traffic Police Accident Cell identifies accident-prone spots and recommends posting of Traffic Police at these places. On the assumption that high beam headlights are a major cause of accidents at night, the Accident Cell zeroes-in on those places where most accidents occur and recommend police presence for these spots. That is why most of the challenging for high beam driving takes place on Dakshin Marg, Purv Marg and Jan Marg, explains a traffic cop. Since 1997, the UT Traffic Police have been challenging drivers for driving on high beam and it is done once a week on the highways and within the city. "We would like to carry out the checking daily but staff shortage is a limiting factor." incidentally, more than 3,000 drivers have been challenged so far in 1998 for high beam driving . Drivers grumble about the challenges and "cops waiting on any sort of road to take you by surprise" but does getting challenged make them more conscientious about using the dipper at night? DSP Thakur admits: "It's difficult to change people's habits. Consideration for others is not something you see on the roads." Whether it is the danger of high beam driving or over speeding, the department believes that educating drivers is the most effective strategy. It issues advertisements and puts up hoarding to highlight the message of safe driving and traffic sense. "Challenge a driver and you have at least made him aware that a certain rule exists and he will be hauled up for not obeying it," says Thakur, "A challenge is also a way to create an awareness _ maybe not the best way but it keeps the driver in line for some time and warns other would-be offenders too." Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) .co.uk.

China

A Shanghai high school student has come up with an invention she says could cut down on traffic accidents caused by drivers blinded by another car's high beams. Bi Yan, the 18-year-old inventor from Shanghai Xingzhi High School, was awarded the title "science star for tomorrow" at a citywide youth science contest on Sunday. Her invention consists of a light sensor that can detect the lights on an approaching automobile. The sensor is attached to a control that can turn off the car's high beams when an approaching vehicle is detected within 170 meters of the car.

"Dazzling light sent out by cars' headlights will almost blind the two drivers who are moving toward each other, posing a hidden cause for head-on automobile collisions at night," Bi said. Medical surveys suggest drivers can lose up to 96 percent of their vision when another car's high beams are glaring at them. About 40 percent of fatal traffic accidents in the city occur at night, of which 30 percent to 40 percent are caused by improper headlight use, according to police.

The city's traffic regulations state that drivers should dim their headlights when they are within 150 meters of an approaching automobile. But the regulation is poorly implemented in the city as drivers, especially new drivers, are often slow to turn down their headlights. During a spot check by local traffic police last year, 54 drivers were ticketed for improper headlight uses at five crossroads in the city within two hours. "The light problem always plagues drivers," Bi said, adding that her invention was inspired by a long complaint from her father, who is a professional driver. Fu Weiyang, Bi's instructor, said that a local car manufacturer had showed interest in installing Bi's invention into its products. But teachers declined to disclose the automaker's name. (Shanghai Daily April 20, 2005)

Philippines

Car makers warned v. blinding headlights

Car manufacturers are violating the law against blinding headlights and other vehicle accessories, a Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 official said yesterday. Such a violation, plus the unauthorized use of sirens and blinkers common among motorists, caught the Cebu City Council's attention, which urged the office to look into the matter. LTO 7 operations chief Aleta Pulga said it has been her office's observation, based on arrests they made, that new cars sport lights that violate LTO's memorandum circular against glaring lights. Those lights are not allowed, but car manufacturers violate the law, she said. She added they had no option but to ask the drivers of such vehicles to pull over and, in most cases, arrest them. Last week, in its regular session, the Cebu City Council approved a resolution sponsored by Councillor Nestor Archival urging LTO to look into the violations. "Despite this order, some vehicles are still using dazzling headlights and neon lights and some others sport additional lighting devices that distract pedestrians and motorists alike that could very well lead to road accidents," read part of the resolution. There are also vehicles that no longer have important accessories like tail lights, signal lights or brake lights. Pulga said running against such violations has always been the LTO's campaign. She added, however, that it is good the City Council recognized the problem and is in fact concerned about the safety of its constituents. Pulga again emphasized that only ambulances, fire trucks and certain police vehicles are allowed to use sirens.

Barangay vehicles, even though they are used for emergencies, are not allowed to use sirens. Policemen are not allowed to use sirens on their private vehicles. Asked about the need for fog lights, she added the accessory is needed only when travelling to places like Baguio City or those whose roads are very dusty. She added that in Cebu City, fog lights are not needed and, as pointed out in the resolution, just distract motorists. RHM (April 26, 2007 issue)

BANGALORE

Blinding headlights dazzle motorists to death-end. (From The Times of India)

Road accidents are on the rise. So are mistakes committed by drivers. And many occur due to the mindless use of high-beam lights by cars, buses and lorries. As dusk descends, dazzling lights tend to blind motorists coming from the opposite direction.

But neither the transport department nor the city traffic police have any definite mechanism to keep a check on motorists driving with blinding headlights. In fact, at a recent road safety meeting, officers from various departments, including transport and police, had suggested a ban on the use of headlights but found it unfeasible as there is a lack of uniform visibility and lighting in the city. Roads are not lit well enough to ban the use of headlights.

Though the police have no statistics on the number of accidents caused by dazzling headlights, officers do not refute the fact that a majority of accidents after dusk are caused by their blinding effect. Traffic DCP (East) Amar Kumar Pandey said several cases have been reported where drivers are blinded for a few seconds by overpowering headlights, which may lead to victims manoeuvring off course. "It is a lack of responsibility towards other motorists. Despite penalising the offenders, motorists continue to use blinding headlights in the city,'' says Pandey. The traffic police have booked around 10,000 cases so far this year against offenders. This is merely done on the judgment of policemen and the age-old trusted method of nabbing red-handed, motorists driving with high-beam lights. Over 400 cases were booked last week and offenders fined Rs 100 each.

On the other hand, the transport department requires a laboratory setup to check the intensity of headlights. Transport department joint commissioner (enforcement) C.R. Mohammed Suleman said the department has no device to gauge the intensity of headlights during routine checks. However, in a laboratory setup with a dark room and other paraphernalia, it is possible to check the intensity, he explained.

"There is a maximum wattage of 35 for two-wheelers and 75 for four-wheelers. Moreover, the halogen bulbs used should be tipped with black material, usually Polaroid,'' Suleman said. The department books cases for not conforming with the wattages only when the fact surfaces during renewal of fitness certificates or registration.

USA

Road signs play role You can blame some U.S road-sign regulations for some of the HID glare. Signs aren't universally lighted and don't all reflect light the same. Thus, headlights have to throw some light upward and outward, to make sure you can read overhead and roadside signs, according to federal regulations.

In Europe, home of most of the world's 2 million HID-lighted vehicles and growing, European road signs routinely and consistently are lighted, so headlights needn't beam up and, in fact, are required not to. That keeps the light out of other drivers' eyes. Folks who've been around auto and regulatory circles awhile suspect that complaints are at least partly a reaction to the fact that HID lights are different. NHTSA veterans say the agency got similar ban-the-bulb complaints in the 1980s, as automakers shifted to halogen lamps from their predecessors, sealed-beam lights with bulbs. Halogens appeared brilliant white â€” blinding, people insisted â€” in contrast to the yellowish-light sealed beams. Now, halogens are the ones that look yellowish in contrast to blazing, blue-white HID lights.

Dazzling headlights and fog lights - "I thought this might have been aired before but a 'dazzle' search on the internet was negative. Does anyone else find this a problem? Over the age of 50 eyesight gradually deteriorates and being dazzled becomes more of a problem, especially in the wet. Often all you can see are bright headlights - and very little else, even when visual acuity is 6/6 on a well lit Snellen chart. Why not use only driving lights in a 30mph zone? This would allow other dimly lit hazards such as pedestrians and cyclists to be seen more easily. Unfortunately not all cars seem to have this halfway house between dim sidelights and dazzling headlights. I wonder how often being dazzled has been a contributory cause of accidents and injuries, especially to unseen pedestrians and cyclists? Perhaps a change in behaviour might follow the growing realisation that changing a modern headlight bulb is often difficult and expensive. And does anyone ever get prosecuted for inappropriate use of fog-lights? I would have thought that was just the thing a camera could detect and guess such cameras would be supported as strongly as speed cameras are detested - £60 fine, doubled in wet weather!"

By Darren Speller.

Comments from the public - Read more ..

""Dim dip" in the 80's was a peculiarly British idea and seemed quite sensible."

By Glaikit Wee Scunner

"I know I sometimes get flashed with people thinking I have main beam on but they have probably mistaken my Xenon's since they will be brighter. So I soon show them to be wrong by flashing main beams back."

By F Harry.

"I think part of the problem is that headlights are now much brighter than they used to be. You also have 4x4s, SUVs and people carriers where the lights are higher up than other cars. Then also add in things like the Phillips bulbs which are supposed to be 80% brighter, no wonder people are being dazzled."

By K O'Reilly

"I find it very hard when its been raining and you get the extra glare reflecting off the road. I also find it worse when going downhill, as the cars coming up the hill tend to squat down slightly. Then of course there's the numptys who leave main beam and 100w fog lights on."

By Steve Arnold.

"Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but I certainly find the Xenon HID lights - especially on 4x4s (Range Rovers, BMW X5s & Discoveries are worst) exceptionally dazzling. Even worse is when they feel the need to put on as well their fog-lights / driving lights / whatever they want to call them."

T Smith

"The reason is mainly that the headlights are badly adjusted (the most common one is one shining up and one down) or they are carrying a heavy load and have not adjusted them - how many of you ever do that then?"

By B Fagan

"A huge BMW SUV driven by a woman blinded me with its outer pair of lights at Notting Hill Gate an hour ago, as it waited to exit and I waited to enter the same side turning. I don't know if they were its main beams as it was on a slight upslope, but they were far too damn bright and shining straight at my window. Have these things no sidelights? It wasn't dark or anywhere near it."