Headlight glare is a growing concern for UK drivers, prompting a government study and raising questions about the safety of modern vehicle lighting.
While many suspect LED headlights are the primary culprit, industry experts suggest a more nuanced explanation, pointing to a combination of factors including headlight alignment, the prevalence of SUVs, and the service sector’s ability to keep up with rapidly evolving technology.
This Q&A with ADAS expert Neil Hilton of Core Diagnostics explores the complex issues surrounding headlight glare and what can be done to address them.
Q: Headlight glare is a growing concern for drivers. What’s prompting this increased attention to the issue?
A: I think the increased pressure from consumer groups, like the RAC, has been key. The Department for Transport has now commissioned a study into headlight glare, which is a positive step. The RAC’s own research, showing that most drivers are regularly getting dazzled and some are even avoiding night driving altogether, has really brought the issue to the forefront of road safety concerns.
Q: Many people suspect LED headlights are the primary culprit. Could there be other factors at play?
A: In my opinion, it’s more complex than just blaming LEDs. While they might play a part, I believe we need to look at a wider range of potential causes, including headlight alignment and the increasing number of SUVs on our roads.
Q: What are the benefits of LED lighting that might be getting overlooked in this?
A: I think it’s important to remember that LED technology offers several advantages. Compared to halogen, LEDs use less power, which means smaller batteries and thinner cabling, ultimately reducing vehicle weight and improving fuel economy. The colour temperature of LED light is also closer to daylight, which reduces driver fatigue. Plus, advanced systems like Auto High Beam Assist and LED Matrix lighting enhance visibility and automatically adjust beam patterns to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers.
Q: If LED lights offer so many benefits, why is glare such a problem?
A: I believe the rapid advancement of lighting technology has outpaced the service and repair sector’s ability to keep up. Accurate alignment of modern LED headlights is much more complex than with older halogen systems, and many technicians, in my experience, may lack the necessary training and equipment. This could explain why we’re seeing more and more vehicles with misaligned headlights on UK roads.
Q: How do SUVs contribute to the problem?
A: SUVs, now the most popular type of car, typically have headlights mounted higher than other vehicles. When you combine this with the wider beam pattern of LED lights, even slight misalignment can cause significant glare, especially for drivers in lower cars.
Q: What equipment is needed for proper headlight alignment, and is it readily available?
A: Accurate alignment requires a beam setter equipped with an inclinometer and a standard target scale. Unfortunately, many workshops I’ve encountered don’t have this equipment. While MOT testing guidelines have been tightened, I still think there’s too much room for error. Also, access to OE diagnostic tools is crucial, especially for Dynamic or Matrix lighting systems, as third-party tools often can’t program the necessary basic settings. This can be a real problem for independent garages, both in terms of cost and availability.
Q: You mentioned windscreen-mounted cameras. How are they related to headlight glare?
A: Features like Auto High Beam Assist and Adaptive Dynamic Lighting rely on these cameras to detect oncoming traffic. If the camera isn’t accurately calibrated, the automatic switching between high and low beam, or the reconfiguration of the beam pattern in Matrix systems, can be delayed, causing glare. While I find that most technicians are aware of the importance of camera calibration for ADAS features like lane departure warning, fewer understand its link to headlight control.
Q: What can be done to address the problem of headlight glare?
A: I think we need a greater industry-wide awareness of the importance of correct headlight alignment and a real commitment to performing this procedure correctly. I also advocate for the development of industry guidelines for headlight alignment and calibration, similar to those introduced for ADAS calibration. In my view, this would be far more effective than simply restricting light output or reverting to older technologies.
roger timms
leds do run cooler than halogen and are far more dangerous when snow settles on them it does not melt and in seconds you have no headlights without clearing the snow
Julian
Having the correct equipment to test modern lighting system at the MOT world help reduce errors, we can not continue to use old technology to test and verify modern lighting system.
Steve
Lets not forget:
– DIY repairs involving a replacement second-hand headlight that is misaligned and not checked/corrected, or crash damaged professionally repaired vehicles not having the alignment checked
– New cars with LED or matrix-style headlamps misaligned or not properly calibrated from factory
– Illegal retro-fitted LEDs in headlamp housings and reflectors designed for halogen bulbs
– Heavily loaded vehicles where there is a manually adjustable load-leveller setting for the dipped beam that has not been adjusted (e.g. position 0, 1, 2)
– Vehicles driving around on main beam because one headlight is not working, or they’ve accidentally pressed the main beam switch and have no clue what the tell-tale light on the dash means
Not saying these examples are to blame in all cases, but it certainly doesn’t help.