LED headlights are not brighter than older varieties, but badly set headlights will “dazzle an oncoming driver,” according to transport consultant Conor Faughnan.
Speaking to Sean Moncrieff, Conor said, “The old bog standard one was a halogen light with a filament in it – an old-fashioned light bulb – in the headlamp casing.”
“We now use things called Light Emitting Diodes, which is a more modern type of light, and it produces something called HID (high-intensity discharge),” he said.
“It means that the light is cleaner, greener, longer lasting and more efficient than the old one it replaced.
“But it also has a slightly bluish white tinge to it and people will recognise that – sometimes people comment that it seems cold, or it seems an artificial form of light, and it definitely looks a little different.”
‘Dazzling’
Conor said there isn't “a really good reason why the new bluey-white modern HID or LED lights should be any worse than the old ones, but the complaints are real.”
“There is a real thing that happens and it's actually particularly bad in Ireland – your headlights can drift out of alignment, and that'll dazzle another driver,” he said.
“In Ireland, if you live in a county that has poor road surfaces and lots of potholes, the vibration that your car suffers will mean that your headlights could easily fall out of alignment.
“That will fail your NCT but even before it does that, you could be driving essentially a cross-eyed car where the dipped headlights do not dip correctly to the side of the road.
“Instead, you're catching other drivers in the eye.”
Modded Honda Civic Coupe with under car Neons (Robert Kerr / Alamy Stock Photo)Modified lights
Conor said that some of the issues surrounding headlights come as a result of “modified lights”
“Some people will fit modified ones and there's nothing wrong with fitting modified ones or customising your car,” he said.
“All of those lights have to be properly type-approved and that means European Union type approved.
“You unfortunately get some kind of modified car enthusiasts will order stuff online from the States or from Asia.”
“It probably looks silly, but if you think it looks fantastic, good for you – but the main thing is that if it's not an EU-type approved light properly installed, that car will fail the NCT.
“People get pretty frustrated by that: ‘The lights cost me $800 and they're brilliant.’ Well, they may be brilliant in Texas, but they don't meet EU law.”
The 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. (Mark Phelan/Detroit Free Press/TNS)SUV
Conor said the trend of larger-size cars is also playing a part in the issue of dazzling glares.
“The design style is physically making cars taller than they used to be,” he said.
“That combined with SUV shape and physically large headlights, it means to me it is plausible that modern cars are causing a bit more dazzling glare than their predecessors.”
Conor said on the open road, drivers should be careful not to use full beams, “unless you need to, because they will dazzle oncoming traffic.”
“If you're in one of these modern SUVs that has all sorts of bells and whistles on it, there is no need to turn on the enormous plasma cannons that could floodlight a football stadium.”
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