New U.K. government must continue to fund study of LED headlight glare, says motoring group

It didn’t take long for U.K. motoring group the RAC to call on the new government to continue funding research into the deadly problem of LED-linked headlight glare on the country’s roads.

A day after the Labour Party took over earlier this month under new prime minister Keir Starmer, the RAC (formerly called the Royal Automobile Association) issued a call to action to deal with a broad set of roadway problems, including the glare, brightness, and dazzle associated with LED headlights.

“The RAC is calling for the new Labour government to urgently tackle the most pressing concerns of the UK’s 40 million motorists in its new transport policy,” the Birmingham, England–based group said in a press release the day that Starmer took office, July 5th.

It singled out seven categories for action, including a category called “cut road casualties,” of which headlight glare was part.

As LEDs Magazine reported earlier this year, an RAC survey of 2,000 motorists “found a huge nine-in-10 (89%) think at least some headlights on cars on the road today are too bright, of which three-in-10 (28%) — a higher proportion than ever — think most are,” and that “some 91% say they get dazzled when driving with three-quarters (74%) saying this happens regularly.

The RAC also noted at the time that, since 2013, an average of 280 collisions per year have involved dazzling headlights, with six of those collisions including a fatality.

With the release of that survey result, the RAC called on the then Conservative Party government to fund independent research into the headlight issues

By April, the government, then under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, agreed to commission a study.

“The fact the government has listened to drivers’ concerns and heeded our calls to examine the complex issue of headlight glare in more detail marks a real turning point,” the RAC said in April. “The topic has undoubtedly struck a chord with motorists up and down the country, with many people contacting us directly to call for something to be done… An independent study provides a golden opportunity for the government and industry to get to the bottom of the problem, identify the factors involved and map out a way forward. We’re aware of regulatory changes being made at an international level that will hopefully make a difference in many years to come, but are concerned that these alone may not be enough to address headlight dazzle.”

There is no guarantee the new government will carry on backing the study. That’s why the RAC is now raising its concerns again.

“The RAC asks the government to follow through with the previous government’s commitment to fund independent research into the problems of headlight glare,” it said in the press release.

It also called for action across many other aspects of road safety, licensing, fuel prices, insurance premiums, and other areas.