Pollution – a word with a heavy meaning.
When we hear the word, we always associate it with:
- Dust
- Garbage
- Dirty
- Congested locations
- Noise
However, there’s a term that’s also associated with pollution – light pollution.
But how can light cause pollution? Is there any truth to this?
Short answer: Light pollution does exist and affects drivers’ eyesight.
Imagine you’re one of the busy drivers on the road during the night, and a car is approaching you with a wall of white light.
This isn’t a movie scene that happened before the accident occurs.
It happens as well in reality.
For a moment, that wall of white light has made the road disappear from your sight.
You ask yourself: “Why are headlights this very bright?”
There were times you and the others asked this out of annoyance.
In a recent survey, most drivers said that modern headlights are intensely bright, making the driving experience too uncomfortable.
The annoyance from these “too bright” headlights stems not just from the headlights themselves, but also from other factors drivers know.
Here’s what we know so far:
Why Do New Headlights Feel Different?
In the past, headlights usually had a warm, yellowish beam.
Today, headlights have been completely upgraded.
In comparison, most of the headlights today are:
- Crisp, white beam in color
- LED-powered
- Energy-efficient
- Durable
- Suitable for roads.
Headlights today are specifically designed for the safety and vision of the person driving the car.
Headlights help drivers see the following easily:
- Road lanes
- People
- Road Signs
- Obstacles
- Animals
- Entities from Far
According to research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, better headlights effectively reduce the rate of road accidents at night.
Although favorable for the driver, not for the people who are facing the headlights.
Headlights today are too bright, which makes people assume that entities from above might take them.
The design may be favorable to drivers, but not for the people in front of them.
And some hate that kind of exposure.
Headlight Glare: The Real Problem
Imagine that you’re driving a small BMW on a dark road.
Suddenly, an SUV comes up with headlights that are brighter than yours.
Headlights may help illuminate the way, but the person seeing them in front may have their eyes blinded.
So now, you are dealing with the brightness of the headlights.
The glare of the headlights is what people are having a problem with.
Its feature being too bright distracts people.
Modern headlights are specifically designed to help the person driving behind the wheel, but never the one facing it in the opposite direction.
It Wasn’t LED
Because of the extreme brightness people saw in modern headlights, they immediately pointed to LED technology as the major culprit.
However, LEDs are not the villain of the story.
Instead, the culprit was how some of the modern headlights are intentionally designed or placed.
If cars have the same LED headlights, it doesn’t mean they perform the same.
Some cars have a clean white beam that doesn’t annoy other drivers.
Meanwhile, the others can be problematic for people along the way.
Instead of blaming the culprit, check the design of those modern headlights, and you’d realize that was the problem.
Headlight Mismatch Is Possible
Another problem many don’t understand is that headlights can cause problems for your vehicle, especially if they’re truly unfit.
Imagine you drive a car and the headlights have not only become an eyesore but also unfit for your vehicle.
Here are the reasons why headlights become a problem for other people:
- Poorly fitted.
- Manufacturing error.
- No suitable model available at the time of replacement.
- Vehicle size.
- The beam creates blur on other vehicles’ windshields.
- Height positioning.
- Unaligned but unrecognizable.
There are many reasons why a headlight mismatch can become a bigger problem.
Not every vehicle has the same height, size, components, and road features.
Remember that this could be your new challenge to overcome as a driver, as other vehicles’ headlights can disrupt your road vision.
Why Do Many Dislike Modern Headlights?
The dislike of others for modern headlights started with the greater brightness they provide.
Compared to former headlights, people are annoyed by the white beam’s high brightness.
The headlights’ warm yellow beam is much more tolerable to the eyes.
That’s why comparing previous headlight models to the modern ones is inevitable.
For many, modern headlights are disliked because of their high brightness level.
In a study published by RAC, most drivers felt uncomfortable driving at night because the bright, modern headlights block their vision.
The Truth About the Effects of Glare
This fact-checked information might shock you.
Although headlight glare gets most of the driver’s dislike, no data have been confirmed that headlight glare contributed to most nationwide incidents.
However, IIHS researchers have noted that nighttime crashes due to brighter glare are found to be minimal cases across 11 U.S. states.
Although the brightness of modern headlights annoys so many people, it doesn’t mean their glare is responsible for many nighttime road accidents.
Both statements are true, and these facts can exist at the same time.
How to Deal with Headlight Problems?
Headlights that are coming toward or passing by you are out of your control.
There’s no way we can deal with it.
For example, how can I manage the effect of the headlight’s brightness that comes from other vehicles?
There are numerous ways to do this.
Here are a few tips to deal with LED headlights:
- Keep the windshield area clean.
- See if the headlight aligns well.
- Activate the headlights only when it’s dark outside.
- Drive carefully.
When facing a vehicle with brighter headlights, all you can do is reduce the effects of the headlight’s brightness on your end.
Smarter Lights, Brighter Future
People immediately blamed LED technology because the modern headlights are too bright.
However, the claim that LED technology is the main culprit is far from the truth.
Experts have backed up LED technology to show that it wasn’t the enemy; rather, it was the future of headlights.
LED headlights are manufactured for specific purposes; among them is enhancing road safety and experience.
Despite the skepticism, headlights managed to solve the problem altogether.
Thanks to LED technology, the future and safety of every driver are brightly assured.