Drivers at risk..
Lightmare are supported by the Driving Instructors Association
They set examples for other road users and they more than any other road user, know how damaging blinding other drivers can be. This is an extract from a Hella Daytime Running Light advert - how can focussing light directly into a driver's eyes improve safety?
The prime desire of most drivers is to safely
proceed with the maximum courtesy and consideration to other road users.
Advanced motorists and Police drivers are trained in safe, defensive
driving techniques to avoid accidents. The key elements are observation, anticipation,
hazard awareness and correct road positioning, collectively, these
methods form a powerful life saving package.
Anticipatory perception of hazards means
observation of miniscule things but blinding glare and dazzle into
oncoming drivers eyes momentarily masks observation of this safety
critical information.
 What attracts your attention first the cars?  Or the pedestrians? |
 What benefit is this Land Rover gaining by having his headlights blinding your rearward vision?  Or this BMW X5 with HID-Xenon headlights?  Or this Volvo? |
 |
Why has the steady year on year
decline in car accidents halted? |
|
Twilight is a particularly critical time when the eye changes from using sensitive cones to rods. Have you noticed in urban areas at twilight how much easier it is to see when vehicles just use their sidelights? But once a car comes along with headlights ablaze, your vision is momentarily destroyed - you have seen the car but perhaps not the child on the pedestrian crossing or the cyclist. It is this effect that we suspect is responsible for the increase in casualties to vulnerable road users. Perversely, as soon as the sun goes down officialdom encourages drivers to switch on headlights although they are not necessary for the driver to actually see with! |
 http://uk.autoblog.com/2011/02/07/are-hid-lights-dangerous-on-the-road/2 |
Ken Perham said:
"I am a Licensed London Taxi Driver with 38 years
driving experience, working solely at night.
The time it takes for eyes to recover from bright lights, is much quicker the younger you are. Elasticity
in the eyes seems to fade for most adults in their 40’s which accounts
for many having to wear glasses.
Many adults that wear them do not
realise that vehicle/auto component manufacturers, or even the
Government for that matter, are not considering that the over 40’s may
have a problem adapting to the continual exposure to bright lights when
driving at night. Drivers who have had laser eye surgery are
particularly vulnerable to glare and dazzle.
Research of a sample of over 40’s has highlighted that
they were not being considered.
Comments from those sampled were of
genuine amazement, giving a personal realisation that it was not just
them that was experiencing the difficulty of overcoming the bleaching of
the retina, but in fact, was a much wider problem!"
In the opinion of Lightmare voters, Daytime Running Lights (DRL), Bi-Xenon headlamps (also known as High Intensity Discharge – HID-Xenon headlamps), Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps and Driver Assist foglamps are dangerous, highly distracting and deserve to be investigated more.
We have received countless reports about the unsuitability of these lights, but so have both the Government and vehicle manufacturers. Just search on the web such words as ‘dazzle’, ‘dangerous xenon’, ‘ ‘HID’, ‘DRL’, and ‘LED’, and you can find countless complaints about the dangers! We list reports by expert ophthalmologists and scientists which confirm this.
Having confronted Manufacturers and Governments, it is apparent they need to see "fatalities and injuries to cyclists and pedestrians" before they react !Bad publicity, deaths and injuries, will be the only way to stop their lack of understanding. Do we really have to have dead and injured, like the 12% increase in Austria upon their introduction of Daylight Running Light legislation?
Those proven to have been killed or injured in Austria due to the excessively bright lights, actually brought about the reversal of the EU legislation. Our government, so far is totally ignoring the Austrian evidence and are proceeding to introduce mandatory fitting of Daylight Running Lights to all new vehicles from February 2011!
These lights can be 50% brighter(1,200cd) than a normal dipped headlight (800cd)!
P