Headlight’s too glaringly bright

[trchris]

I see there’s going to be a discussion within the government which will include various motoring organisations regarding led headlights and how glaring they are. I have a feeling that everyone who has retro fitted led headlight bulbs will now be made to remove them as they will not be legally permitted and a mot failure 

Chris

[dave bailey]

That's  interesting, I was just contemplating buying some!

[RogerH]

The motoring industry will grease their palms and nothing will happen except those on the committees will get ££££££ expenses.

Did the first DVLA type person who allowed the use of HID and LED bulbs either get his palm greased or imprisoned: along with the person who now allows pedestrians to leap from street corners into the TRaffic

... and allow electric bikes to fly at 50mph, no insurance, license, tax etc etc.

....and the person that allows indian type people to not wear crash helmets,,, that havernow morphed into black silk head scarves.

I thought stupidity was the realm of the stupid people but now anybody can join

 

Roger

 

[cvtrian]

I was talking to my optician about the brightness of headlamps, and I suggested that as cars were getting larger, particularly SUVs etc, then headlights were situated higher up than traditional and older cars which compounded the issue. 

[stuart]

One of the worst by products of the SUV/Larger vehicle fitted with LED lights is when you give way and they flash their already over bright lights onto full beam, proper retina burn!

Stuart.

[RogerH]

3 minutes ago, stuart said:

One of the worst by products of the SUV/Larger vehicle fitted with LED lights is when you give way and they flash their already over bright lights onto full beam, proper retina burn!

Stuart.

You have to expect that the flash will come along.  And you are so right - BRIGHT.

Thankfu;lly here in the West of London the foreingers do not thank you for giving way.

 

Roger

[PaulAnderson]

I vaguely recall that there’s a previous TR forum thread on this subject from a while ago, including discussing those anti glare glasses for night driving.   The current story is running in multiple newspapers including The Guardian, The Independent , the BBC  the I paper The Telegraph and more.

Articles refer to an RAC study which suggests that:

Of the 38 per cent of drivers who admitted to feeling nervous about night-time driving, three-quarters (75 per cent) directly attributed this to the glare from oncoming vehicles.  This compares to 63 per cent who found it harder to spot hazards, and 41 per cent who struggled to judge the speed of other cars.

Some of the press articles also raise the point on retrofitting LED lamps, such as people do to classic cars:
“Alongside this, DVSA has stepped up surveillance to intercept the sale of illegal retrofit headlamp bulbs for on-road use, and anyone caught could face a fine of up to £1,000.”

Another aspect is age, with one article including:

The problem is worse for older people, whose eyes take around nine seconds to recover from glare, compared to one second for a 16-year-old, according to road safety consultant, Rob Heard.  "In severe cases, we might need to stop until our sight can recuperate," he said.

The Telegraphs article includes:

Last but not least, the ever-increasing popularity of SUVs is thought to contribute to the problem. As these generally have a taller stance than more conventional models, their lights are situated at eye level for drivers in regular hatchbacks and saloons.   The problem caused by raised vehicles seems to be confirmed by official statistics. These show that 179 drivers said their road collision was caused by over-bright headlights, compared with two coach drivers and only one HGV driver. The implication is that the higher you are from the road, the less likely you are to be dazzled. More bad news for regular car drivers, then.

Personally, I don’t like driving in the dark and if I do then i wear a clip on version of those yellowy anti glare glasses.  If in power I’d ban front and rear light bars on cars which serve no useful purpose but do cause glare, reduce the amount of flashing lights on emergency vehicles as theyre blinding, and increase taxes on SUV’s which have elevated lighting that exacerbates the problem in order to deter their purchase - they’re also worse for other drivers in an accident due to their weight and worse for the environment due to excess weight and poorer aerodynamics.  

Edited October 28, 2025 by PaulAnderson

[Trev Good]

For us in our low slung TRs, the problem isn't the brightness or the spread of LED lighting, it's the relative enormousness of all these modern road tanks and the height of their headlights!

[DRD]

On 10/28/2025 at 12:52 PM, cvtrian said:

I was talking to my optician about the brightness of headlamps, and I suggested that as cars were getting larger, particularly SUVs etc, then headlights were situated higher up than traditional and older cars which compounded the issue. 

Yes I think that's a major factor in dazzling other drivers. The other issue is that people sitting so high up in SUV's just don't see us in our little TR's despite my car being bright yellow!

[RobH]

I find that individual cars are annoying but can be dealt with by averting your gaze for a moment as they pass.   The problem really is where there is a stream of traffic coming the other way so that the dazzle is more-or-less continuous.  

Slowing down is the only remedy - at the risk of being rear-ended by following drivers who are also dazzled but who carry on regardless.

 

[PaulAnderson]

Here is the previous thread  on anti glare glasses when the previous government review was mentioned.

[stuart]

1 hour ago, PaulAnderson said:

Here is the previous thread  on anti glare glasses when the previous government review was mentioned.

Never mind the yellow glasses they should make them have yellow covers on those new lights like the French used to.

Stuart.

[harlequin]

56 minutes ago, stuart said:

Never mind the yellow glasses they should make them have yellow covers on those new lights like the French used to.

Stuart.

I was told that the yellow lights were introduced by the Germans during the occupation to easily identify civilian vehicles.

Maybe someone can confirm or prove me wrong? 

George 

 

[RobH]

8 minutes ago, harlequin said:

I was told that the yellow lights were introduced by the Germans during the occupation to easily identify civilian vehicles.

Maybe someone can confirm or prove me wrong? 

It was introduced in 1937  -- so that cannot be the reason. 

Quote:

"At the heart of the French government’s decision to require yellow headlights was a commitment to road safety. The selective yellow light was believed to enhance visibility in adverse weather conditions, such as rain or fog. Studies conducted during the early years of this regulation suggested that yellow light penetrated fog and rain more effectively than white light, reducing glare and improving the driver’s ability to see the road ahead."

https://gigagears.com/the-legacy-of-selective-yellow-lights-in-french-automotive-history/

 

 

Edited October 29, 2025 by RobH

[james christie]

As a part of my cultural education in this man's country I was always lead to believe that yellow lights were imposed by the Germans during the Occupation to distinguish the French cars from ze German. Research shows that RobH has it right as to the year, although I did find the phrase 'to distinguish French cars from foreign ones'

jame

[harlequin]

Thanks Rob

I did wonder why it was only France (and Belgium? ) that had them

George 

 

[Ian Vincent]

1 hour ago, harlequin said:

Thanks Rob

I did wonder why it was only France (and Belgium? ) that had them

George 

 

It’s because the French were planning to surrender in 1940. 

[james christie]

Stupid, cheap remark that I wouldn't have expected from you Ian

james

[multipletriumphsinner]

We have just completed another RBRR.

A growing plague of overly bright aftermarket headlamp conversions is making the overnight sections in the wilds of Scotland, and Wales a real chore at times.

Its bad enough being followed by a Triumph thus equipped, but factor in bad alignment due to extra passengers,  fuel, spares, etc, and you know the score.

Thing is most of the cars with these retina melting lamps fitted are otherwise fair weather only garage queens that would very rarely see any use other than a quick run to a car show on a sunny summers Sunday!

[stuart]

16 hours ago, RobH said:

It was introduced in 1937  -- so that cannot be the reason. 

Quote:

"At the heart of the French government’s decision to require yellow headlights was a commitment to road safety. The selective yellow light was believed to enhance visibility in adverse weather conditions, such as rain or fog. Studies conducted during the early years of this regulation suggested that yellow light penetrated fog and rain more effectively than white light, reducing glare and improving the driver’s ability to see the road ahead."

https://gigagears.com/the-legacy-of-selective-yellow-lights-in-french-automotive-history/

 

 

I would have said with that reasoning for introduction it would apply equally as well today.

Stuart.

[Ian Vincent]

5 hours ago, multipletriumphsinner said:

We have just completed another RBRR.

A growing plague of overly bright aftermarket headlamp conversions is making the overnight sections in the wilds of Scotland, and Wales a real chore at times.

Its bad enough being followed by a Triumph thus equipped, but factor in bad alignment due to extra passengers,  fuel, spares, etc, and you know the score.

Thing is most of the cars with these retina melting lamps fitted are otherwise fair weather only garage queens that would very rarely see any use other than a quick run to a car show on a sunny summers Sunday!

As someone with LED headlights on my TR3a I feel I have to defend my decision. 

I started off with sealed beam units and very quickly discovered they were worse than useless. I progressed to H4 bulbs but still found them lacking when confronted by HID lights on SUVs and the like so fitted LEDs. They are properly adjusted and I have car MoT’d every year to confirm this. I also have a couple of marks on my garage wall so they I can check them easily. 

I don’t find that I get cars coming the other way flashing me unless I’m a bit slow on the dip switch. I can also say that whether it’s down to the particular bulbs I’m using or my reflectors, the cut off is very sharp. 

So in summary, because we can’t fit HID units there’s no reason why we shouldn’t take advantage of modern technology (like the majority of modern cars including for example my daily driver) and for older drivers (I’m 76) we need all the help we can get at night. 

Rgds Ian

[Steve-B]

3 minutes ago, Ian Vincent said:

As someone with LED headlights on my TR3a I feel I have to defend my decision. 

I started off with sealed beam units and very quickly discovered they were worse than useless. I progressed to H4 bulbs but still found them lacking when confronted by HID lights on SUVs and the like so fitted LEDs. They are properly adjusted and I have car MoT’d every year to confirm this. I also have a couple of marks on my garage wall so they I can check them easily. 

+1 and an Amen to that!

Our Caterham we had for 20+ years before part-ex'g for our TR6 was even lower in stance than a Triumph and we moved to Philips Clar Blue White Halogens which were a huge improvement. One of the first things I did to our TR6 after going out for a drive was converting to LEDs from classicled.co.uk which I got calibrated and wouldn't ever go back to conventional bulbs. Even though our cars sit so low, they're good enough.

[RobH]

1 hour ago, Ian Vincent said:

I progressed to H4 bulbs but still found them lacking when confronted by HID lights on SUVs and the like so fitted LEDs. 

It isn't a war Ian. 

Part of the problem is that everyone seems to think that going brighter-and-brighter  is the answer, which in the end is self-defeating. Brighter lights just make for more contrast - the dark areas just become darker because your eyes adjust to the bright bit. 

Modern LED street lamps are a case in point.  The soft yellow light from the old sodium lamps did not throw hard black shadows in the same way LEDs do. Now if something isn't directly lit it is virtually invisible, because the excess brightness causes your iris to close down further. 

 

 

Edited October 30, 2025 by RobH

[Steve-B]

With the UK populating aging more (as are we here) nighttime vision does suffer so brighter headlamps help but they shouldn't be at the expense of other drivers.

Funny how the DVLA form for over 70s says just "is your eyesight ok" instead of the US way of actually testing eyesight over 70. Perhaps that should be factored in, as the eyetest is simply staring into a machine with letters and repeating them to the US state authority?

[harlequin]

3 hours ago, Steve-B said:

+1 and an Amen to that!

Our Caterham we had for 20+ years before part-ex'g for our TR6 was even lower in stance than a Triumph and we moved to Philips Clar Blue White Halogens which were a huge improvement. One of the first things I did to our TR6 after going out for a drive was converting to LEDs from classicled.co.uk which I got calibrated and wouldn't ever go back to conventional bulbs. Even though our cars sit so low, they're good enough.

+2