- Top 6 ways to beat headlight glare
- New Government investigation into brightness of headlamps
- Small adjustments drivers can make to alleviate symptoms
- Includes adjusting your seat and dimming your car's cabin screens
Here's six little-known hacks to combat dazzling headlight glare - from adjusting your seat by a couple of centimetres to dimming your car’s internal screens.
As darker evenings set in, drivers face having their visibility reduced by bright headlights, low sun, or reflections on wet roads.
While government research into dazzling headlights is ongoing, motorists don’t need to wait for new rules to take action.
Failure to have a proper view of the road ahead because of glare from other motorists can see drivers prosecuted and handed heavy fines.
You can be hit with ‘driving without due care and attention’ or ‘using a motor vehicle in a dangerous condition’ charges under the Road Traffic Act 1988, which could result in a £1,000 and even disqualification.
Graham Conway, Managing Director at UK lease specialists Select Car Leasing, says that while many factors contribute to glare, a few simple driver behaviour changes can make a big difference.
He said: “Headlight glare can be incredibly dangerous at this time of year and it’s an issue that impacts all road users.
“Some solutions are obvious, such as making sure you get your eyes tested regularly and to ensure you’re wearing glasses or contact lenses to correct any vision issues.
“Other remedies are less well known, however, and these simple glare ‘hacks’ could prove useful.”
#1 Give your eye time to adjust
When moving from bright spaces to darkness, our eyes need time to adjust. Your pupils will dilate to help let more light in, while your retinas use different types of cells to help detect contrast and movement in the darkness.
It can take a couple of minutes for your eyes to make this adjustment, so it’s best to sit in your car for a few minutes before driving to give your eyes time to adjust to low light.
2# Adjust the brightness of your car’s infotainment screen
If you can, dim the brightness of your dashboard lights and infotainment screen. A dark cabin helps your eyes to stay adapted to low light, improving glare recovery, while bright cabin lighting reduces your pupils’ ability to adapt to outside darkness.
It’s something a lot of drivers overlook, but if your interior is too bright, any oncoming headlight glare will feels much harsher than it needs to be.
#3 Sort your seat
Sit higher if you can – as adjusting your seat height be just a few centimetres can make a huge difference.
Being positioned higher in the cabin changes how light hits your eyes from oncoming vehicles. Headlight glare can feel particularly harsh when your eyeline is directly in line with oncoming headlights, particularly larger SUVs and vans.
Moving your eyes above that line of fire can reduce some of the effects of glare. That also goes for light from cars behind you that’s shining in your rear-view mirror.
4# Deep clean your windscreen, inside and out
A dirty or damaged windscreen exacerbates glare to a dangerous extent. Make sure it’s pristine both inside and out. Use a dedicated windscreen glass cleaner for the cabin side to avoid any streaks.
Get any scratches or chips fixed and clear your windscreen before you set off, too, ensuring any dead insects or leaves are removed.
And make sure your windscreen wash fluid is topped up and that your wiper blades aren’t worn or damaged.
#5 Use the anti-glare switch on your rear-view mirror
Many newer cars have auto-dimming rear-view mirrors, which automatically darken to reduce glare from the headlights behind you. This doesn’t require any manual activation as the sensors in the mirror will automatically detect a glare.
In older cars without auto-dimming, drivers can flick the anti-glare switch at the back of the rear-view mirror. This will switch the mirror to a slightly less reflective surface that will help reduce the glare from headlights behind you.
#6 Use your peripheral vision in the face of glare
If you find your vision is impaired by bright lights, ease off the accelerator and leave plenty of space between you and the vehicle ahead, this will give you more time to react and provide a longer braking distance.
Also, never stare directly at car headlights.
Instead, shift your gaze slightly down and to the left, focusing on the white line or the edge of your lane. Your peripheral vision still tracks the oncoming vehicle, but the bright beam doesn’t hit the retina directly.
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