Motorists are blinding other road users by illegally installing super-bright LED headlights in cars that were never designed for them.
Motorists say the trend towards replacing worn-out halogen bulbs with LED ‘upgrades’ could be a key factor in the epidemic of blinding incidents on Britain’s roads.
Research by the RAC, which has demanded a government inquiry into the safety risk, shows that as many as one in twenty motorists have reported a near collision due to glare from headlights.
According to campaign organization Lightaware, evidence shows that motorists are replacing older halogen lamps with LEDs purely ‘to have brighter headlights on public roads’.
It warns: ‘Halogen headlights use reflectors to create beam patterns, while LEDs use projectors.
‘If an LED lamp is placed in a halogen housing, it will be difficult to mimic the beam pattern, and the resulting poor beam alignment can cause glare to other drivers.’
A Mail On Sunday analysis of the headlight replacement market has revealed huge online demand for LED replacements.
More than 2,600 packages were purchased on Amazon’s British site alone in the past month.
According to campaign organization Lightaware, evidence shows that drivers are replacing older halogen bulbs with LEDs purely ‘to have brighter headlights on public roads’ (Stock Image)
Experts say many drivers who make the switch may not even be aware they have acted illegally until their car no longer passes its MOT (Stock Image)
They are marketed as ‘halogen replacements’ or ‘halogen upgrades’ of LEDs and can only be legally sold for use in vehicles on private property.
This is Money has named it as one of the top four factors leading to an increase in motorist complaints about being dazzled by the headlights of other road users.
This includes the increasing popularity of SUVs with higher-mounted headlights that can shine directly into drivers’ eyeline over more conventional hatchbacks, which are lower to the ground.
The new car market’s transition to whiter LEDs and drivers not adjusting their lighting accordingly are also causing problems.
Expert analysis by This is Money has highlighted the four main factors contributing to the increase in complaints about glare from other road users
Experts say many drivers with older cars with halogen lights and who buy LED replacements may not even be aware they have been acting illegally until their car fails its MOT.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: ‘We are very concerned about this growing trend.
‘Many online retailers do not make it clear that retrofitted LED lights can only be used legally off-road.
“Riders like them because they are cheap, plug-and-play and brighter than the old-fashioned halogen lights. But the quality of the cheaper ones is often terrible.
‘They are not designed for halogen housings and therefore the intensity and direction of the light can dazzle other motorists.
‘We need more research to understand what is happening and we are pleased that the government has commissioned this.
“Drivers who install these lights could unknowingly be causing a much bigger problem than previously recognized.”
The RAC survey of 2,000 motorists found that 91 percent were blinded while driving and 74 percent said this happened regularly.
Nearly seven percent said headlight glare affected them so badly that they stopped driving at night – a figure that doubled among those over 65.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency says that LED lights can only be used legally on public roads if they are fitted as standard to a new car.
The same principle applies to HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamps found on many new models.
A spokesperson said: ‘Incorrect lights installed in a vehicle will result in a failed MOT.’