Feeling uncomfortable driving at night? Experts Say It’s Not You – It’s the Bright headlights

Saskatoon optometrist Rachael Berger has seen an increase in the number of patients concerned about their vision while driving at night.

“I’m seeing huge numbers of completely young, healthy people coming up and saying, ‘I’m having a hard time seeing what’s going on at night,'” she said. the current Guest host Peter Armstrong.

She tells patients it’s not them — it’s the LED headlights increasingly used on vehicles.

Berger explains that when it’s dark, the rods in our eyes turn on to help us see better.

“When you’re driving at night and your rods activate, and suddenly there’s this burst of light, it can be very disconcerting, because our nighttime systems are not prepared or necessarily expecting it,” she said.

Advocates are calling on the federal government and car manufacturers to adjust their regulations and industry standards around bright headlights because a better balance is needed between solutions to help drivers see while not compromising the safety of others.

LED headlights can be up to four times brighter than other light sources. Exposure to bright, concentrated light can cause a phenomenon called discomfort glare; An annoying or painful sensation caused by bright light that causes visual fatigue, says Berger. Sudden, rapid flashes of light are sometimes called “glowing monsters”.

According to vehicle lighting consultant Daniel Stern, people may experience discomfort if they are exposed for hours to the bright headlights of oncoming vehicles or through their rearview mirrors.

Stern, Vancouver-based editor-in-chief Driving Vision NewsThere is concern that cognitive overload may prevent people from driving safely.

“If you have to focus on dealing with the glare by gritting your teeth or looking away, you’re not looking where you need to be,” he said.

Make rules the same for new and old vehicles: Experts

Stern says it’s common practice to adjust headlight aim when drivers get their vehicles inspected every year or two.

“This is largely a thing of the past, which is really unfortunate, because as headlamps have evolved with wider, brighter beams, they have become more susceptible to missing the target,” he said.

Stern wants stricter headlight rules for new vehicles and those already on the road. For example, having the proper bulbs.

“Many people think, ‘Well, I got great results from putting LED bulbs in my dining room or garage. I’ll put them in my headlights, too.’ The problem is, it’s like putting on someone else’s glasses, the optics are mismatched,” Stern said.

Transport Canada last updated its headlight rules in 2018. Those changes addressed new lighting technologies to increase visibility, requirements around headlight height, and automatic leveling devices to adjust the direction of light.

While federal regulations set safety standards for vehicles originally distributed by the manufacturer, they do not cover changes made by dealers or vehicle owners. It is recommended not to replace the original bulbs with the LED kit unless original equipment manufacturer parts are used. Regulation and enforcement related to vehicle maintenance and resold vehicles fall under provincial jurisdiction.

David Adams, president of Global Automakers of Canada, which represents many auto brands in the Canadian market, says it makes no sense that people can extend their vehicles as much as they want once they drive them.

“If you have an aftermarket provider or someone who is doing DIY stuff in their vehicles and taking that vehicle out of the regulatory compliance that the manufacturer has to follow, they should take responsibility,” he said.

Canada is subject to US regulations: experts

Stern says the root of Canada’s headlight glare problem is that we have subjected ourselves to American regulations.

“The philosophy in North America, driven primarily by the United States, has been that more light is always better. There’s really no emphasis on brightness control,” he said.

Transport Canada spokesperson Flavio Nino says the agency is conducting a nationwide survey to obtain information on the relationship between headlights, glare and their effects on visibility and driving performance. The goal is to learn how the brightness of modern headlights affects driver safety, comfort, and visibility. The results are due to be presented in May.

He said the federal government is also working as part of a United Nations Economic Commission for Europe task force dedicated to reducing Europe’s blight.

Adams says creating unique Canadian rules would be complicated given the low volume of vehicles sold in Canada – about two million annually.

“Certainly it would be more difficult, and potentially, I would suggest, more expensive, if we had to go that route,” he said.

He noted taking into account the diversity of vehicles, such as SUVs that sit higher than sedans, adds another challenge in updating Canada’s standards.

“At the end of the day, anything is possible in terms of trying to solve some of these issues, but unfortunately, it comes down to money and increased vehicle costs,” Adams said. “Currently in North America, I would say the vehicles are almost unobtainable.”

BC councils call on Ottawa to update rules

Recently, the city councils of Vancouver and Victoria passed motions asking the federal government to address the headlights problem.

County. Shawn Orr submitted the Vancouver proposal after seeing how the matter was handled elsewhere.

“When I first saw them, I thought, how are these legal? Are people modifying their cars, what’s happening,” he said. as it happens Host Nil Koksal.

Others have suggested adding features used in Europe and Asia such as auto-dimming or different lighting options for driving in different settings.

“There’s even (a feature that) when you turn a corner, the lights move along the corner, instead of coming straight on and blinding oncoming traffic,” Orr said.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says he will write a letter to Transport Canada urging action to address excessive headlight glare. The paper is scheduled to be discussed at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference this June.

Stern says the proposals put forward by Vancouver and Victoria city councils are a sign that political will is developing.

He said, “I think of it like air pollution. It is a social disease but until the political will was developed to clean the air, nothing was done.”