Vancouver city council calls on feds to pay attention to headlight glare
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Vancouver city council unanimously passed a motion last week calling on the federal government to look into excessively bright vehicle headlights.
The mayor will write a letter to Transport Canada urging action to address excessive headlight glare, including updates to national vehicle safety standards.
“I remember when I first started seeing these headlights on the road I asked myself: How is this legal?” said the count. Shawn Orr, who introduced the proposal at last week’s meeting.
experts say The LED headlights of new vehicles are brighter, smaller and bluer than the warm halogen lights of older cars that people have grown up with. This produces more intense, concentrated light that causes people to squint due to discomfort.
The motion states that excessively bright car headlights are increasingly common in Vancouver, and are a growing concern for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
Experts say the LED headlights of new vehicles are more dazzling than most people realize. As CBC’s Troy Charles explains, Vancouver city council is calling on the federal government to address headlight glare.
Margie Sanderson of Vision Zero Vancouver, a group advocating for better road safety, says headlights are not only brighter, but they are also higher on larger vehicles.
“They put holes right in your eyes,” Sanderson said on CBC. on the coast. “We know it’s a safety issue, it’s blinding people.”
Sanderson said different jurisdictions, such as Europe and Asia, have stricter headlight regulations than North America.
Similarly, Sanderson said the federal government could impose regulations on manufacturers.
“The tools are there and our federal government can really make a difference,” he said.
She says there are some autobody shops that have the technology to test headlight glare for people who want to check.
For those who are concerned about being blinded, Sanderson recommends driving slowly, keeping enough distance and using the night mode feature on car mirrors in vehicles that have this option.
“Brighter is not always better,” Sanderson said. “We need the proper aim so that we can illuminate the right parts of the road and we can see really well.”
The city will also bring this proposal Annual Federation of Canadian Municipalities Conference this summer.
