Title: Blinding white headlights in new cars

Autistic individual

Experience

The bright white headlights in new cars are too bright. The older headlights were more yellowy and not so bright. The new ones are blinding when you have to drive towards oncoming traffic. It's even worse if the driver (or car when it is automated) is slow to dip the headlights. The automatic dipping function doesn't seem to work around corners or even recognise my older car with soft yellow lights, so sometimes they don't dip until the last minute! The bright white lights dazzle me and hurt my eyes. It makes it hard to see the road ahead clearly. It's difficult to adjust afterwards. I used to be comfortable driving at night, but now so many cars have these very bright headlights I don't drive in the dark anymore and that can be very restrictive in winter when it gets dark very early. I live in a rural area where there is no public transport so I can not take a bus instead.

What could have made the experience better?

I don't think that manufacturers should be allowed to make car headlights so bright. It is dangerous as it dazzles oncoming traffic and makes it difficult to adjust to the contrast between the bright light and the darkness. I think it is also bad for people's eyes. They should make them more yellowy and not so bright. I just avoid driving at night now. If I have to drive at night I slow down when I get blinded by the oncoming traffic and keep my eyes on the edge of the road until they have passed. I haven't tried the yellow tinted glasses for night driving yet as I have read conflicting information as to whether or not they are safe and effective.