Blinding headlights a problem for both Indian and American drivers

Bright headlights are a concern for many drivers since they blind them from the front and make it difficult to see the road, while headlights from behind can blind us by hitting our side mirrors and internal rear-view mirrors. These days, bright LED headlights take away all the fun from night driving and make it dangerous. At least now we are aware that this issue is not exclusive to India because drivers in the US are also complaining!

Low-lying vehicles are blinded by tall vehicles’ headlights.

Pickup trucks and SUVs are becoming more and more popular among American car consumers. Even when all standards are followed, these cars nonetheless easily shine into the rear-view mirrors of sedans or hatchbacks that are travelling in front of them because they are so plainly tall.

Does India fit inside this? Yes. Although we don’t buy cars that are as tall as those Americans do, we do buy cars that are taller. Compact SUVs are quite popular; examples include the Maruti Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, and Tata Nexon. Taller SUVs are also selling like hotcakes, including the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Tata Harrier, Mahindra XUV700, and Scorpio N.

Blue-white light causes most damage to the eyes

The second reason is the widespread use of LED headlights, which emit a blue-white light. Even when not powerful the blue-white lights are harsher on human eyes than earlier lights that is the warm yellow. We are seeing this problem in India as well, as almost all cars now offer LED-equipped variants that are very popular. LED lights, even on two wheelers, are harsh on the eyes. So, while the amount of light emitted may be the same as that of yellow light, the blue-white light feels much harsher. When the blue-white light from LEDs strikes your eyes, you may want to scrunch them up or even blink.

India specific problems with LED lights.

Bad driving etiquette is one. When a car is approaching, the majority of drivers do not turn to their low beams. In India, professional drivers used to do this far more frequently, but we have now lost the habit.

Traffic jams and more compact SUVs, as well as large SUVs. During a traffic jam or slow-moving traffic, the SUV stuck behind a hatchback or a sedan and would shine its blue-white LED headlights directly into the interior and outside rear-view mirrors of the poor driver in front.