Ring, is explaining the causes of dazzling headlights after the topic gained national media attention, citing illegal bulbs as a leading factor.
Ring, alongside its parent company OSRAM, works to ensure headlight compliance and safety. During a routine test of bulbs in the marketplace, sixteen—almost half—of the thirty-three bulbs tested from five manufacturers were found to be illegal.
Despite the belief that LED technology is the cause, Ring states that modern, bright LED light units are designed to ECE regulations and are safe. The common causes of glare are instead:
- Inconsiderate Driver Behaviour: Drivers failing to dip from high beam to low beam.
- Misalignment: Incorrectly fitted bulbs or headlights that are not set correctly, causing the light to point towards oncoming traffic.
- Illegal Retrofitting: The unregulated market allows the purchase of cheap, non-compliant HID conversion kits or LED bulbs bought online that are not designed to conform to legal regulations. (Note: LED bulbs are not currently road legal and should not be confused with legal LED light units.)
- Vehicle Height: The increased number of SUVs on UK roads means their lights are naturally higher, which can accentuate the effect of glare when driving on gradients.
- Poor Quality Bulbs: Cheap, unresearched, and untested products from brands cutting costs can result in poorly controlled light output.
Legal upgrade halogen and HID bulbs which produce a whiter light are often mistaken for glare-causing units, but their quality engineering ensures light output is maximised onto the road without causing dazzle.
Henry Bisson, Marketing Director for Ring, said: “Glare and dazzle continue to be a massive discussion point among drivers, so we are regularly asked about it. However, there is a lot of misinformation out there. We feel that it’s a duty of ours to comment on these issues and use our knowledge and expertise to convey the facts.”
