Laws over car headlights are currently under review after a study found new beams are 'too bright'.
According to an RAC survey, two thirds of drivers claim to have been temporarily blinded by oncoming headlights. One in ten of the drivers said it was five to ten seconds before they regained their eyesight.
The Sun reports that the problem comes from new cars fitted with high-tech LED and xenon lamps that produce 'daylight like' rays as apposed to the dimmer halogen lamps on older models.
So while the lights might make the roads clearer for the driver, they're causing other people to risk crashing. Apparently around 15 percent of the drivers questioned said they had nearly suffered a collision as a result of being dazzled by other drivers using full-beam headlights.
Those are some pretty worrying statistics, so it's no surprise the UN is currently reviewing its headlight policies. In the UK, all cars have to be fitted with headlamps that conform to standards set by the EU in line with the United Nations' World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations.
The UN's Working Party on Lighting and Light-Signalling will look at the issue of headlight glare in response to public concerns.
RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said: "The intensity and brightness of some new car headlights is clearly causing difficulty for other road users.
"Headlight technology has advanced considerably in recent years, but while that may be better for the drivers of those particular vehicles, it is presenting an unwanted, new road safety risk for anyone driving towards them or even trying to pull out at a junction.
"While regulations specify that all types of dipped headlights must fall between a maximum and minimum luminosity the night-time driving experience of motorists of all ages is very different with many saying dipped beams of some modern vehicles are too bright.
"We look forward to seeing the progress of the United Nations' vehicle lighting working group in April."
Looks like it could only be a matter of time before all newly fitted car lamps have to get a downgrade - bad news for all the boy racers out there.
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