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Chris from Nailsea
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« on: October 28, 2025, 16:17:23 » |
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From the BBC» : [Image from here is not available to guests]
Criticism from drivers over the dazzle from oncoming headlights has prompted the government to take a closer look at the design of cars and headlamps on UK▸ roads.
Drivers say LED headlamps, which are increasingly common in new vehicles, are causing them problems and making it harder to drive at night.
Research into the issue on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT» ) has still not been published, but the BBC has learned that the government now plans to launch a new assessment of the causes and remedies.
New measures will be included in the government's upcoming Road Safety Strategy, reflecting what is becoming an increasingly fraught issue for road users.
Both Ruth Goldsworthy and Sally Burt say bright headlights make it harder for them to get to their weekly SO Sound choir meetings in Totton, in Hampshire.
"Some of the lights are so bright you are blinded by them, for seconds," says Ruth.
The beam from LED headlights is whiter, more focused and brighter than the more diffuse light from halogen lamps fitted in older cars.
"I'm not sure where to look, I look into the gutter," says Sally. They are both relieved if someone else offers to drive.
Night driving becomes a bigger problem as the winter evenings draw in, and especially after the clocks change, which means more people are driving in the dark.
(BBC article continues)
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: Stop, Look, Listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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CyclingSid
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« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2025, 18:52:45 » |
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Interestingly there is a German standard for bicycle lamps: StVZO bike lights are designed to conform to German Road Traffic Licensing Regulations, with a beam shaped to avoid dazzling other road users, but the safety standard may have benefits elsewhere in the world, too.
StVZO-compliant bike lights differ from other lights on the market in that they have a cut-off, which keeps the beam focused directly on the road ahead and, in theory, out of the eyes of other road users when cycling at night. To which I would add maybe it would be a benefit for application to other road vehicles. Bicycle lamps in this country seem to sold on how many lux, doesn't seem to matter if is being wasted illumination to trees, walls, roofs or sky etc. |
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Marlburian
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« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2025, 20:34:41 » |
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My modest Vauxhall Corsa and my last car, an equally modest Ford Fiesta, both had switches to adjust the level of the headlights depending on the load, such as passengers in the rear seats. (Quite how they would fit into them I don't know but ...) I suspect that most drivers don't bother.
And that doesn't help when oncoming cars go over speed bumps. On Sunday I drove up one hill with eight such bumps in daytime and was still conscious of the running lights of oncoming cars "jumping up".
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Mark A
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« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2025, 22:02:25 » |
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Interestingly there is a German standard for bicycle lamps: StVZO bike lights are designed to conform to German Road Traffic Licensing Regulations, with a beam shaped to avoid dazzling other road users, but the safety standard may have benefits elsewhere in the world, too.
StVZO-compliant bike lights differ from other lights on the market in that they have a cut-off, which keeps the beam focused directly on the road ahead and, in theory, out of the eyes of other road users when cycling at night. To which I would add maybe it would be a benefit for application to other road vehicles. Bicycle lamps in this country seem to sold on how many lux, doesn't seem to matter if is being wasted illumination to trees, walls, roofs or sky etc. 2014, was it, and I delliberately sought one out, and in the UK▸ it was a bit of a slog, and bike shops I went to were unfamiliar with the concept. To this day, many cycle lights seem to be torches, with not a thought given to beam shape despite it being very simple to achieve. Turning to vehicles, LED lights can be a pest even in daylight - and even LED daytime running lights. Oh, and then there's lighthouses, which now tend to be retrofitted with something low-maintenance and energy conserving, but those are possibly xenon lights of some kind. Again cool white, but also an abrupt zero to 100% to zero ramp for the on and off. I'm sure the safety and functionality is unaffected but it's so unaesthetic. :-) And not that I need to but I find it easier to pick out a lighthouse and fix its position when the light leaves a ghost of itself when the beam's away from you and a loom when the beam swings towards and away from your position. And of course those are light qualities that say 'This is a biggie, this is the light that guides, it's not something small and on a navigational buoy (which still helps, but pfffft...)'. Mark, all at sea. |
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infoman
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« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2025, 02:50:28 » |
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and this is argument about any meetings and that is any meeting being held at night times,
who wants to be an eco warrior and environmentalist and use public transport in the cold and wet days
of our winter months for a bus that may never arrive?
Most railway events and talks have AGM▸ 's,
so maybe a suggestion to have a motion to change meeting times from night time to day light hours.
Don't think any thing will be done in the near future,just don't out driving night times if you want to avoid LED headlights.
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« Last Edit: October 29, 2025, 03:04:48 by infoman »
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grahame
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« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2025, 06:38:46 » |
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and this is argument about any meetings and that is any meeting being held at night times,
Indeed - and that's why regional meetings such as TravelWatch SouthWest on 24th and RailFuture on 18th were both daytime meetings. Where you are looking at a single town meeting - such as Melksham Transport Group on 13th November, evening has predominated and that's typically based on attendee profiles; we (meeting organisers) want to be available to "9 to 5" working people. Meeting groups do take note of their current and intended/desired clientele and good ones such as TWSW» are responsive to inputs - note the last couple of weeks where we looked to change from Friday to Saturday next March, but then we have reversed that decision after a substantive block of participants pressed that it needs to be during the working week for them. You, infoman, expressed (if I read you right) a desire to come along last Friday but I don't think we saw you there ... happy to take inputs but for newer members / attendees it always has to be that a bird in hand - current membership - is worth two in the bush, and a substantive change takes a risk. |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Transport User Group, West Wiltshire Rail User Group Committee and TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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grahame
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« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2026, 06:25:49 » |
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From the BBC» When Jane Kingsbury, 80, last had her eyes tested, she says her optician told her that her eyesight was OK. But Jane, from Cambridge, says she is giving up driving at night because the feeling of being "dazzled" by other vehicles has left her feeling unsafe. "I am worried about the glare from oncoming lights," she says.
And when Jane mentioned this at a discussion group she attends, others felt the same. "Over 90% of us did not want to drive in the dark," says Jane. "So we have changed the time of our meetings from 7.30pm to 1.30pm [for much of the year] so that we can drive home before dark."
Jane and her friends aren't alone. In a debate at Westminster last October, MPs▸ voiced widespread concerns about bright headlights. Some described social isolation among constituents who had become too scared to drive in the dark. The whole premise of the article is to consider driving yourself as the (only) way to get to evening meetings; sad but it's what the majority of people who have been active, self-propelling and interested enough to actually attend meetings and social events have done ... as they / we get older, ut gets harder. I was - struck - by the number of people we met at Leekes in Melksham in the lead up to Christmas - handing out public transport timetables at a store with a huge car park (and a bus stopping just outside) as to just how many customers are headed for a potential mobility crisis and a need to change their habits as driving or being driven becomes an issue for them. |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Transport User Group, West Wiltshire Rail User Group Committee and TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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infoman
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« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2026, 06:43:43 » |
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I did mention a little while ago the benefit of,when,holding events(not just rail events) in day light hours.
This "could" improve footfall,I don't know any large company that holds AGM▸ 's at night time.
But,will things ever change?
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grahame
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« Reply #8 on: February 19, 2026, 07:10:26 » |
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I did mention a little while ago the benefit of,when,holding events(not just rail events) in day light hours.
This "could" improve footfall,I don't know any large company that holds AGM▸ 's at night time.
But,will things ever change?
Indeed - and I have read your mentions / views and factor them into the logic when I'm involved in any meeting setup decisions. One thing puzzles me - you have active views about meetings, both lighttime and darktime ones, which would suggest a keen interest in attending them - and yet (to my knowledge) we have never met. Do you come to any of these meetings but remain one of the crowd (not that they are all exactly crowded) or is there some [other] reason you don't make any of them? |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Transport User Group, West Wiltshire Rail User Group Committee and TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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Red Squirrel
Administrator
Hero Member
Posts: 5666
There are some who call me... Tim
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« Reply #9 on: February 19, 2026, 17:31:15 » |
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The majority of trips for me are on foot or (especially since I got my bus pass!) by bus. On the very rare occasion that I have to drive in the dark, I do find that modern headlights can be ferocious. At least here in Europe these can have the ability to switch off some cells to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic; as I understand it some countries such as the US don't allow this.
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Things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could.
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CyclingSid
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« Reply #10 on: February 19, 2026, 17:51:20 » |
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As a regular bike user, I find most bike lights blinding as well, especially head torches. The general attitude to selling bike lights appear to be make them as bright as possible and don't worry where the light goes. Similar for scooters, when they bother. Personally I have one of the German spec lights that don't blind other users.
I think part of the problem with cars and similar, is do drivers dip their lights. Don't know the legal position but you shouldn't need full beam if there is street lighting. And does anybody use side/parking lights these days, it doesn't appear so.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #11 on: February 19, 2026, 18:14:56 » |
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I have now merged two topics here, as they both cover the same subject - for clarity, continuity and ease of future reference, as ever.  |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: Stop, Look, Listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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Mark A
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« Reply #12 on: February 19, 2026, 18:30:04 » |
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Yup. For some reason most of the bike lights sold in the UK▸ have same beam pattern as a torch, that is, not shaped. A useful question to ask if buying retail is 'I may be cycle touring in mainland Europe, is this light legal for road use in Germany'. Otherwise... they're the sort of light someone on a bike needs for off-roading in woodland but a PITA▸ on-road.
Mark
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #13 on: February 19, 2026, 21:00:12 » |
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Re: Torches In my days (or late evening / early night-time) before I retired, driving my delivery van around the Somerset countryside, I used a brilliant (pun intended!) torch to find sometimes obscure addresses. That torch had a focus adjustment, such that I could alter it from very wide angle to spotlight with just a turn of the handle. It cost me £5, from Tesco. |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: Stop, Look, Listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #14 on: February 19, 2026, 22:02:40 » |
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and this is argument about any meetings and that is any meeting being held at night times,
who wants to be an eco warrior and environmentalist and use public transport in the cold and wet days
of our winter months for a bus that may never arrive?
Most railway events and talks have AGM▸ 's,
so maybe a suggestion to have a motion to change meeting times from night time to day light hours.
Don't think any thing will be done in the near future,just don't out driving night times if you want to avoid LED headlights.
You will be very welcome at the TravelWatch SouthWest meeting in Taunton on Friday 6 March 2026. See https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=30742.0 This is a weekday mid-daytime meeting, at an excellent user-friendly venue, very close to the mainline railway station in Taunton, easily accessible by public transport. We look forward to meeting you there. CfN▸ .  |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: Stop, Look, Listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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