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I have just returned home after yet another night of negotiating suburban roads shared by bozos with their lights on full beam. I drive a lot at night but this is the first winter I've experienced so many cars with lights on high beam in built up areas!

It's shockingly dangerous not to say ill-mannered.

Actually headlights need to be blitzed by police... there are a mixture of different light configurations including the morons with four headlights which is preposterous at the best of times but downright dangerous in the rain.

Last but not least there are the halogen headlights that just about burn your eyeballs out.

Is there any chance of lobbying the powers that be to mitigate the problem? I have spoken with others about the high-beam bozos and they have noticed an increase too.

Heather

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 30 June 2010

Your frustration is not uncommon. As you are probably aware it is an offence to use lights which dazzle, confuse or distract other road users causing a safety hazard.

Depending on the circumstances we believe, at times, an emphasis on education rather than straight out fines is the best approach by authorities. The reality is some drivers are ignorant of how their lights operate and have them on high-beam without understanding the frustration they cause other motorists.

The road code says drivers must dip headlamps if it could interfere with the vision of other road users. Commonsense suggests it's not necessary to have lights on high (main) beam in populated/urban areas where there is street lighting.

It is however legal to have a maximum of four main beam headlamps fitted on all vehicles except motorcycles which are allowed two.

The other issue is that new technology lights (LEDs, Hi-Intensity Discharge and Xenon – the blue-tinged ones) may appear brighter, even on the correct setting, but are legal.

Lighting is also compounded by the wide variety of vehicles on our roads. SUVs are taller so their lights shine into the drivers line of sight even though they may be on the correct setting. The angle of the lights partly compensates for this and some have automatic dip functions but there will always be a conflict due to our diverse fleet.

As a friendly warning to an oncoming car that their lights are too bright you may want to briefly flick your headlights as a common courtesy.

I have to say also out walking at night, it is amazing to see the amount of cars driving with no headlights on at all!