As the United Kingdom works on updating its regulations regarding vehicle headlights, French drivers are also reporting increasing glare on the road. How can this issue be addressed?
On automotive forums, testimonies keep piling up.
“I own a fairly low Peugeot 308 and I am constantly dazzled every time I pass a modern vehicle, especially SUVs,” one driver complains. “Sometimes it prevents me from seeing the road, especially if another car behind me lights up my rear-view mirrors and floods the cabin with light. I consider this very dangerous.”
Another driver shares similar confusion: “The other day, I was getting angry at all those drivers who seemed to be using high beams and blinding me so much that I couldn’t see anything. But no — it’s just modern headlights. The worst is when they go over speed bumps.”
On rural roads, this phenomenon is particularly worrying.
“I’m often dazzled to the point that I sometimes can’t even see the reflective markers in curves,” says another driver.
This is a growing issue that French lawmakers have not yet addressed. The Highway Code regulates the use of high beams and explicitly forbids drivers from disturbing or blinding others. For low beams, Article R313-3 states that the projected light must not be dazzling.
📏 Standards that still result in glare
The problem: headlights sold today must comply with the international standard ECE R149, which sets limits on luminous intensity:
• between 27,000 and 43,800 candelas for low beams, depending on class
• up to 215,000 candelas per headlight for high beams
However, these standards measure luminous intensity (in candelas), not luminance (cd/m²), which is what actually determines the perceived glare for other drivers.
LED headlights can reach 63,566 cd/m², nearly 60% above the acceptable glare threshold of 40,000 cd/m².
A British study commissioned by the UK Department for Transport and conducted by TRL found that:
• 97% of British drivers are regularly or occasionally distracted by oncoming headlights
• More than half have reduced or stopped night driving because of glare
To better understand the phenomenon, researchers examined vehicle luminance, i.e., the actual perceived glare. Average maximum luminance reaches 15,860 cd/m², with peaks at 63,566 cd/m², far exceeding the 40,000 cd/m² acceptable threshold. This threshold is “frequently exceeded, especially in certain road conditions: hills, bends, SUV encounters, wet conditions,” the study notes.
🌒 Why do drivers experience so much glare?
Researchers identified the main contributing factors:
• High luminance itself: 23% of the problem
• Type of vehicle: 20%
Nine out of the ten cars most associated with glare are SUVs, and eight out of ten are equipped with LED headlights.
During a parliamentary debate on 29 October 2025 at Westminster Hall, MP Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat) warned:
“LED headlights can be up to ten times brighter than traditional halogen bulbs, and the glare they produce can cause light stress requiring a recovery time of up to 30 to 60 seconds. That’s a very long time to drive almost blind.”
🇬🇧 New UK regulations starting in 2027
In the UK, new rules will come into force in September 2027, mandating automatic headlight adjustment systems. These systems will automatically correct headlight orientation depending on vehicle load (passengers in the rear, luggage in the trunk, etc.).
Additional measures include:
• Fines of £1,000 (€1,130) for selling illegal bulbs
• Public awareness campaigns on high-risk situations
The British government also aims to push for international regulatory changes regarding maximum permissible glare levels.