DaDRL UK DRL health dangers

Further to the correspondence about the use of car headlights in daylight (Letters, Nov 9), may I stress the unpleasant effects of dazzle on eyesight, particularly on the middle-aged, elderly and people with blue (lightly-pigmented) eyes.
The mass of headlights, particularly in the evening rush hours, causes confusion to pedestrians, who cannot estimate the speed of a vehicle, as only the headlights can be seen.
I was the victim of an accident of this type about 10 years ago, when I was hit on a Pelican crossing. This would not have occurred if only sidelights were used in a well-lit main road.
The headlights of a vehicle close behind give the effect to a driver of looking out of a lighted room. Furthermore, the lights of vehicles travelling in the opposite direction both distract a driver and reduce forward vision. This is a simple optical fact.
Dazzle used to be recognised as a danger factor after dark, and drivers were encouraged to use sidelights only in well-lit streets.
Then in the 1960s there was a campaign amounting to hysteria in the Birmingham area to drive with dipped headlights. It was promoted by a company manufacturing headlights, and now the practice of driving with headlights on the slightest excuse has spread.
I believe that continual staring at headlights can damage eyesight, and that their use in well-lit streets should be discouraged - or even forbidden - except in exceptional weather.

Dr. Richard Galatis 31 January 2002 USA

I believe drl's and all these new types of lighting devices on cars are causing serious eye damage. There has been a steady increase in patients complaining about eye stress due to glaring headlights. This is something new and it is my opinion these lights are dangerous and should be banned. I myself find them very stressful and irritating to the eye. They are completely unnecessary and serve no purpose that I can fathom. There are many studies which show bright lights and glare leads to severe eye problems including blindness. Have you tested these lights before you let them on to the public. It seems doubtful as any eye professional will tell you that glare and bright direct light is the worst thing you can subject your eyes to. I would suggest you do some serious regulating before the situation gets any worse.

Posted at http//dms.gov.search enter 8885 submission no. 1608

Richard Helpern, M.D. 04/04/2002 USA

Bright and extra headlights are causing stress and I am seeing the results in my practice. Not a single patient knew about this site. Millions of people would like to see some action taken. Being confronted with a bright distracting light triggers a fight or flight response. The result is high blood pressure, stress, blood sugar increase, not to mention the added risk of eye disease. Unnecessary distracting and blinding lights are a hazard. You will actually be doing the manufactures a favor by nipping this in the bud soon as there is no doubt in my mind they and you will be liable for the damage that is resulting from this. To take a blind eye to this is not only negligent but criminal in my opinion. The eye is the most sensitive of all our senses. It is easily damaged as well as the most easily distracted. All this extra lighting is causing accidents, not preventing them. I have spoken to many people about this issue and every single one of them agrees with me. I have yet to speak to a single person who was in favor of these lights. They all said they annoyed them. Annoyance is the least of it. The only proper and indeed ethical course of action is regulate now. Posted at http//dms.gov.search enter 8885 submission no. 1757

Laser eye treatment can damage night-time driving ability

by Tony Snow and Teresa Hunter The Independent 14 July 1999, screened at 7.30pm on BBC I

HI-TECH laser treatments, which have been touted as a "miracle cure" for the visually impaired, may leave patients unable to drive safely at night. Scientific research, to be broadcast on BBC TV's Watchdog, suggests that seven-out of 10 people who undergo laser treatment are left with a condition. Known as Nyctalopia, where the eye is unable to adjust to night glare. While Nyctalopia can be corrected by glasses if a natural sight defect, the "ghosting" effect is sometimes untreatable following a laser procedure. Watchdog tested the night vision of a small group of post operative patients at the Transport Research Laboratory in Berkshire. In a simulated night driving test four out-of-five of those tested could not read a road sign 55 metres in front of them, most struggled at 25 metres, while two patients could not read sighs until they were 10 - 15 metres away. In Germany, where the scientific study used by Watchdog was produced, night vision must reach a certain standard to drive legally in the dark. At present there is no such requirement in Britain raising fears that "miracle cure' treatments, advertised in women's magazines and national newspapers, are throwing up a major safety hazard. The Royal National Institute for the Blind is becoming increasingly concerned that patients are not being given the full facts. "It's an operation, and like all operations there are risks," said the RNIB's low vision officer Barbara Ryan. It's not simply a throw away your glasses' operation as is often claimed. The treatment etches your prescription to your eye so even if you don't need glasses in the short term, you may still need them in the longer term.

From RAC's Turn Magazine Spring 2003

See the Light Is headlight glare leaving drivers dazed and confused?

Am I the only driver in the UK who feels that the current obsession with bigger, brighter headlamps is bad for road safety? New car campaigns emphasise the 'safety benefits' of these headlamps, but the trouble is, they're so glaring that, even when dipped, drivers are left dazzled. Surely the worst offenders are the new breed of Xenon gas discharge lights. Is there a safe maximum wattage in the eyes of the law? We get more sensitive to glaring light as we get older, and seeing as the UK's driving population is ageing, I think it's time the Government legislated against blinding lights.

Trevor John, Dartford

I am a driver for a living. I have called NHTSA to complain about the new multiple and very bright lights on cars today. But nothing it seems ever happens and it keeps getting worse. I am afraid for my vision. These new lights hurt my eyes. I have been to a doctor and my vision is deteriorating. I believe these lights are to blame, in fact I know it is the lights as I told my doctor how they hurt me and he said bright intense light will hurt and damage your eyes. He says I must stop driving for the situation to improve. Now what do I do. What can I do about this? I need to work and I am a delivery person but I can not work as I am bothered by the lights and they have damaged my eyes. What now. I now do the following - turn down your rear view mirrors if you are behind one or pull over. If they are coming at you turn down the visor. I do not like sunplasses but I may put dark vinyl on the upper windshield and back windows - this is available at car shops. My only wish is that they put an end to this and that will solve my problems and the problem that millions of others like me now confront as we drive the new dangerous roads.

Posted at http//dms.gov.search enter 8885 submission no. 1786

THIS IS WHAT IS COMING TO THE UK:- HELP ME SOMEONE!!! DRL's Are Out of Control!

by Sheila McCormick Private Citizen referring to: NHTSA activities re DRLs

Just took the kids on a family vacation, the first driving one in many years. What the hell is going on? All the cars have their headlights on in the middle of the day and I'm going blind. Excuse my language, but we literally had to pull off the road a few times because I could not take it. I had no idea it was this bad. This was a drive from Ohio to the New Jersey shore with lots of stops along the way. It is brutal to have all these glaring headlights hitting hour from the front and rear on a bright summer day. Often I turned down the rear view mirror because the lights behind me were so bright they were extremely annoying. How does this make driving any safer? In my opinion it has never been more hazardous and I have been driving for 30 years>>

Laser eye surgery risks 'bigger than they look'
By Oliver Wright, Health Correspondent The Times February 11, 2003
PRIVATE PEOPLE who spend thousands of pounds on laser treatment for short-sightedness could be gambling with their vision, according to a report. Nearly 100,000 people pay between £1,500 and £3,000 for corrective laser surgery every year but the Consumers’ Association says today that many private clinics made misleading claims about the success of the surgery. The association’s report said that private clinics, including Boots Opticians, which offers the LASIK procedure, say that there are “no long-term side-effects or complications”. An earlier study in the journal Ophthalmology found that complications occurred in 5 per cent of cases and 4.8 per cent of patients saw a loss of best corrected vision. In extreme cases the procedure can lead to a rapid deterioration of sight and even a corneal transplant. Other side- effect included double vision, degraded night vision and “starbursts”

Elderly drivers face safety tests

Jon Ungoed-Thomas JULY 23, 2000 - THE SUNDAY TIMES

BIGGER, brighter road signs and new tests for elderly drivers are being devised by the government to try to prevent older motorists from posing a hazard on the roads.

Computer games, medical questionnaires and eye examinations are among options being considered to test the capacities of pensioners, who are often viewed as a menace behind the wheel. The tests could be compulsory for all pensioners over 70.

Larger, easier-to-read road signs have been introduced in America. In Florida, which has a large elderly population, the letter size on street signs at intersections has been enlarged and yellow warning signs that used to measure 3ft square are now 4ft square, with bigger lettering, giving the elderly more time to read and react to them.

About 2m of Britain's 32m drivers are over 70, but the number will rise by more than a third over the next 25 years. When they turn 70, British drivers simply have to renew their licences by post and declare any medical problems that might affect their driving - unlike older drivers in many countries, including Italy and America, who face stringent eye tests every few years.

Safety campaigners are now calling for changes that would keep dangerous elderly drivers off Britain's roads.

In 1998, less than 4% of drivers involved in car crashes in which people were injured were aged over 70, but this is largely because of the small number of elderly drivers.

About 61 drivers per 100,000 of the population aged over 80 are injured in accidents, compared with 556 aged 20-29.

Elderly drivers have admitted to researchers that they have problems with headlight glare.

Jane Eason of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: The elderly should have formal medical tests before their licences are renewed at 70. It's not just about their safety, but the safety of others."

Transport department officials are studying screening techniques, with the co-operation of more than 600 motorists aged from 50 to 92. Tests being studied at Manchester University include questionnaires on driving theory, eye examinations, computer simulations, including one where the motorist has to stop a car before it hits a wall, and flexibility assessments.

Some motorists claim that older drivers are a menace. Elderly people complain that young people drive too fast, but that's often because they're driving the wrong way up the motorway," said Jeremy Clarkson, the Sunday Times columnist. They create tailbacks by driving their Datsuns at 20mph, and accidents can be caused by younger drivers trying to overtake. 'They get home thinking 'Another day of trouble-free motoring', with no inkling of the mayhem in their wake."

Last October, a 78-year-old woman lost her sense of direction and crashed on the M5 as she headed north on the southbound carriageway. Another driver, in his eighties, managed to travel 25 miles along the M1 in the wrong direction as cars spun off the road to avoid him. Eventually police cars managed to box him in and forced him to stop.

But elderly drivers resent being stereotyped as dangerous. "I would be happy to take a test," said Millicent Butler, 102, from Crediton, Devon, who has not driven for a few months because of ill health, but wants to get back on the road. "I've never taken a driving test because they didn't have them when I started, but I think I'm a lot safer than many younger drivers," she said.

Rachel Notley, 87, from Beckenham, south London, drives a Nissan Micra. "I've never had an accident and I don't think elderly people cause problems," she said. "The drivers who don't seem to like us are the ones who drive white vans and lorries."