TRL's Latest Study: Modern Vehicle Light Highlights (LED) Become A New Safety Threat At Night

JAKARTA The latest report from the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) of the United Kingdom reveals that there is a problem in the spotlight of modern vehicle headlights. This condition is now said to be one of the main factors that make driving activities at night even more risky.

The increase in the brightness level of the lights, especially from large LED technology and vehicles such as SUVs, is considered to have caused many drivers to feel disturbed and even chose to no longer drive at night.

Reported by Visordown, Saturday, November 8, the results of the study show that motorcyclists are the most affected group. The lower sitting position and the use of helmet visor make them more vulnerable to being exposed to direct beams from the headlights of other vehicles.

TRL noted that when the intensity of light received by the driver's eye exceeds 40,000 candela per square meter, the potential for visual impairment increased dramatically. From the results of observations in the field, about twenty percent of the night Street conditions studied exceeded that threshold.

The survey conducted on the driver also showed that more than half of respondents had reduced or stopped driving at night due to the headlights. The LED light is bright white and the position of the vehicle lights is high, especially in the SUV is said to be the main cause.

In addition, reflections of light from the wet road surface and the visor of dirty helmets also exacerbated the silau effect. TRL found that the road conditions were uphill or downstream, which also made the situation worse because the spotlight angle was getting higher.

In such conditions, light not only interferes with the vision of the driver in the opposite direction, but also reduces the ability of motorists to assess the distance and speed of the surrounding vehicle.

As a step of improvement, the report recommends that the government conduct routine surveys to monitor the development of the road's silau problem. Education for drivers is also considered important so that they understand when and how the use of the headlights can disrupt other road users, for example by turning off the far lights when crossing the narrow road.

In addition, vehicle light regulation is recommended to be reviewed because the current rules are considered not to have considered the visual comfort of drivers from various points of view. TRL also highlights the importance of developing adaptive headlights technology that can adjust the intensity and direction of light automatically according to traffic conditions.

Although this study was conducted in the UK, the results serve as a warning to the rest of the world that increasing the brightness of vehicle lights without proper control could pose a safety threat. Drivers are advised to keep helmet visor clean, avoid direct vision towards other vehicle lights, and remain alert to road conditions that reflect light.