Drivers are dazzling other road users by illegally fitting super-bright LED headlights into cars never designed to use them.
Motoring campaigners say the trend to replace worn-out halogen bulbs with LED ‘upgrades’ may be a key factor in the epidemic of blinding incidents on Britain’s roads.
Research by the RAC, which has been demanding a government investigation into the safety risk, reveals that a staggering one in 20 drivers have reported a near-collision due to headlight glare.
According to campaign charity Lightaware, evidence shows drivers are swapping older halogen bulbs for LEDs purely ‘to have brighter headlights on public roads’.
It warns: ‘Halogen headlights use reflectors to create beam patterns, while LEDs use projectors.
‘If an LED bulb is placed in a halogen housing, it will be hard to replicate the beam pattern, and the resulting poor beam alignment could cause glare for other drivers.’
A Mail On Sunday analysis of the aftermarket in headlight bulbs has revealed huge online demand for LED replacements.
On Amazon’s UK site alone more than 2,600 packs have been bought within the last month.
According to campaign charity Lightaware, evidence shows drivers are swapping older halogen bulbs for LEDs purely ‘to have brighter headlights on public roads’ (Stock image)
Experts say many drivers making the switch may not even be aware they have acted illegally until their car fails its MoT (Stock image)
They are marketed as LED ‘halogen replacements’ or ‘halogen upgrades’ and can be legally sold only for use in vehicles on private land.
Experts say many drivers making the switch may not even be aware they have acted illegally until their car fails its MoT.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: ‘We’re very concerned about this growing trend.
‘Many online retailers fail to make clear that retro-fitted LED bulbs can only be used legally off road.
‘Drivers like them because they’re cheap, they’re plug-and-play and they’re brighter than the old-style halogen bulbs. But the quality of the cheaper ones is often terrible.
‘They are not designed for halogen housings and as a result the intensity and direction of light may well be blinding other motorists.
‘We need more research to understand what is happening and we’re pleased that the government has commissioned this.
‘Drivers fitting these bulbs may unwittingly be causing far more of a problem than has so far been acknowledged.’
In the RAC’s survey of 2000 drivers, 91% reported being dazzled while driving and 74% said it occurred regularly.
Almost seven per cent said headlight blinding affected them so badly that they avoided driving at night – a figure that doubled for the over-65s.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency says LED bulbs can only be used legally on public roads if they are fitted as standard to a new car.
The same principle applies to High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps which feature on many new models.
A spokesperson said: ‘Incorrect bulbs installed in a vehicle will result in a failed MoT.’