LED, MYSELF & I

HOW HI-TECH HEADLIGHTS ARE PRIORITISING THE INDIVIDUAL BY DAZZLING OTHER DRIVERS

- By Tom Jervis

LED lamps may improve visibility at night, but some people say they're too bright. We look at the issue and see what can be done about it

TRUNDLING through the darkness on a country road in Oxfordshire, the light of our car's adaptive LEDs pick out a pothole lurking amidst the undulations of the tarmac. Seeing this, we're given enough time to swerve out of the way, saving ourselves from an awkward conversation with automotive PR representatives about a popped tyre or kerbed wheel.

We're taking part in a new Vauxhall study to probe the tangible benefits of LED headlights, specifically those with adaptive matrix tech. In view of the debate over the negative impact of LED car lamps, primarily the dazzling of other road users, the brand is keen to showcase how its Intelli-Lux HD headlights not only make driving at night safer, but also less stressful.

According to a survey conducted by Vauxhall itself, one in 10 motorists are afraid of driving in the dark, with the majority of respondents admitting they often struggle to see road signs or even pedestrians when driving at night.

The trial we're taking part in is being headed up by Vauxhall and a member of the board of trustees at The Road Safety Trust, Dr Neale Kinnear. It aims to quantify how adaptive matrix technology can actively reduce driver stress and potentially even change habits.

Along with five members of the public who were known to experience anxiety when driving in the dark, we have been recruited to drive two cars back-to-back: a Vauxhall Astra with standard auto-dipping LED headlights and a Grandland with the Intelli-Lux HD lamps. A post-drive survey, plus telemetry and heart-rate readings, would determine how we responded differently to each type of headlight technology.