The Experts

Expert opinion on the effect of blinding light

These expert opinions and documents explain in graphic medical terms why HID-Xenon and Daytime Running lamps are dangerous. In mandating these lights, the European Commission and their traffic focussed advisers have neglected to consider the ophthalmological and neurological effects of blinding other drivers with High Intensity Discharge (HID) Xenon headlamps and High Power laser like LED DRL both of which emit light close to the eye damaging 370nm UV end of the light spectrum. These expert opinions and documents explain in graphic medical terms why HID-Xenon and Daytime Running lamps are dangerous. To justify their studies EU traffic "experts" used slides in a laboratory which cannot emulate the photon emissions beamed directly into a driver's eye. The EU then commissioned meta-analysis (studies of studies) which compounded their errors to produced the desired result. Only the Japanese Government have carried out real world tests and they determined that 200cd was an appropriate intensity. The EU have mandated 400 - 1,200cd DRL from February 2011 in a futile attempt to compete with the power of the sun!! In analogy to the Hippocratic Oath some particularly conscious scientists are swearing a voluntary oath: "I promise to work for a better world, where science and technology are used in socially responsible ways. I will not use my education for any purpose intended to harm human beings or the environment. Throughout my career I will consider the ethical implications of my work before I take action. While the demands placed upon me may be great, I sign this declaration because I recognize that individual responsibility is the first step on the path to peace." Heather Stewart "I will be honest and I will not do anything which in my view is to the obvious detriment of the human race. Second, if later I find that my work is being used in my view to the detriment of the human race I will endeavour to nullify these developments." Peter Reineker DRL and Xenon-HID lights imply a Violation of Protection, offending against the Equality Principle and violates Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and personal security "	Bright white headlights: are they safe? Flyingshingle.com Jan 2012 Michael D. Mehta, Ph.D. Dean and Professor, Faculty of Arts Thompson Rivers University BC
	Light Pollution P. Heilig December 2011 Light Pollution can be prevented. It has to be prevented – for the sake and for the benefit of ecology, economy and sensory physiology. And the beauty and the magnificence of the world heritage Starry Sky.
	Verirrte Lichtstrahlen (Stray Light Rays) P. Heilig June 2011 - deutch
	Letter to Lightmare 12 May 2011 by Professor David Rees Ph.D. FIoD, FRAS
	"Although I am a cyclist, I have more problems with HID lights when driving my car, maybe because when cycling, I am higher than when driving. As a motorist I am frequently completely blinded by Sports Utility Vehicles driving behind me, they are so high, and the glare in my wing mirrors, actually blinds me to the road ahead, I dip the rear view mirror, but can do nothing about the wing mirrors. I had assumed that it was ignorant motorists driving with undimmed lights, I now realise that the lights are dipped, they are just too bright to be safe for other road users". Dr. Daniel McQueen
	"Headlights do not help much in well lit streets and my night vision is destroyed each time a vehicle passes with headlights on. Sidelights are quite sufficient in these cases. Headlights should be reserved for emergency use and for the dark. They also draw indirectly on fuel to power them – not green." Dr. Trevor Dale B.Sc., Ph.D., LL.B
	"These high intensity lights have a bluer spectrum than the older lights, which adds to refractive scatter, and in fact because of this spectral balance, is also less useful for yielding information from the reflected light" Dr. Richard H. Barton.
	Glare on the roads: Are we being driven to distraction? Geoff Roberson from the Association of Optometrists says that HID-Xenon lights could be a problem for motorists - April 2011
	How Much Light do we need? P.Heilig Nov 2010 - deutsch Prof. Peter Heilig lucidly explains how vehicle lights affects the safety of children, adults, the elderly and athletes
	Safe Cycling P. Heilig Apr 2010 - english Safe Cycling P. Heilig Apr 2010 - deutsch Safe Cycling is a good introduction to the problems blinding Xenon-HID and DRL lights cause vulnerable road users.
	Impaired Perception - Driving and Sports P. Heilig Aug 2010 - english Impaired Perception - Driving and Sports P. Heilig Aug 2010 - deutch Impaired Perception takes a step further explaining how blinding Xenon-HID and DRL lights cause change blindness, inattentional blindness, effect on Visual Short Term Memory and Capacitive Dysfunction
	Why HID Xenon headlights bother older drivers British Journal of Ophthalmology 2003 M A Mainster, G T Timberlake, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Kansas Medical Center, "Governmental regulations determine which headlights we encounter. Acceptance or rejection of the current generation of HID xenon headlights ultimately depends on their record in traffic and litigation.
	Can Xenon lights affect vision? Dr. Edgar Leuenberger, Asian Eye Institute March 2009
	Retinal Light Damage 2009 Dr. P. Heilig, Dr. Elena Rozanova, Dr. Jasminka Godnic-Cvar
	The CHILD and Daytime Running Lights Dr. P.Heilig Oct 2008
	EPIGUS - Prof. Dr. Ernst Pfleger Sep 2007 deutch Report on the failed Austrian DRL experiment
	Monitor on Psychology - inattentional blindness - Siri Carpenter
	The Morbid Philosophy of Advertising Dr. P. Heilig Oct 2010 english Unrestrained Advertising Dr. P.Heilig Oct 2010 - deutsch These publications describe how the cumulative effect of roadside adverts diminish safety
	Disability and Discomfort Glare of Headlamps - english Locher, J.& Kley, F. (2009). ISAL 8th International Symposium on Automotive Lighting (38 - 42) Munchen This paper seeks to justify Xenon headlights - it concludes in static laboratory conditions that there is minimal difference between Xenon-HID, LED and normal Tungsten-Halogen headlights if correctly aligned. However if mis-aligned discomfort glare is present. A major failing of this static laboratory experiment is not carrying out real-world tests on moving vehicles with Xenon-HID headlamps - when they traverse legal speed humps or potholes they temporarily blind drivers. This is a real concern as the laboratory was Hella's who make headlights for many vehicles.
	Glare from oncoming traffic: Headlight properties -Visual performance and glare – deutsch Locher, J., Schmidt, S., Isenbort, A., Kley, F.& Stahl, F. (2008) Blendung durch Gegenverkehr: Der Einfluss unterschiedlicher Scheinwerfereigenschaften af die Sehleistung und das subjektiv empfundene Blendgefühl. Zeitschrift für Verkehrssicherheit, 54 (1), 10 – 15.
	Countermeasures for the effects of reducing Headlight Glare AAA Foundation 2001 Mace, Garvey, Porter, Schwab, Adrian This report proposes using the well known effects of polarised light to minimise headlight glare and seems an eminently sensible solution
	A Proposed Solution for Headlight Glare Submitted to UNECE WP29 February 2005 Dr. Turhan Alcelik on behalf of Turkish Ministry of Industry and Trade
	Daytime Running Light Studies - please see http://www.dadrl.org.uk/DRLstudies.html http://www.lightsout.org/studies.html
	Inattentional Blindness by Marc Green Ph. D. Occupational Health & Safety Canada 2002