Blinded by light

I refer to RM Atkinson’s letter in The Scotsman on Monday regarding the increasing numbers of cars with blinding LED headlights and brake lights.

Blinding brake lights on the car in front used to be the effect of a thoughtless driver sitting with their foot on the brake, instead of using the handbrake, which I confess sometimes resulted in application of our full beam in retaliation.

However, bright lights are so prevalent we have become resigned to them, especially as we discovered the brake lights on our new car have been designed to be on when the foot-operated handbrake is applied – making us equally guilty of blinding others!

Car designers seem to be going to greater lengths to come up with ‘quirky’ light clusters, some of which wouldn’t look out of place on a Christmas tree.

Perhaps there is some EU directive requiring all new cars to have these high-intensity LED lights. While appreciating the need for road users to be visible, it has gone to the extreme where we are now being dangerously dazzled, which is defeating the object. KATHRYN SHARP Blinkbonny Road

Edinburgh