§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to improve the conspicuity of vehicles and to reduce dazzle from the use of headlights in towns at night; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThere is a long-standing controversy about the use of headlights in towns at night where there is good street lighting. Headlights, even when dipped, are unnecessarily bright; they can cause dazzle and reduce the effectiveness of street lighting. Side lights are generally too small and too weak to give adequate conspicuity. Discussions with representatives of road safety organisations and other experts indicate support for the idea of a dim-dip device. This will supply the headlamps with sufficient current to make the vehicle readily visible without risk of dazzle. The device operates automatically whenever the engine is running and the side lights are switched on, so it will become impossible to drive using only the side lights.
The Department is now consulting interested organisations on draft regulations which would make these devices compulsory on most new vehicles. I shall report to the House in due course the results of this consultation.