LED Lights: Dangerous on Roadways and Off

by Guest Reporter,

Suzanne M. Coleman, MD

LED lights are being used now on roadways as overhead lights, as well as on cars as headlights, taillights and brakes.  We also see LED lights used in spotlights, large stadium lights, bicycle lights and other uses.

These lights are very often way too bright and present a danger to us.  I am a physician and an analyst and I am working to get these dangers addressed and removed.

Research shows that some LED lights are damaging to the retina.  If you are on the road, or elsewhere, and must look at or towards these bright streaking lights, you will notice that after you look away they can leave a burned out black spot in your vision.  This is the same thing that looking right at the sun does and they both mean that your retina is being put in danger of permanent damage.  The longer you look at either of these, the more likely you will have permanent damage to your retina.  This is not good.

We should not have to risk damage to our vision simply to drive our cars to go to work, to contribute to the economy, to live our lives.  This needs to be addressed as soon as possible by the manufacturers of the lights, the vehicles, the roadway lighting, as well as others who create and sell LED lights.

In addition, the blindingly bright LEDs we find in vehicle headlights, along with the intense red taillights and brake lights present a danger to drivers.  This light distracts drivers from safe driving in dark conditions by diminishing their ability to see what is around them on the road.  It directly impacts their vision by causing their pupils to constrict which reduces the ability to see what is around them.  It also can be so bright that it causes drivers to close or cover their eyes while driving, thus preventing them from seeing the road and reacting safely.

This blinding brightness is also a problem with LED-lit traffic lights (red and green).  This is especially seen in areas that are generally dark, like rural highways and roads, but also in suburban areas.  The brightness and glare is blinding to the drivers on these roads and therefore a danger.

I have been working to have LED lights properly regulated so that they are safe for use on roadways and in other aspects of our lives.  Unfortunately, I have been unable to get an appropriate response from American policy-makers to these dangers.  Thus, I am reaching out to the public to see if we can work together to get the necessary results as a team.

The goals of this movement are to regain safe roadways and to remove the risks to our vision from dangerous LED lights.  There are ways to address these problems, they just need to be done.  I believe in preventing harm, not working to “fix” problems that could have been prevented, like blindness, death, and disability; doing things that way just doesn’t make sense.

I ask that you, like I have, reach out to your Congressional representatives, the media, the US Department of Transportation (DOT), your state DOT, the National  Health Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), car manufacturers, light manufacturers, your governor, the White House, and anyone else you can to try and get this issue the attention it deserves.

Once you lose your vision, it cannot be recovered.  And if you or a loved one is in an accident because of any of these lighting problems, that would be terrible.  Please help prevent any further losses and add your voice to ours by contacting any and all of the above suggestions. We shouldn’t have to wait until many people die before this issue is properly addressed (as suggested by NHTSA representative Markus Price).

More information is being posted on facebook as it is gathered:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/LEDlightdangers/