Is it just me or have the headlights on new cars become brighter? Strange subject, I know, but I had a Kia Carnival behind me the other day, and got third-degree burns.
Next time I need an X-ray, I will just drive along Dunheved Road at 6pm on a weeknight.
So, when did car manufacturers decide that what motorists really needed was the lighting power of a medium-sized sports stadium or Western Sydney Airport?
By now, you’re probably wondering what the hell this has to do with security, but alas, hear me out.
As someone who has spent nearly four decades in the security industry, I spend a lot of time driving at night. Patrols, alarm responses, site checks, welfare checks, you name it, I’ve done it. Even split my pants, jumping a fence, but that’s another story. However, most of our security work happens while the rest of the world is asleep.
And I have noticed something.
Modern headlights are so bright that they can actually create security risks.
When you’re driving through an industrial estate at 2am and a vehicle approaches with enough lumens to signal aircraft, your night vision disappears. For several seconds afterwards, everything becomes a blur. Gates, fences, pedestrians, movement in shadows – gone.
The irony is that while vehicle technology has improved dramatically, the ability of drivers to see what’s around them has arguably become worse.
In security, situational awareness is everything. We are trained to observe details. A partially opened gate. A vehicle parked where it shouldn’t be. A person loitering near a warehouse. But when you’ve just been hit with headlights powerful enough to sterilise medical equipment, your eyes need time to recover.
Then there’s the CCTV issue.
Many businesses spend thousands of dollars on high-definition cameras only to discover that the moment a vehicle pulls into the car park at night, the number plate becomes a glowing white rectangle resembling a portal to another dimension.
Technology is wonderful, until it isn’t.
Of course, there is a serious side to all this. Better lighting has undoubtedly reduced accidents and improved visibility on dark roads. Nobody is suggesting we go back to candles and kerosene lanterns.
But surely there must be a happy medium between “can’t see the road” and “can see into next Tuesday.”
Perhaps manufacturers could offer three settings:
Low Beam.
High Beam.
And “Nuclear Fusion.”
Until then, if you’re driving one of these modern vehicles and notice every car in front of you adjusting mirrors, shielding their eyes, or pulling over to recover from temporary blindness, it may not be them.
It might be your headlights.
And if you happen to see a security patrol vehicle stopped on the side of the road at 3am, don’t panic. The officer is probably not investigating a crime. They’re simply waiting for their retinas to grow back.
