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美国交通安全部门10月6日宣布将重写汽车照明规则，以减少夜间车灯眩光。研究数据却显示，眩光在事故记录中并不常见，这种感受与统计之间的差异意味着什么？

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Modern car headlights can make night driving easier for one person but harder for another. Many drivers say bright light from an oncoming car causes pain or makes the road difficult to see. On October 6, the United States announced a plan to rewrite its vehicle lighting rules. The aim is to reduce glare while allowing safer new technology.

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现代汽车前灯可能让一个人的夜间驾驶更轻松，却让另一个人更困难。许多驾驶者表示，迎面车辆的强光会造成眼睛不适，或让道路变得难以看清。10月6日，美国宣布计划修订车辆照明规则，目标是在允许采用更安全新技术的同时减少眩光。

The concern is easy to understand. LED headlights are now common in new cars and are brighter than older halogen lights. Taller trucks and sport utility vehicles may also place their lights closer to the eye level of drivers in smaller cars. A light can be useful for the driver behind it but uncomfortable for someone coming from the other direction.

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这种担忧不难理解。LED前灯如今在新车中十分常见，而且比老式卤素灯更亮。较高的卡车和运动型多用途车，其车灯也可能更接近小型汽车驾驶者的视线高度。一盏灯可能对车后的驾驶者有用，却让对向来车的人感到不舒服。

However, crash records tell a more complex story. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety examined reports from 11 US states. From 2015 to 2023, glare was recorded in only one or two of every 1,000 night crashes. The rate did not clearly rise as headlights improved. Poor road visibility caused far more crashes than excessive light from other vehicles.

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然而，事故记录呈现了更复杂的情况。美国公路安全保险协会的一项研究考察了美国11个州的报告。2015至2023年间，每1000起夜间事故中，只有一两起记录了眩光因素。随着前灯改进，这一比例并未明显上升。道路能见度不足造成的事故，比其他车辆灯光过强造成的事故多得多。

This does not mean glare is unimportant. The study found that drivers over 70 appeared to be affected most. Reported cases were also more common on wet roads and local roads without a central divide. In many cases, a driver moved out of the correct lane after facing glare. These details show that a small overall number can still hide serious risks for certain people and places.

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这并不意味着眩光不重要。研究发现，70岁以上的驾驶者似乎受到的影响最大。在湿滑道路以及没有中央隔离带的地方道路上，相关报告也更常见。在许多个案中，驾驶者遭遇眩光后偏离了正确车道。这些细节说明，整体数字较小，仍可能掩盖某些人群和地点面临的严重风险。

The data also have limits. Police reports do not always record every cause of a crash. Only two of the 11 states separated headlight glare from sunlight. Researchers therefore used the time of each crash to study cases that happened at night. The results show what was reported, not every moment when glare may have played a part.

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数据也有局限。警方报告并不总会记录事故的每一种原因。在这11个州中，只有两个州区分了车灯眩光和阳光。因此，研究人员利用事故时间来筛选夜间发生的个案。结果反映的是报告中记录的情况，而不是眩光可能发挥作用的每一个时刻。

The new US process will examine LED lights, automatic high beams, light height and aim, and replaceable parts. It will also consider international standards. One possible tool is an adaptive beam. It can keep much of the road bright while reducing the part of the beam aimed at another vehicle.

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美国的新流程将考察LED灯、自动远光灯、车灯高度与照射方向，以及可更换部件，也会参考国际标准。一种可能的工具是自适应光束：它能够让大部分道路保持明亮，同时减弱射向另一辆车的那部分光线。

No final rule has been written yet. A group of up to 18 people from industry, research and safety groups will discuss the changes, and public comments are open until November 9. The challenge is to improve what drivers can see without creating a new danger for people around them.

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目前还没有形成最终规则。一个由产业界、研究界和安全组织代表组成、最多18人的小组将讨论这些调整，公众意见征集持续到11月9日。挑战在于改善驾驶者的视野，同时不为周围的人制造新的危险。

新闻来源

• Reuters · US agency to rewrite rules to address vehicle headlight glare
• IIHS · Headlight glare in police-reported crash data: prevalence, contributing factors, and potential effects

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