End of the road for cats eyes?

[Mitsuru]

LED lights could become the norm on Britain's roads after the government announced plans to change historic traffic regulations

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -eyes.html

[JPB]

One of the many good things about the original cat's eye is that a reflective surface can't reflect more light than is present at source so, whether you're driving a 1930s car on its original lamps or a 21st Century one with HIDs or LED arrays for headlamps, the cat's eyes wouldn't have dazzled the driver. Now, thanks to this idea, the studs will be brighter than the headlamps of many of the cars in use and not just older ones, which will mean that many folk will - simply put - no longer be able to drive safely after dark and in December that would mean not getting out before ten in the morning and having to make any return journeys by half past two in the afternoon, which will affect the ability of that person to get to their work. It's already painful enough with the LED arrays used by cyclists, devices that apparently aren't required to comply with any sort of legislation regarding their beam patterns or indeed their intensity, but at least full beams can overcome this phenomenon on the unlit roads which are in the majority locally. I'm assuming that the new idea will only be applied to roads that already had the cat's eyes, such as A roads and Motorways in areas of the UK that have them? Thank goodness there's not a single inch of motorway between here and the M9 to the north or the M74 to the west, and such dual carriageway stretches as we do have aren't fitted with cat's eyes so presumably won't be suffering from LED rash any time soon.

Saying that; it's from the bowels of the Telegraph so the story's possibly a complete crock to start with. Even so, I'll be ordering myself a pair of 100/80 H4s for the daily drive, just in case the currently fitted 90/65s aren't able to beat the new threat.

[GHT]

. Now, thanks to this idea, the studs will be brighter than the headlamps of many of the cars in use and not just older ones.

Given the penchant for so many drivers to drive at night on main beam, this argument is simply academic!