Readers Write: LED headlights threaten our safety

The Island Now

At a recent gathering comprised of six Great Neck residents, 50 percent of them acknowledged they are seriously impacted by the glare of oncoming LED headlights (and flashing police headlights) to the point where they believe they will be forced to give up night-time driving completely.

These same residents are healthy, active, non-seniors who will reluctantly resign themselves to a lifestyle of zero night-time driving.

They have based their decision on their need for personal safety and to accommodate the new lights and the hazardous conditions they present.

Shouldn’t it be the other way around?  Shouldn’t lighting manufacturers ensure safety standards to accommodate the needs of the driving public?  Lights that are too blue or too white, too intense and too glaring for our sensitive eyes present a hindrance — rather than a help — when it comes to public safety.

Ironically, the three residents of six who openly admitted to being negatively impacted confided their personal belief that something must be wrong with them — instead of believing something must be wrong with LED lights.

After all, our government and retail market are openly embracing these lights with government grants and the gradual elimination of old fashioned bulbs.  This writer believes there are a great deal more residents who react strongly and react negatively to this not quite ready for prime time technology.

It took a single innocent child to speak the truth in Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

The insecure adult establishment was too afraid of their standing in a small community and the possibility that they might appear foolish in the face of an invention lauded as new and wonderful.

What was the harm in admitting that the Emperor’s trusty officials, in fact, saw nothing? Acknowledgement that one saw nothing would reflect their unsuitability for their esteemed leadership roles.

But we have come a long way since 1837 and it is hard to imagine that our smart, sophisticated residents would keep silent about a naked Emperor parading down Middle Neck Road without his clothing.

Or would we?

Who gets hurt when there is no public dialogue about the blinding, headlights on the new consumer 2017 vehicles?

Who gets hurt when Nassau County Police vehicles with intensely bright, intensely glaring, multi-colored flashing led headlights race down East Shore Road and Northern Boulevard?

The public gets hurt — plain and simple.

Unless your trusty Driver’s Ed teacher instructed you that it was okay to operate a moving vehicle with one hand shielding your eyes — you recognize that something atypical and downright scary is taking place.  Unfortunately, this scenario is occurring on a daily and nightly basis.

To quote a respected Great Neck Volunteer Firefighter — “These new police headlights are brutal.”

Instead of serving and protecting the police officers who operate them — these newly equipped vehicles pose a dangerous threat to the driving public.

We can’t drive safely if we can’t see.  We can’t drive safely if we are gazing AWAY from oncoming emergency vehicles instead of staring straight ahead so we don’t collide with them.

No complicated logic here.

The question is, “Why is no one talking about this as a community?”

Furthermore, why are we talking about installing these same visually distracting, optically harsh lights in our local villages as streetlamps?

Are we so bedazzled by the new technology — and fairytale promises of cost savings — that we don’t see the harsh, blinding reality?

Have we overlooked the textbook fact that some ideas are great in theory but not so great in actual practice?

Why is our local and national leadership so accepting of all things new that they don’t stop to question if these are the right choices for the public interest?

In the best of circumstances, when a hazardous situation is identified — a community works hard to eradicate the hazard.  In the case of LED lighting, the hazard is spreading by leaps and bounds due to government grants and the theory that these lights are the next best thing to white bread.

The promise of cost savings rules in the absence of community uprising.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the MTA, AAA/Government Affairs and AARP are not hearing from concerned residents demanding these lights be limited and recalled until 1. they face rigid safety standards and 2. are improved for visual acuity.  Turquoise and royal blue LED headlights (recalling the days of our now defunct Hookah Lounge) are a serious visual distraction presenting stimulation overload — and yet manufacturers are churning out these newfangled products in the name of new and improved technology.

Does that make it safe for the public at large?  What happened to the public’s demand for safety standards?

The American Medical Association openly cited (2016 Annual Conference) that LED lights were introduced before they were perfected — presumably due to high consumer demand for cost savings.

But even one Long Island driver who is crippled and disabled by these new high tech lights — having to give up their right to safe night time driving — should be unacceptable.

Long Island Leaders – are you listening?

I encourage all of you to contact your local government, Nassau County leadership, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, MTA, AAA/Government Affairs and AARP to voice your concerns about blinding LED lights.

Public safety should always come first ahead of cost savings.

I’ll direct this final question to all elected Nassau County government leaders, mayors and trustees, “Are you too afraid of standing alone in the crowd — when everyone else is applauding the miracles of LED lighting?”

Remember — it took an innocent, fearless child to speak up and voice the truth, among a crowd of elders too afraid to speak their minds.

Their fear of standing alone in the community silenced their tongues.

For safety’s sake — let’s hope and pray our Nassau County elected leaders and local mayors and trustees choose to question if the time is right to bring LED lights to our community.

Now about those blinking, multi-colored LED light displays on our bridges and tunnels that Gov. Cuomo has initiated….

Judy Shore Rosenthal

Great Neck

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