Drivers have been warned against wearing certain types of sunglasses this summer, or risk paying a £5,000 fine. Some varieties can cause glare while driving, and experts say they may not be safe while travelling on roads.
According to the Highway Code, drivers must slow down or stop when dazzled by sunlight or they could be forced to pay a fine of up to £5,000, the Mirror reports. Tinted glasses, visors and lenses are also prohibited if they limit vision.
Potential penalties range from license points, an unlimited fine, and even possible disqualification. Polarised sunglasses are designed to lessen glare from the sun and, according to reports, UK Google searches for "what are polarised sunglasses" rose by 200 percent during a recent period.
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Experts advise people to carefully "consider the type of tint in their sunglasses. NottinghamLive reports sunglass tints can be fixed, meaning the tint does not change, or variable, meaning it does. Some sunglasses allow wearers to manually change the level of tint via touch controls on the side of the frame.
Vision Direct optician Nimmi Mistry says: “Choose brown or grey tints for your sunglasses, and this ensures that your perception of colour isn’t distorted while helping protect your eyes from potentially harmful UV rays and distracting glare.”
Jas Thiara of Alsters Kelley solicitors says in the UK it is a legal requirement for sunglasses to be labelled and display their filter category number. She says it is “recommended to use filter category two for daytime driving but is not suitable for night driving”.
Denton Brock, the head of Your Red Car, says “keeping up with the Highway Code to avoid fines and penalties is essential. Always take extra caution when purchasing a new pair of sunglasses, and make sure any accessories in your vehicle are law-abiding.”
According to AssistProtect, 91 per cent of drivers are regularly dazzled by oncoming traffic. Government data estimates around 300 crashes a year are caused by glare.
How do polarised sunglasses work?
Glare is often annoying, but while driving it can be lethal. While ordinary sunglasses limits general light waves reaching the eye, only polarised sunglasses can prevent glare and it's all to do with the way they are made.
Light waves are typically reflected/absorbed in a random way but OnlineOptician UK says when waves hit a reflective surface they become polarised - causing glare. Unlike regular sunglasses, polarised sunglasses have a film embedded into the lenses designed to improve clarity of vision.
According to Specsavers, the film blocks out light reflected from horizontal surfaces, allowing only vertical waves of light to reach our eyes. Glare is prevented because these polarised horizontal waves cannot reach the eye.
