I have been a licensed motorist since my late teens and have driven without incident in much of Asia and Europe for decades. But only in New Zealand have I experienced the debilitating experience of sunstrike.
Sunstrike can occur at any time according to a New Zealand Transport Agency-Waka Kotahi (NZTA) spokesperson, but is most likely during sunrise or sunset. At those times the sun’s rays hit the driver’s windscreen at a low angle, making it difficult to see. And the NZTA advises drivers to be especially wary during winter, when sunstrike is more likely to occur because the sun is lower in the sky.
Recently, it was only an alert cry from my wife that allowed me to avoid ramming the rear of a parked car in a narrow street, when I was temporarily blinded by the sun.
NZTA says sunstrike is not a problem unique to New Zealand. But a spokesperson advised that she was unaware of any research into how often sunstrike is a factor in crashes in New Zealand compared to other countries.
Impact record
However, the impact of sunstrike on crashes is something that NZTA does keep a record of in the Crash Analysis System (CAS) list of contributing crash factors. (She noted that it is referenced as “dazzling sun” in CAS, not sunstrike.)
Over the last five financial years (2019/2020 to 2023/24), there were a total of nine fatalities and 94 serious injuries in the CAS where “dazzling sun” was listed as a contributing factor in the crash. That equates to about 0.8 percent of total deaths and serious injuries over this period where “dazzling sun” was listed as a contributing factor to the crash. The NZTA spokesperson noted the following caveats:
- The data was sourced from CAS, as at 19 July 2024, based on crash factor contributing code “902: Dazzling Sun”.
- A crash, to be recorded in CAS, must have occurred on a road, defined as any place to which the public has access with a motor vehicle.
There is a lag from the time of a crash to full and correct crash records in CAS. - Due to the nature of non-fatal crashes it is believed that these are under-reported, with the level of under-reporting decreasing with the increasing severity of the crash.
- The cause of a crash cannot necessarily be attributed to any one factor, as a crash may have multiple factors.
NZTA offered the following guidelines:
- Be prepared for possible sunstrike when driving at sunrise or sunset, especially when turning or driving towards the sun.
- Be especially careful in winter, when sunstrike is more likely to occur because the sun is lower in the sky.
- Keep your windscreen clean of dust and grime.
- Wear sunglasses when driving with the sun in your eyes.
- Use your car’s visors to block the sun.
- If you experience sunstrike, it may be best to pull over and wait for a few minutes until your eyes adjust or visibility improves.
And an NZ Automobile Association (AA) road safety spokesman noted in an online report that it’s important to be mindful of drivers travelling toward bright, low light coming from behind you as they may be experiencing serious difficulty with their vision.
¹ With acknowledgement to songwriters Ellington Jordan, Etta James and Billy Foster
