Ad description
A press ad by Press Play Deals, seen in the 26 October 2024 issue of the New Scientist featured the claim “SAY GOODBYE TO GLARE AND HELLO TO CRYSTAL CLEAR VISION. DRIVE SAFER AT NIGHT! ANTI-GLARE & POLARISED DRIVING GLASSES HELP PREVENT DANGEROUS HEADLIGHT, AND LOW-SUN GLARE.” Beneath that was an image of a road with oncoming traffic with headlights on. The left-hand side of the image was titled “BEFORE” and showed glare coming from the headlights. The right-hand side titled “AFTER” showed a clearer image with the car headlights dimmed. Further text on the left-hand image said “DRIVE IN COMFORT. NO MORE BLINDING LIGHTS”. Text beneath the image stated “Whether you’re driving during the day or night, our anti-glare driving glasses are designed to reduce eye strain and enhance visibility, ensuring a safer, more comfortable driving experience.
Issue
The complainant, who understood that wearing anti-glare glasses did not assist driving at night, challenged whether the ad was misleading.
Response
Pressplay Ltd said the glasses were specifically designed to make them optimally effective for night driving. The lenses were made with tri-acetate cellulose (TAC) which was known for its high optical clarity and durability. They were polarised and had coatings designed to reduce glare and filter harmful blue light in the 380–500 nm range, which was a particular challenge for nighttime driving.
They explained that the glasses met UK standards for nighttime driving. Specifically, BS EN ISO 12312-1:2013 (A1:2015) for which they provided the certification report. That report showed the glasses achieved a luminous transmittance of 79.38%, exceeding the minimum requirement of 75% for driving at night. That ensured adequate light transmission for safe nighttime driving. In addition, regarding colour recognition: the glasses passed tests for recognising red, yellow and green signal lights under both incandescent and LED lighting conditions. That was with the exception of LED blue light, which they said was less critical for driving. The report explicitly stated that the glasses were suitable for "Road Use and Driving in Twilight or Night". They said further that the glasses passed similar standards in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
They also said that the use of polarised lenses gave specific advantages. That included glare reduction, where the polarised lenses filtered out horizontal light waves that caused glare from reflective surfaces (such as wet roads, car windshields and headlights). That meant the glasses were particularly effective at reducing distractions at night or in low light. By minimising glare, the glasses improved clarity of vision which assisted in viewing obstacles, road signs and lane markings. Polarised lenses also enhanced contrast, making objects more defined and vivid, which was particularly beneficial for driving in low light. Reduced glare decreased eye strain and tiredness, allowing for prolonged focus which was ideal for long drives. They explained that while traditional polarised lenses could limit visible light transmission, their glasses had a lightweight polarised film, and so they did not suffer from the same issue and allowed more light to enter the eye. Their lenses also offered complete blocking of UVA and UVB rays, which was essential for eye health and safety. They said all these factors contributed to safer driving by improving reaction times and reducing distractions.
They explained further that their glasses were designed with ant-reflective coatings to prevent glare from artificial lights, such as headlights, and did not rely on light reduction alone. That made them distinct from sunglasses, which were designed to reduce sunlight intensity and as such were not always suitable for night driving. The anti-reflective coating on their glasses aimed to minimise glare without compromising overall light transmission. They enhanced rather impeded visibility, therefore, in low light conditions.
They said the glasses also incorporated Nano Yellow Factor technology which permitted high light transmission and allowed for enhanced brightness and contrast. That technology filtered short-wavelength light (such as blue light) that could reduce visual contrast in low-light conditions. They explained that the combination of that technology, the anti-reflective coating and a lightweight polarised film reduced headlight glare by approximately 15.81%. They further sent a report from the manufacturer showing the testing that produced the 15.81% figure.
They said that the claims regarding glare reduction, enhanced visibility and blue light filtering were substantiated by independent testing, which had been performed by an internationally recognised and ISO-certified laboratory, as well as other international standards being met. Those same tests showed the product exceeded the requirements for luminous transmittance, UV protection and signal light recognition. They said the ad did not claim to eliminate blue light completely but showed they reduced significant glare and therefore the claims made in the ad were accurate and responsible.
They stated that many other retailers sold similar glasses with anti-blue light and polarised lenses and so they believed that demonstrated the widespread acceptance of the benefits of the products.
Assessment
Upheld
The ad stated “SAY GOODBYE TO GLARE AND HELLO TO CRYSTAL CLEAR VISION. DRIVE SAFER AT NIGHT! ANTI-GLARE & POLARISED DRIVING GLASSES HELP PREVENT DANGEROUS HEADLIGHT […] GLARE” and “Whether you’re driving during the day or night, our anti-glare driving glasses are designed to reduce eye strain and enhance visibility, ensuring a safer, more comfortable driving experience”. The ASA considered the text, alongside the “BEFORE” and “AFTER” images, with a clear “After” image of a car on the road, not obscured by headlights, was likely to be understood to mean that the product prevented or significantly diminished glare from headlights, and would contribute to increased safety when driving at night.
Pressplay had supplied a copy of the certification report to show that the glasses had met the criteria for BS EN ISO 12312-1:2013 (A1:2015), relevant to the UK, and equivalent certification in the US, Australia and New Zealand. We understood that BS EN ISO 12312-1:2013 (A1:2015) was the legal certification that all sunglasses and related eyewear had to achieve to be sold in the UK. Glasses with a luminous transmittance of more than 75% could legally be used for driving at night. The report stated the glasses had a luminous transmittance of 79.38% and as such had passed for “Driving in Twilight or Night”.
We acknowledged that the certification demonstrated that the glasses could legally be used at night for driving. However, the ad made claims that the glasses could “HELP PREVENT DANGEROUS HEADLIGHT […] GLARE” and “SAY GOODBYE TO GLARE”, provide “CRYSTAL-CLEAR VISION” and make the “DRIVE SAFER AT NIGHT”. Therefore, we understood that consumers would expect that the glasses provided benefits, regarding reducing headlight glare and increasing safety, beyond that provided by standard glasses, and that Pressplay would have evidence, in addition to the certification report, to substantiate those claims.
Pressplay had provided an additional report from the manufacturer, rather than third-party independent testing, which stated that the use of lightweight polarised film for the product reduced headlight glare by approximately 15%. While the reduction of glare by 15% was notable, the commentary within the report did also state “specific effectiveness depends on the environment”. In addition, the ad claimed the product would “SAY GOODBYE TO GLARE AND HELLO TO CRYSTAL CLEAR VISION […] HELP PREVENT DANGEROUS HEADLIGHT[…] GLARE”. Therefore, because the ad implied a significant or complete removal of glare from headlights, and the manufacturer’s own testing showed it was only 15%, dependent on the environment, the evidence did not support the claims in the ad.
For that reason, we concluded that the claims had not been substantiated and that the ad was misleading.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading Advertising) and 3.7 (Substantiation).
Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Pressplay Ltd not to state or imply that their driving glasses could prevent glare while driving and could make driving safer if they did not have evidence to support the claims.
