To many people this feels intuitively wrong. While light may make you feel safer, the reality is that criminals benefit more from bright lighting than you do. Most crimes occur during daytime hours, with home break-ins being most likely between the hours of 10am and 3pm according to FBI crime statistics. In most cases lighting has no clear effect on crime, and in some situations brighter lighting has been shown to increase crime. But despite multiple scientific studies, there has never been any conclusive evidence that brighter lighting leads to less crime. It’s often considered “common sense” that bright lighting deters crime. Another study found that brighter roadway lighting can increase the accident rate, contradicting claims from lighting manufacturers. Research by the Illuminating Engineering Society on roadway lighting found that once a sufficient level of illumination is reached, around 1 foot-candle for most roads, additional light does not result in any safety benefit. After Stripes decreased the intensity to more appropriate levels, they not only improved safety but also saved over 75% on their energy bill. According to lighting standards set by the American Medical Association, the light was bright enough to perform surgery under! Drivers would spend several minutes under the light as they filled up their cars, only to be completely blind once they drove off. The Stripes gas station pictured used excessively bright lighting. As soon as you look away from the area under an overly bright light, you must wait for your eyes to readjust- which can take several minutes. Overly bright lighting forces our eyes to become less sensitive, meaning lighting past a certain level doesn’t help with visibility but can actually put you at a disadvantage. Our eyes naturally adjust to ambient light levels. Light at night is necessary to safely identify hazards and navigate spaces, but just because a light is bright doesn’t mean you are seeing better.
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