These are the regulatory loopholes that have allowed bright headlights to blind us all on the road

Have you ever wondered why bright headlights have been allowed to blind us all on the road?

As with most things, it is because of regulatory loopholes.

But what loopholes actually allow such bright headlights?

Well, wonder no more – because this is what allows the problem to continue.

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Bright headlights a nightmare for car owners everywhere

Have you ever been driving at night and suddenly found yourself blinded?

Does it feel like an alien searchlight has just landed straight in front of you?

Well, you’re not alone – because it is a frustration shared by many of us.

Most car owners have been confronted by the phenomenon of LED headlights.

In case you somehow haven’t confronted them, then let us tell you – they are, ahem, bright.

And the frustration is widely held and widely felt.

Trust us – the numbers back it all up.

Older halogen bulbs in previous cars produced approximately 1,000 lumens.

Newer, factory-fitted LED lights produce around 4,000 lumens.

That is a quadrupling in the power of newer headlights.

Regulatory loopholes keep getting exploited

So why isn’t anything being done about it?

The major problem is that federal regulations for headlights haven’t changed in decades.

So what law actually regulates this issue?

That would be the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108.

But the problem is that this legislation hasn’t had any major updates since 1986.

An addition that allowed for Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) headlights only came in 2022.

Interestingly, the National Highway Transport Safety Administration (NHTSA) last investigated this back in 2003.

And the current standards allow for huge loopholes for manufacturers to emit as much light as desired.

They are allowed to do this as long as they meet other requirements in the legislation.

And this came about because LEDs can focus light using lasers – and companies use this to their advantage.

Under the law, excess light is prohibited in certain areas by referencing old technologies.

But companies can shade the areas in question so that overall light output is still massively increased.

So how do manufacturers benefit from such bright headlights?

Well, manufacturers want extremely bright headlights in order to benefit from higher scores for IIHS headlight safety ratings.

Of course, vehicles have evolved enormously to become much smarter and safer.

But as our eyes haven’t evolved to catch up, maybe it’s time for the legislation to evolve and save us all from being dazzled.