Are Car Headlights Brighter Than They Used to Be?

An increasing number of motorists are experiencing trouble with oncoming car headlights while driving at night. If you’re in this group, it’s natural to wonder if perhaps your eyes are to blame. While issues with bright headlights can be a warning sign of glaucoma, in most cases, the answer is simple: Car headlights are much more intense than they used to be. Newer vehicle models feature brighter headlights, which can contribute to road safety problems.

Types of Bright Headlights

Vehicles featured halogen headlights in the 1980s and ’90s. These days, they’re being replaced by Light-Emitting Diode (LED) headlights.

Halogen lights are incandescent, but unlike traditional incandescent light bulbs, they contain halogen gas rather than argon gas. Both have a tungsten filament within the bulb that generates light when an electric current passes through.

LEDs are much brighter than their halogen counterparts and, on the plus side, last longer. LEDs produce light when an electric current passes through the diode.

High-intensity discharge (HID) headlights comprise two electrodes within a glass enclosure. They’re also known as “xenon” lights after the type of gas filling them. HIDs produce more light than their halogen counterparts while providing more energy efficiency. HID headlight colors range from yellow to indigo, a shade between violet and blue. However, some states prohibit headlight colors other than white or yellow.

The brightest headlights include LED and HID lights. LED and HID output, or lumens, measures between 3,000 and 4,000 lumens. In contrast, halogen headlights display less than half that luminosity.

Besides luminosity, human eyes are more sensitive to bluish lights than yellow ones. Bluish lights appear brighter to the eye, thus adding to glare.

How Bright Can Headlights Be Legally?

The federal government oversees the legal limits of headlight brightness, with the Department of Transportation and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) certifying it.

Headlight brightness can legally range from 500 to 3,000 candelas in the US. A candela is a unit of luminous intensity. It differs from a lumen in that it measures the light the bulb emits in a specific direction. In contrast, a lumen is the total light emitted in all directions.

Why Drivers are Using Brighter Headlights

According to Business Insider, regulations over headlight brightness have not changed in decades. What has changed are the lights installed on vehicles. Gone is the soft yellow hue of the halogen headlight. Instead, LED headlights are bluish-white and much harsher.

The auto industry prefers LED headlights because they cast a broader pattern and use less energy. According to Cars.com, many car owners also prefer LED headlights due to their “cool” appearance.

Bright car headlights that sit higher on SUVs and pickup trucks may cause this lighting to become “overpoweringly intense,” according to the New York Times. This intensity results in drivers in vehicles lower to the ground being significantly affected.

Brighter headlights can help a driver see better in the dark. However, the same headlights illuminating the roadway for the driver create visual problems for those in oncoming traffic.

Safety Concerns Over Brighter Headlights

The newer headlights pose serious safety concerns for drivers who encounter them at night. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) headlight ratings take glare into account when assessing safety.

An answer to the safety concerns over brighter headlights already exists. Still, the technology’s regulatory approval has taken a long time in the US. In Europe, adaptive driving beams have been in use since 2012. These beams constantly adjust projected light for glare reduction. For example, the beams shine less light on occupied areas of the roadway and more on areas less occupied. While adaptive driving beams are available in virtually every other major automotive market, they’re not found in vehicles sold in the U.S.

The good news is that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a final rule in 2022 permitting adaptive driving beams on new vehicles. While automakers have been slow to respond, eventually softer lights will be available.

Car Accidents Due to Bright, Blinding Headlights

The number of pedestrian fatalities is up nationwide, and blinding headlights may prove a contributing factor. Roughly half of all fatal car crashes and 75 percent of pedestrian deaths occur at night. While determining how many auto accidents result from the glare of blinding headlights is challenging, anything that limits night visibility is potentially dangerous.

In the UK, government crash data states that “blinding headlights have been a contributing cause in an average of 280 collisions per year since 2013.” Those figures include approximately six fatalities annually.

An NHTSA study regarding glare perception found that 30 percent of respondents found glare from oncoming headlights “disturbing.” Other studies have found that bright headlights can interfere with a driver’s ability to recognize objects. For instance, a pedestrian may be mistaken for a road sign.

Besides serious injuries and vehicle damage, car accidents caused by bright, blinding headlights may raise insurance premiums.

How to Deal With Bright Headlights

While avoiding driving at night is the simplest solution for dealing with bright headlights, that’s not a practical choice for most motorists. Here are some tips to help deal with headlights that are too bright:

• Keep the windshield clean: Dirt on the windshield exacerbates the effect of bright headlights by scattering the incoming light.
• Adjust your headlights: If your headlights are aligned correctly, you should experience less glare from oncoming cars.
• Look away: When faced with bright headlights coming toward you, avert your gaze to the right when it's safe to do so.
• Wear protective eyewear: Consider using night vision or other glasses designed for driving at night. Consult your eye doctor about the best glasses for your needs. Regular eye exams are important to check for conditions that could make your eyes especially sensitive to bright headlights.

The Role of Headlight Technology in Visibility Issues

Halogen beam headlights, commonly found on older and budget-friendly vehicles, typically have a low beam range of about 300 feet and a high beam range of 400 feet. In contrast, LED headlights offer a low beam range of 450 feet and a high beam range of 500 feet, and their use is increasing in more vehicles each year. HID headlights also provide a low beam range of 400 feet and a high beam range of 500 feet.

Some modern headlights are optimized for the driver but are problematic for oncoming traffic. Drivers affected by super-bright LED headlights can take some comfort in the fact that they are not alone in experiencing this situation. New technology increases headlight brightness significantly, but at the cost of visibility for many motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.

LED and HID projectors produce sharper, more focused beams. Oncoming drivers may mistake these lights for high beams due to their brightness. Improper use of high beams is illegal in most jurisdictions as they can blind oncoming drivers. However, while bright headlight bulbs can similarly impair vision, they are not technically considered high beams. Many of the issues related to super-bright LED headlights arise when these lights are set to low beam.

Excessive glare often results from poor alignment or retrofitted headlights. Misalignment means bright headlights can shine directly into the face of the oncoming driver.

Well-designed and maintained headlights are less likely to temporarily blind oncoming drivers. Many newer models sport automatic headlights that turn on and off in response to ambient light, eliminating the need for drivers to manually control them. These automatic headlights respond to sensors on the windshield or dashboard that detect light levels. Unfortunately, automatic headlights are often the primary culprits in the bright headlight controversy.

Can Vision Problems Make Headlights Appear Brighter?

For some people, their reaction to bright headlights may indicate a vision problem. Older drivers are especially vulnerable to these vision issues, including:

• Cataracts: Over time, proteins in the eye begin to break down, leading to cataracts, which cause clouding of the lens. Glare and halos are common signs of cataracts, with bright headlights often triggering these symptoms. Additionally, cataracts can make it more difficult to see objects in low light, exacerbating night vision problems.
• Dry eyes: Those dealing with dry eye, formally known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, suffer from inadequate tear formation. Along with a gritty feeling in the eye, symptoms include bright light sensitivity. That extends to trouble seeing when oncoming headlights are too bright. Fortunately, many cases of dry eye respond to the use of artificial tears.
• Reduction of night vision: There’s a reason many older people prefer not to drive at night. They simply cannot see as well due to night vision reduction, a natural part of aging. Those with diabetic retinopathy are at particular risk. Reduced night vision is often treatable, depending on the cause.

All of these age-related changes amplify glare and brightness perception. While regular eye exams are important for all drivers, that is especially true for those aged 60 and up.

Before your appointment, make a list of any visual changes you’ve noticed, including bright headlight reactions. Your eye doctor will conduct tests and advise you of your options in making night driving safer.

Are Ultra-Bright Headlights Legal in All 50 States?

LED headlights are legal in most states, but the rules can vary depending on where you are. The federal limit for headlight brightness is 3,000 lumens, and states can’t go beyond that. However, they can set stricter rules on things like how the headlights are aimed or installed.

Some states have extra regulations about brightness, but the main goal is to keep things safe and reduce glare. Just because a headlight is brighter doesn’t always mean it performs better. Better lighting standards usually focus on improving the beam pattern to reduce glare while still giving off the right amount of light.

For example, in California, headlights cannot exceed 2,513 lumens. As a comparison, a standard 60-watt incandescent bulb measures 800 lumens. Only white or yellow headlights are allowed. Headlights must be mounted between 22 and 54 inches off the ground.

Penalties for Non-compliant Headlights

Under California law, drivers must use headlights from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. There is no penalty for headlights that are too bright as long as they meet California's specifications.

If a driver is cited for actually driving with their high beams on, they are subject to a fine up to $238 and one point on their driving record. For drivers who already have points on their record, this additional point could lead to a license suspension once their total reaches six points or more. If the use of high beams contributed to an accident, the party at fault could be held liable in a personal injury lawsuit.

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