By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-07 16:51:52 | Updated at 2026-10-07 19:46:07
3 hours ago
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Tuesday that it will rewrite its vehicle lighting standards to address concerns about road safety regarding headlight glare.
Complaints about glare from headlights at night have increased, partly as a result of taller trucks and SUVs being on the road, but also as a result of the use of LED lights over traditional halogen lights, prompting lawmakers to urge the government to set a maximum brightness standard.
A survey in March, conducted for the American Automobile Association (AAA), found six in 10 drivers reporting glare was a problem after dark, and nearly 73 percent of those who found it a problem believed the issue had worsened over the past decade.
The NHTSA said it plans to improve rules for LEDs, dusk sensors, automatic high beams, and replaceable light sources and would also evaluate headlamp height and aim and how they impact driver visibility.
Improving Driver Safety
“The long-overdue update to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to bolstering driver safety, slashing red tape, and embracing new technologies,” the NHTSA said in a statement published on Monday.
Federal headlight standards for minimum and maximum brightness have not changed since 1997, despite the introduction of LED lights, which are fitted into most new cars, and are much brighter than traditional halogen headlights.
“Today’s standards do not allow automakers to deploy the latest safety-improving lighting technologies, so we are bringing key experts and stakeholders together to modernize our standards and address potential causes of glare,” NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will appoint “up to 18 stakeholders” from vehicle lighting manufacturers, motor vehicle equipment associations, safety organizations, research institutions, and engineering associations to take part in the NHTSA’s negotiated rulemaking process.
“This collaborative approach will allow us to update outdated regulations, foster innovation, and keep everyone on our roads safer,” Morrison said.
The NHTSA said in 2022 it would allow manufacturers to install “adaptive driving beam” headlights on new vehicles, which can automatically switch the headlight beam to shine less on occupied areas of the road and more on unoccupied areas.
A study last year by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found headlight glare was only to blame for a small number of nighttime crashes.
Principal research engineer for the institute Matthew Brumbelow examined data from 11 U.S. states between 2015 and 2023 and found headlight glare was cited as a factor in only one or two out of every 1,000 nighttime accidents.
“Nighttime glare crashes were disproportionately associated with older drivers, older vehicles, and undivided low-speed roads,” the report said.
Traffic moves along a highway as heavy rains form an atmospheric river in Burnaby, Canada, on Nov. 30, 2021. The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward
“Drivers older than 70 seem to be most affected by headlight glare, while those between 55 and 60 don’t appear to have an increased crash risk,” Brumbelow said.
“It’s also possible that the better visibility that newer vehicles provide for their own drivers provides some defense against glare from oncoming headlights, in the way that other people’s headlights don’t seem as bright during the day,” he said.
Similar Issues in Canada
In April, Transport Canada launched a nationwide consultation to collect feedback from Canadians on increasing vehicle headlight glare, with a focus on LED technology, high-mounted lights on SUVs and trucks, and improper aiming.
That consultation came in response to complaints from drivers and formal requests from municipalities like Vancouver, and Victoria, British Columbia, to review safety regulations for vehicle lighting.
Victoria’s city council unanimously passed a motion in February urging federal and provincial governments to review and update regulations for vehicle headlight brightness, height, and glare.
The motion, led by Councilor Dave Thompson, calls on Transport Canada to treat headlight glare as a serious safety issue, particularly for older drivers as well as for those on foot or bicycles.
Reuters contributed to this report.
