If you’ve ever found yourself driving at night, minding your own business, when suddenly BAM the headlights of an oncoming car hit you like a thousand suns, then congratulations, you’ve experienced the modern phenomenon of LED headlights.
These seem like more than just lights; they seem like laser beams attempting free Lasik surgery on the road.
Whoever decided that cars needed headlights that could double as helicopter searchlights clearly didn’t think it through.
These LEDs aren’t just bright; they’re borderline blinding. Scratch that, they ARE blinding.
At this point, we’re no longer driving at night; we’re preparing for the next trip to space where we for some reason decide to fly directly into the sun.
Remember the old halogen headlights? They were more like a cozy campfire. You could see the road, you could see the stars, and most importantly, you could see the person you were driving toward without having an existential crisis.
Now, thanks to these LED monstrosities, the only thing we’re seeing is the inside of our eyelids for the next three minutes after they’ve passed.
However, it’s not just the brightness, it’s also the intensity. There is no better feeling than driving down the road only to be tailgated by a lifted truck with headlights that shine directly into your rearview mirror, flooding your car with the sweet gift of BLINDNESS. At this point I could be abducted by aliens and think it was simply the neighbour driving a little too close.
But don’t just take my word for it, studies show that these ultra-bright LED headlights can cause glare that impairs visibility. So, when I almost drive into a snowbank because I’m temporarily blinded, it’s not because I’m an awful driver (that’s a separate issue) it’s because of your headlights.
And while I can appreciate your desire to give your car the look of a luxury vehicle, I don’t need a second sunbeam in my eyes when I’m just trying to get home.
What is the solution you ask? Well, that’s simple, make headlights that are bright enough to help us see, but not so bright that we begin questioning if we’ve wandered into a sci-fi movie.
It’s time to bring back a little humility in our automotive lighting design. Maybe a nice warm glow, just enough to illuminate the road, without triggering an epiphany about your life choices.
Until then, I’ll be here, hands gripping the wheel, praying for the sweet release of darkness and the promise of headlights that won’t give me temporary night blindness.
