In places where you need to have emissions checked they should simultaneously check headlight alignment and brightness and enforce standards for these.
For the most part, I agree. LEDs are not the problem. The problem is either moronic drivers, or poor implementation of LED lights. As a driver of a very low car, the vast majority of my complaints about bright lights boils down to lifted trucks with ridiculous light bars, LEDs bulbs in halogen housings, or dufoids driving with their highbeams on. It doesn’t matter if the highbeams are halogen or LED, they’re both blinding.
That being said, there are cars with LED headlights that are blinding from the factory:
2023+ Subaru Outback.
Jeep Wrangler/Gladiator (compounded by having a factory or aftermarket lift)
Hyundai Palisade
Then there are the cars that are designed by morons that have all instruments in the center console. That makes it harder for drivers to see when their LED highbeams are on:
Toyota Prius
Tesla Model 3/Y
But there are plenty of cars with LED headlights that I don’t have any issues with. In my experience, Mercedes and Audi seem to do a particularly good job of having bright lights for the driver without blinding anyone else.
And there are plenty of other cars with halogen headlights that are blinding from the factory too:
Ford F-Series trucks with quad halogen headlamps
Dodge trucks
Chevy Cruze (or some other small to midsize American sedan, I can’t tell)
The luddites who want to strap jam jars with glowworms in them to the front of new cars are being ridiculous. Properly aimed LEDs are so much safer.
When I got my new car with LED headlights, I couldn’t believe how much more I could see. I could see fae down the road. Retroreflectors on lane markings far beyond the reach of my beams are visible. Pedestrians running across the street against the light wearing all black (true story) are visible! Despite clear lenses, new bulbs, and being correctly aimed, the halogen lights in my old Civic barely reached 100 feet down the road. My other halogen bulbed vehicle is better, but it’s still a far cry from what I’m used to now.
Notice how all the cars in the first batch are SUVs. It’s almost like having vehicles with headlights that are on eye level with most normal cars is a bad thing.
SUVs are genuinely one of the worst things to happen to the automotive industry.
I hate to tell you this, but SUVs are “most normal cars” these days. There’s a reason Ford got out of making cars, except for the Mustang. (And I say this as someone that dislikes SUVs and would rather buy cars.)
We do in Germany, every two years. It’s not helping and I don’t know why. Maybe people are aligning their headlights correctly just for the test. Or the test is garbage. Next time my car is due, I’ll ask the guy.
There is a huge difference though when it comes to the intensity of headlights in the US vs Germany. Some cars in the US will light up the inside of your own car simply by driving behind you.
Part of it is how large trucks and SUVs are. The standard is that they have to point down a certain angle, but when you are that tall that is not enough.
In places where you need to have emissions checked they should simultaneously check headlight alignment and brightness and enforce standards for these.
TIL not all developed nations do this
I prefer the much more fun “break LED headlights with a hammer” but your solution is less likely to land me in jail I guess.
LED headlights are not the problem. LEDs in reflector housings and/or idiots driving with their brights on is the problem.
Either way the problem is idiot car owners, not technology.
For the most part, I agree. LEDs are not the problem. The problem is either moronic drivers, or poor implementation of LED lights. As a driver of a very low car, the vast majority of my complaints about bright lights boils down to lifted trucks with ridiculous light bars, LEDs bulbs in halogen housings, or dufoids driving with their highbeams on. It doesn’t matter if the highbeams are halogen or LED, they’re both blinding.
That being said, there are cars with LED headlights that are blinding from the factory:
Then there are the cars that are designed by morons that have all instruments in the center console. That makes it harder for drivers to see when their LED highbeams are on:
But there are plenty of cars with LED headlights that I don’t have any issues with. In my experience, Mercedes and Audi seem to do a particularly good job of having bright lights for the driver without blinding anyone else.
And there are plenty of other cars with halogen headlights that are blinding from the factory too:
The luddites who want to strap jam jars with glowworms in them to the front of new cars are being ridiculous. Properly aimed LEDs are so much safer.
When I got my new car with LED headlights, I couldn’t believe how much more I could see. I could see fae down the road. Retroreflectors on lane markings far beyond the reach of my beams are visible. Pedestrians running across the street against the light wearing all black (true story) are visible! Despite clear lenses, new bulbs, and being correctly aimed, the halogen lights in my old Civic barely reached 100 feet down the road. My other halogen bulbed vehicle is better, but it’s still a far cry from what I’m used to now.
Notice how all the cars in the first batch are SUVs. It’s almost like having vehicles with headlights that are on eye level with most normal cars is a bad thing.
SUVs are genuinely one of the worst things to happen to the automotive industry.
I hate to tell you this, but SUVs are “most normal cars” these days. There’s a reason Ford got out of making cars, except for the Mustang. (And I say this as someone that dislikes SUVs and would rather buy cars.)
I hate that you’re right 😭
Lmao. Well said.
Well you could work at the inspection center and do that if they fail to pass muster (for safety).
We do in Germany, every two years. It’s not helping and I don’t know why. Maybe people are aligning their headlights correctly just for the test. Or the test is garbage. Next time my car is due, I’ll ask the guy.
There is a huge difference though when it comes to the intensity of headlights in the US vs Germany. Some cars in the US will light up the inside of your own car simply by driving behind you.
They do that here. Except too bright isn’t seen as a fault.
I always wondered if it’s really the technique of the light or just lazy Standards
Part of it is how large trucks and SUVs are. The standard is that they have to point down a certain angle, but when you are that tall that is not enough.