NHTSA to Tackle Nighttime Headlight Glare

Safety
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Just read this and Copied from another forum:

US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to Tackle Nighttime Headlight Glare

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.

Ford to Recall More Than 35,000 Vehicles Over Faulty LED Lights, NHTSA Says
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“This collaborative approach will allow us to update outdated regulations, foster innovation, and keep everyone on our roads safer,” Morrison said.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.

“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.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/modernize-outdated-vehicle-lighting-standards

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Post from a vehicle design engineer on the forum:

Cross post from Automotive LED Research, most notably the ability to publicly comment:

On October 6, 2026, the NHTSA announced that it is beginning a process to modernize the federal vehicle lighting standard (FMVSS 108), including examining headlight glare, headlamp aim, mounting height, LED lighting, automatic high beams, testing procedures, and other lighting technologies.

This is a significant development, as many drivers, researchers, lighting experts, and manufacturers have argued for years that portions of the standard are outdated and do not adequately reflect modern vehicle lighting systems.

NHTSA is currently accepting public comments on the scope of this effort. If you have strong opinions about headlight glare, vehicle lighting performance, headlamp aim, mounting height, automatic high beams, LEDs, or lighting regulations in general, now is your opportunity to provide feedback directly to the agency.

Comments can be submitted through Regulations.gov and must be received by November 9, 2026.

How to submit a comment:

  1. Visit Regulations.gov.
  2. Search for docket NHTSA-2026-1981.
  3. Open the docket and click “Comment”.
  4. Enter your comments and any supporting information.
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Thanks Dave, I’ll try the link.

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If states would just crack down on the consumer-caused lighting problems, we’d be way ahead of this problem.

Specifically… 1) Cheap Chinesium LED conversion bulbs the owners decided they should install in housings not designed for them. Poor beam dispersion, and pulsing!! Pulsing headlights and DRLs the driver never sees!

  1. And those Carolina Squat truckers who mod their trucks by dropping the rear and pointing the headlights into the oncoming driver’s faces blinding them.

  2. Or the cars that have been bent or broken that never correct the headlights to the proper adjustment.

This does not address Ford Super Duty F250 and F350 headlight blindness I see regularly. There are other models that do this but the Fords are very noticable.

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How about drivers aged 61-69?

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Don’t have a clue as like I said it was all copied from another forum…

But I will say that even at age 56, headlight glare has bothered me for well over a decade now…

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It’s likely that cataracts are the reason for glare intolerance. They typically become noticeable as people approach their 60s and continue to worsen as people age. My ophthalmologist alerted me to my cataracts in my late 50s. I’m 74 and still haven’t had my lenses replaced. I have difficulties looking at any headlights, brights on or not. Maybe later this year I’ll have the operation. I’d love to get rid of those coke bottles I’ve worn for 70 years.

That’s all on average. A work friend had cataract surgery in his early 40s.

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I have had cataract surgery and both eyes have artificial lens. Almost painless and made a big difference . With my glasses ( Necessary because of a stigma) I am almost 20/20 vision. The only bad part is the eye drops you have to take before and after the surgery. Night vision is great.

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+1 to the benefit of cataract surgery for drivers. I had both eyes done in my late 40s, and the difference was immediately amazing. In addition to not being bothered by oncoming headlights, my overall vision was greatly improved, and I now only need glasses for distance vision.

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In my 70’s and not there yet. Last checkup said I was just starting to get cataract issues. Probably need surgery in a few years.

Back to the headlight problem. I don’t know about other areas of the country, but here in New England the biggest problem I have with seeing are these little dweebs with these obnoxious lightbars. Some of them are putting out well over 10,000 lumens. I see this one jerk driving an F150 with at least 5 rows of LED lights across the front of his vehicle that he has on ALL THE TIME. It’s blinding. Been driving that way for years and the police to NOTHING about it.

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My wife had the lens implants a couple of years ago. She went from thick lenses to no glasses. Not covered completely by insurance but worth every dollar.

A couple more friends had similar experiences.

Good Luck with your procedure!

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Its about time. I drive a 2021 Ram truck with conventional halogen bulbs. My eyes were recently tested and are fine. The glare from led headlights is frightening were I live, which is rural and suburban. Most drivers seem to not know when to turn them down. And many that do turn them down find that their car lights are still to bright (even on low beam). My neighbor complains that their new car is constantly flashed at when they are already on low beam. Its so bad he complained to his dealer, only to be told there is nothing they can do. He’s actually thinking about tinting his Lexus headlights!

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It seems to me that a bag of mulch in the bed or dragging an empty trailer will squat these current trucks enough to put their lights right up my @55.

I am about to start wearing sunscreen on the back of my neck when driving in the dark. These things shoulda been designed to carry at least one mother in law before the rear suspension deflects.