Here’s Why Modern Headlights Are So Unbelievably Annoying

Driving at night sucks these days. It sucks more than it used to, before LED headlights came on the scene and became cheap enough for aftermarket companies to sell in huge numbers, without a care toward quality or regulations. Toss in the ubiquity of jacked-up trucks and, well, being blinded by oncoming headlights is something everyone can probably relate to at one time or another. And it’s getting worse!

One of our recent videos over on The Drive’s YouTube channel explains how we got here, and spoiler: It took a long time and involved failures at multiple levels. Regulators limited technology, particularly here in the States, and by the time they relented and allowed new tech, they failed to confront the potential pitfalls. Go for a drive in Europe, and you’ll see how much better night driving can be thanks to modern adaptive headlight beams.

On this side of the pond, new cars are brighter than they’ve ever been, and the aftermarket industry, as ever, is unsatisfied with stock equipment. So they go even brighter, oftentimes by tacking on LED modules such that the resulting beam shines on areas far beyond the road below.

How headlights are pointed is another major consideration when talking about blinding other drivers, and let’s face it: Many of the companies responsible for these aftermarket housings couldn’t care less if they make life worse for everyone else, so long as someone’s pressing “Add to Cart” off the promise of a billion lumens. It’s a mess.

That’s where we stand now, and I’ll just quickly say that if you’re light sensitive for whatever reason, the reality can be even worse than that. If you want a full scope of the situation, though, check out the video, and you might learn something. I curse over-bright lights all the time, and even I did.

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