I know I’m not the only one who feels like I’m getting visually assaulted everytime I drive at night. It was bad 10 years ago but now, it seems like headlight manufacturers have a deal with insurance companies and optometrists to make the lights as bright as possible. Is this ever going to stop or is there some kind of race in the headlight industry to see who can reproduce the power of the sun first?
Here’s my take:
There used to be a time when headlights really did not penetrate the night as much as they should, esp. with increasing speeds.
Making them brighter was reasonable. So they invented Halogen lights. But at some point the whole thing ran away I suppose, making them ever brighter became a selling point.
Add to that the SUV effect: “most importantly, me and my loved ones are safe in this rolling fortress”, you can see how we got here.
I used to drive a very, very old car. Now there’s a law in Germany that allows older cars to keep on running the way they used to even if the same aspects would be illegal in a newer car. This car did not even have Halogen lights. I had trouble seeing, every time another car passed me on the road. The difference in brightness was - well, blinding. It was legit dangerous.
I believe the brightness of Halogen lights is totally sufficient.
Add to that the tone. Most LEDs are blueish which feels worse for human eyes. Regular lightbulbs are yellowish.
I sometimes borrow my dad’s truck, a '93 ranger, when my car is in the shop or I need to move something big
And the headlights on that thing are terrible, after driving around in more modern vehicles it feels like they barely light up the road in front of you. It’s actually almost a little scary to drive at night sometimes.
It does have halogen bulbs, not significantly different from the ones in my own car, but the way the reflectors and such are designed around those bulbs is clearly very different,.
Counterpoint: I drive a 98 chevy and I can see fine at night because my eyes are good unless someone is in the oncoming lane and their headlight spill washes out my vision. People that can’t see adequately with old-style headlights simply should be legally restricted from night driving. (The same way vision-impaired people are restricted from all driving)