massachusetts

I used to love driving at night. I'd just hop in the car and pick a direction and go, blasting music with the windows down and clearing my head along the way. It was truly one of my great joys. A lot of things were different back then, though. I had fewer responsibilities, for starters, and had time to just aimlessly wander. Gas was way cheaper, too, making these adventures far more economical.

But one big thing that has contributed to me losing my passion for night driving is absolutely, without a doubt, the rising prevalence of LED headlights. If you've ever wondered why everyone's headlights seem to be insanely, dangerously bright these days, you're not alone. And you're not the only one who's pissed off about it. What good is it to illuminate the road in front of you so well that you, in fact, blind the other drivers traveling at high speeds in your direction? How is that making anyone safer?

Just look at how infuriatingly dangerous these can be in real-world conditions:

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The state of Massachusetts has reignited the conversation around LED headlights with a surprising new piece of legislation.

Many new cars come equipped with LED headlights, up to 75% or more of new models, in fact. But even more LED lights are sold as aftermarket options or conversion kits, and these are poorly regulated. Many aftermarket lights are far too bright and/or suffer from misalignment that shoots the light beams directly at the eye level of oncoming traffic. They represent a large portion of the glare problems we experience out on the road.

Massachusetts is cracking down with a new law. It states that LED headlights that come equipped from the manufacturer are fine (for now), but there will now be far stricter regulations on simply swapping in an aftermarket LED bulb or conversion kit onto your vehicle. The legislation specifically cites coloration and positioning issues with LED headlights that haven't been tested as a "full unit," meaning including the housing and reflectors that are typically part of a headlight.

So you could still legally upgrade from halogen bulbs to LED, but you'd have to replace the entire headlight unit and not just the bulb.

Hefty fines will be implemented for drivers who are caught in violation of the new policies.

LED headlights offer a lot of benefits, in theory. So why do people hate them?

LED lights use less power, are brighter (duh), and last far longer than traditional halogen bulbs.

But there are a few problems with the technology that make them a huge hassle for other drivers. First, they're just too bright! They look even brighter in real-life because of the pure/cool white they emit, versus the yellow glow of halogen bulbs. Cool colors like white and blue are harsher on the eyes than more night-vision friendly warm colors such as red, yellow, and orange.

Second, especially in America, we love huge vehicles. More and more people are driving trucks and jeeps that sit high. Now those ultra-bright LEDs are shining directly into the poor sedan drivers' eyes.

Third, too many Americans choose to drive with their high beams on at night — all the time. They like the extra visibility they get by dousing the entire roadway in bright light and have little regard for how dangerous it is for others in their path (or they simply forget they have them on). While a lot of American cars have high beams that can switch off when another car is detected, other countries have better technology at play.

Did you know that many cars in Europe and Asia feature a technology called ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) that allows LED lights to shape and direct their light pattern in very specific ways on the road, actively avoiding the eyes of other drivers? US cars, so far, are not allowed to enable this mode — though the regulations are in the works.

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Even still, assuming good alignment and ADB technology, bright LED headlights are a dangerous problem. They're causing accidents all over the world, and especially in America.

The legislation in Massachusetts is a good step toward even greater action. Organizations like the Soft Lights Foundation continue to fight for even stricter regulation of LED lights — and not just in cars — or even outright banning them.

And the public outcry for lawmakers to do something about the problem continues to grow. People are sick of being blinded in dangerous, high-speed situations. Hopefully more states will follow suit, and we can continue to pressure auto manufacturers to turn down the damn brightness.