Dazzling LED headlights are leaving drivers blinded and anxious on dark roads. So why are modern car lights so bright – and what’s being done about it?
We’ve all experienced it. Driving down a dark road in the depths of night, only to be blinded by an oncoming vehicle’s dazzling headlights. Sometimes, they might simply have forgotten to turn their lights down to low-beam, while other times it seems even their low-beam headlights are too bright. This can be worse still when it’s on a taller vehicle, like a truck or a van, where the headlights are closer to eye level.
The glare produced by these ultra-strong car headlights is having such an impact on drivers that many people are choosing not to drive at night, feeling unsafe on the road. The RAC recently ran a survey which found that more than half of its 1,745 respondents felt the problem had worsened in the past 12 months. 63% reported being subjected to dazzle from vehicles they can’t avoid.
Why is the glare from headlights so dangerous?
Bright lights affect our eyes, particularly in dark environments, where our eyes have adjusted to our surroundings and become much more sensitive to light. It’s not just annoying – it’s dangerous, as the retinal cells at the back of the eye can become bleached. That’s why you may notice a shadow remaining in your vision afterwards. It can also lead to headaches and severe eye strain.
Besides the potential damage or discomfort to drivers’ eyes, the other key risk is of car accidents caused by dazzling headlights, as drivers can lose visibility at critical moments.
What are the new measures to prevent ultra-strong car headlights?
In January 2026, the UK Government launched its new Road Safety Strategy, aimed at reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 65% by 2035. The Road Safety Strategy stated that the DVSA will “step up its market surveillance activities to catch those attempting to sell illegal retrofit headlamp bulbs in the UK.”
The government didn’t commit to any new measures for preventing ultra-strong car headlights, however. Instead, they are planning to undertake further research into identifying vehicle design factors that may be responsible for increased headlamp glare.
Following an agreement by the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (run by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe), new cars will be required to have automatic headlight levelling (rather than the existing manual levelling system) to prevent headlight beams from aiming too high on the road, by September 2027. Higher vehicles will require lower beam angles to prevent dazzling oncoming drivers.
Does this new legislation affect existing cars?
The new requirements from September 2027 regarding automatic headlight levelling will only pertain to new cars, so the headlight settings on all the cars on our roads currently will remain the same.
Any new legislation still to be announced from the UK Government as part of its Road Safety Strategy will likely affect old and new cars, and will most likely focus on the crackdown of illegal retrofit bulbs on older cars. Currently, cars with converted halogen headlamp units first used on or after 1 April 1986 will fail their MOT.
Why are car headlight beams so strong now?
There are a number of factors that contribute to headlight dazzle on cars, and although a great deal of blame is placed on the lamps themselves, it’s often got more to do with the angle of the headlights. If headlights are misaligned on the car, they are more likely to cause glare. This is one of the measures checked on an MOT test, so should be picked up at least once a year.
But car headlights have got brighter too – an important safety feature, as it allows drivers to see better. Glass casings of the past have given way to plastic, with many cars now using LEDs instead of halogen bulbs, making lights brighter and clearer. All of this is vital for helping drivers see more clearly, but inevitably makes roads brighter overall. Sometimes, LED bulbs can be fitted in units that were designed for halogen, which is an illegal practice. It breaks safety regulations and can cause dangerous glare.
LED lights are often considered to be particularly problematic in producing headlight glare, as they tend to be much bluer and whiter than the warmer halogen equivalent, and are more directional. They are often two to three times brighter than traditional halogen bulbs.
What can drivers do when facing bright car headlights in oncoming traffic?
Here are a few top tips from the RAC to avoid glare from oncoming headlights:
- Keep your windscreen clean to reduce the impact of glare
- If you wear glasses, make sure they’re clean
- Keep up to date with eye tests and ensure your glasses are the right prescription for you
- When you’re facing bright oncoming headlights, keep your eyes open and briefly look to the curb or the side of the road until you’re able to see clearly again. This will minimise the discomfort caused by the glare
- Be considerate when driving and always keep your headlights dipped when there’s a risk of oncoming traffic. If you have automatically dimming headlights on your car, remember they don’t always register cars, cyclists or pedestrians, so make sure you’re able to dip them manually if the need arises
- Adjust your rear view mirror at night to reduce the effect of bright headlights coming from behind you
- If you are dazzled, slow down safely (and stop until your vision improves, if required)
Top image credit: Erik Mclean via Pexels
