LED headlights are a road safety hazard

I’m sure I’m not the only one who is frequently blinded on the road by LED headlights. In recent years, many car companies have moved away from generic halogen bulbs headlights, instead opting for “newer” LEDs (light emitting diodes).

To many people, including the car companies, LEDs appear as a modern solution to dark roads. They are brighter, more energy efficient, and shine a “brilliant” white. While there are many benefits to them, the cons far outweigh the pros.

LEDs are capable of producing far brighter light from a much smaller area inside the headlight. This is a problem because “any given intensity appears brighter if it’s emitted by a smaller apparent surface versus a larger one.”

They simply are just too bright for the average person when driving at night, especially for people in low-to-ground vehicles. The glare is intense and creates a difficult environment to drive in, as if the blanket of darkness at night wasn’t bad enough. Older individuals or those with eyesight impairments like cataracts have it even worse.

The halogens are much easier to replace as well, only requiring one to switch out the bulb. But with LEDs, often you must replace the whole unit, costing several hundreds, possibly more.

Some could argue it’s almost “selfish” to use these lights, because some people can see, but no one else can.

I believe it’s a grave mistake to move away from halogen lights, which emit light from a wider area, decreasing the intensity, which improves the driving experiences for everyone around you.