• 09
  • February
    2012

All drivers have met them while driving at night. They give off a bluish-hued light and are extremely bright, even when the driver behind the wheel of the car they are installed on does not have the "brights" on. While they are designed to allow drivers to have better vision at night, they can temporarily blind oncoming drivers, which can cause car accidents and other safety issues.

Called high-intensity discharge lights - also called Xenon headlights - these headlights are typically installed on newer makes of vehicles and are available as an after-market product. According to a Boston.com article, these high-intensity lights are 400 percent brighter than headlights available in the early 1990s.

However, it isn't just the high-intensity lights that are brighter than headlights of yesteryear. The typical halogen headlight is 40 to 70 percent brighter than headlights from 20 years ago, says the Boston.com article.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulations provide specific standards that headlights are to adhere to, including the highest point or horizon level that headlights can be aimed These standards are intended to reduce the amount of glare that oncoming drivers experience, allowing them to still see while meeting other drivers.

But this does not mean that headlights cannot aim above this horizon level. Things such as car rattles, potholes, fender-bender accidents, and improperly inflated tires can cause these lights to shine above the horizon level causing glare for oncoming drivers, says Roger Montbleu, owner of a small auto business, according to Boston.com.

Glare can be very dangerous, especially if it causes any sort of temporary blindness in drivers. Drivers temporarily blinded by glare may not see objects in the road or animals or children that may dart into the road.

Other than wearing sunglasses-an option that would not be a wise choice at night-there is not much that most drivers can do to avoid the glare. Experts recommend that drivers keep their windshield clean to reduce glare. Also, when encountering high-intensity lights, look down on the roadway, focusing on the solid lines painted on the sides of the road.

Source: "Headlights a glaring problem for older drivers," Boston.com, 1/29/12