Growing calls to regulate brightness of LED headlights

A retired Victoria police officer says the auto industry’s ability to manufacture powerful headlights has outpaced the government's ability to regulate them.

If you have been blinded by newer LED headlights in oncoming traffic, you are not alone.

Retired Victoria police officer and road safety columnist John Ducker says the auto industry’s ability to manufacture powerful headlights has outpaced the government’s ability to regulate them properly.

“We used to have headlights that operated in a range of about 1,000 to 2,000 lumens,” said Ducker. “These modern headlights operate in a range of 3,000 to 4,000 lumens, which is way brighter.”

On top of that, he says, older-style bulbs used to be of an amber colour. Now, the trend is more of a blue tinge, which is harder on the eyes of oncoming drivers.

“This is especially a problem when there is lots of road glare in the rain and sometimes in the fog,” said Ducker.

Victoria Coun. Dave Thompson says he’s been contacted about the issue by many residents.

“I think it’s one of those things that a lot of people have experienced, and I’ve experienced it certainly,” said Thompson.

In February, Thompson put forth a motion requesting the mayor pen a letter to both the federal and provincial governments encouraging them to undertake a comprehensive review of recent motor vehicle design trends. In January, that motion got unanimous support around the council table.

“We’re asking that they basically take as seriously the lives of people outside of motor vehicles as we’re taking seriously inside,” said Thompson. “That letter should be going out any day now.”

Also in January, Vancouver city council voted unanimously to ask the federal government to create clear, enforceable limits on headlight brightness.

Ducker believes that the momentum for change is coming.

Transport Canada has released an online survey asking road users how headlight glare affects them, as well as how vehicle or lighting features may influence how people experience night driving. It’s a measure Ducker finds encouraging.

“I feel that there is going to be some pretty serious incidents coming up, which is going to result in some big-time lawsuits, and then people are really going to start paying attention to what a problem this actually is,” he said.