Drivers blinded by traffic lights aren’t just a figment of your imagination. There are cars on the road whose headlights are so bright they are illegal.
Two years after Tesla notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the low beam headlights on some Tesla electric vehicles exceeded brightness limits, the company’s move to make those headlights road legal has failed. NHTSA has denied Tesla’s request to avoid a recall, meaning the company will have to issue a fix for nearly 20,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles from 2017 to 2023 for an issue the company called “inconsequential.”
A Tesla representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tesla argued in its petition that because the lighting in question is outside the field of vision of oncoming drivers, “non-compliance is inconsequential with respect to motor vehicle safety.”
In her response, Eileen Sullivan, NHTSA Associate Administrator for Enforcement, wrote: “NHTSA disagrees with Tesla’s conclusion that there is no increased risk of glare to surrounding traffic or to the driver of the subject vehicle under any driving conditions. »
The agency argued, citing public comments, that headlights can still produce glare that could affect other drivers.
The group referenced a similar decision it made in 2022 regarding GM Terrain vehicles.
For Tesla owners, NHTSA’s decision means the company must provide free repair for affected cars.
Additional steps are possible
NHTSA doesn’t comment on pending legislation, including its rejection of Tesla’s petition, but in an email to CNET, a spokesperson said the organization is evaluating studies on LED headlight glare and may take additional action based on what it finds.
“Some problems may result from improper use of high beams, illegal aftermarket lamps, poorly maintained lamps, or misaligned lamps,” the spokesperson wrote.
Very bright headlights are illegal and devices that do not comply can be banned from sale on platforms like Amazon, while drivers using headlights that are too bright can face escalating fines, suspension of their driving license or civil liability.
“Although headlight technology has evolved over the years, the NHTSA lighting standard has remained constant in limiting the amount of glare directed toward incoming and outgoing traffic,” the spokesperson said.
SUVs, sitting higher on the road than sedans, have become the most popular vehicles in the United States. This, combined with the fact that LEDs have become the primary technology for headlights, has led more and more people to notice that high-intensity low beams appear brighter and harder to avoid.
Some modern cars have benefited from adaptive lighting technologies that can adjust brightness, direction, or lighting pattern based on changing driving conditions, but many cars on the road are not equipped with these systems.
Headlights in the Congress spotlight
Earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the debate over bright headlights with the introduction of a bill from Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Washington state Democrat.
The LIGHT Safety Act would set the maximum brightness limits allowed for vehicle low beam headlights in the United States. So far, the proposal has only been sent to committee, meaning it was assigned to a House committee for initial review, with no further action taken since March.
The bill aims to revise existing federal standards by establishing a maximum brightness allowed for low beam headlights.