Are vehicle headlights glaringly bright these days in Canada?
Transport Canada wants to hear from you, and is running a national survey about vehicle headlight glare and how it affects drivers at night.
“While new headlight technology in vehicles can help drivers see better, they can also cause problems for other road users. Transport Canada wants to learn how headlight glare affects road users and what vehicle or lighting features may influence how people experience it at night,” the release states.
“We want to hear about your experiences, opinions, and behaviours with vehicle headlight glare.”
The survey opened on March 6 and will close on April 20.
Are vehicle headlights too bright?
Last month, the City of Victoria’s municipal council unanimously passed a motion asking provincial and federal governments to “review and update safety regulations for vehicle designs.”
Coun. Dave Thompson, who put forward the motion, said brighter headlights can be a distraction to other drivers.
Get daily National news
“While improved illumination may benefit drivers using them, increased brightness and headlight height can cause painful glare for other drivers, particularly older drivers, and difficulty seeing people walking and using bikes and other mobility devices when backlit at night.”
The City of Vancouver also passed a motion asking Transport Canada to review headlight brightness.
“These LED headlights and HID headlights, especially on oversized vehicles, are very common in Vancouver. They’ve been linked to reduce nighttime visibility, delayed reaction times, and a higher risk of collisions,” Coun. Sean Orr said at Vancouver City Hall on Jan. 21.
“These impacts are felt, not just by drivers, but by cyclists, pedestrians, seniors and people with vision impairments who are especially vulnerable to glare.”
Why are headlights so bright?
As of September 2021, the Canadian Vehicle Lighting Regulation requires that all new vehicles sold in Canada have one of the following:
- Tail-lights that come on automatically with daytime running lights.
- Headlights, tail-lights and side marker lights that turn on automatically in the dark.
- A dashboard that stays dark to alert the driver to turn on the lights.
However, glare is not mentioned in Transport Canada’s Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS), which closely mirror U.S. regulations.
A 2024 study conducted in the U.K. surveyed 2,000 drivers and found that 89 per cent of respondents thought at least some headlights on cars on the road today are too bright. Twenty-eight per cent – a higher proportion than ever – said that most are.
The study stated the effect may be due to more cars having LED headlights, which have a much more intense and focused beam than “yellower” halogen bulbs.
In addition, five per cent of surveyed drivers stated they have “nearly been involved in a collision themselves” due to vehicle brightness.
Nearly one in 10 (seven per cent) said they find headlight glare “so bad that they avoid driving at night altogether,” a figure that rises to 14 per cent for drivers aged 65 and over.
I get blinded even in the daytime. Roads are not all flat, it gets really bad if I am on a downgrade with a left curve. Not a great place to squint.
Thos should have been obvious in the first place. Who approved them without understanding the obvious consequences? Was it bribery that got them approved or was it incompetence?
Yes
Led lights are great when traveling out in the country where there is many different types of animals. You can see further a head and surrounding area.
Another problem is aftermarket sells of headlights. Replacement or changes of vehicle parts example being modifications to exhaust systems are not legal so why headlamps??😡
Yes they can be too bright at night.
YES!
Yes some are way too bright so that I couldn’t see til I passed them.
I have a Tacoma with auto dimming. It works so well that it will dim the lights when approaching a reflective sign or if I’m in town. They do work and it should be mandatory for all manufacturers.
Yes the lights are way to bright very dangerous blinding hard to see our lanes at night
One other thing no one has mentioned. Vehicle stances, especially trucks with lift kits as most do now, put the headlights right in your eyes. No matter how they are indexed. Everything is awd/4×4 making the stance of the vehicle taller and wider. Thought we were supposed to be going the other way with gas vehicles? Smaller lighter easier to run and maintain. Not bigger, heavier and faster. Even SUVs are not small by any means. Look at Hummers and the Rubicons. Huge freaking vehicles and all over the place. This whole climate change farce is getting waaay out of control.
Anyone looking for survey link Google transport canada the survey is there.
Yes way too high almost can not see the centre line
Do your own job.
Survey link would have been nice.
Pickup truck lights are the worst secondly some of these lights aren’t positioned correctly especially if you install them yourself, also it’s hard to tell the difference between low beam and high beams
If they want to know it’s the rail road lights they so bright they make driving through them dangerous and trigger auto head lights. Fix those before questioning high way lights.
I stopped driving at night because of the glaring headlights. They seem to get brighter day by day, or should I say night by night?
Am I the only one having trouble finding a link to the survey in the text of the article?
If indeed it’s not in the article, why not?
Way too bright and blinding! It’s suddenly become dangerous to drive at night now.
Why not implement automatic headlight dimming as described in detail in patent US7961086 written, tested, and all but market ready by a Canadian in Montreal
Hell yes the headlights are too bright. As someone who drives to work every morning at 5:30 am I have been blinded too many times. I want a government funded program to look into how many single vehicle accidents are because of these f$&#@& lights.just one woman’s opinion
Waaaaay too bright. and why are high beams on all the time????
Yes, much too bright rspecialy when idiots leave their brights on instead of dimming. Caused me a $8500 . Do something not just lip service. Thanks for bring this up.
Blinding
Way too bright
I find nearly 25% of drivers have their high beams on all the time. just look and you can see 4 headlights on…2 lowbeam& 2highbeams. My ’22Tesla didn’t come with a manual but just look at the dash and you can see if your high beams are on. signs should be posted on the sides of the main streets or police should talk to these drivers
Yes, they are on some of the newer vehicles.
It’s a waste of time and effort.
So many more traffic incidents could be eliminated by introducing a mechanism to curb the max speed of a vehicle when in proximity to another vehicle, while both are moving. The faster a vehicle goes, the farther it should be from another moving vehicle, dependant on speed, and installing a mechanism to detect proximity and automatically curb vehicle max speed is the safest possible option we have. It would produce a monumental impact on transport safety.
But yeah, let us ignore all the studies, all the surveys, and all the testimonies of the experts to change the brightness of the headlights, instead!
also, more lights on the front of a vehicle is not safer
Yes they absolutely are too bright !
Drove across Canada and at first I started flashing my lights as I had thought oncoming vehicles had their high beams on, only to be flashed back at with high beams. Do I need to wear sunglasses at night ?
Yes Mr. The Troll. What ever you say. After all trolls are all knowledge and facts right?
No they aren’t. They are fine as is. People just refuse to pay someone to get them Alignmented
These lights are crazy bright i can not drive at night its awfull..pleas do something idf at all possible
I have noticed that police and other emergency vehicles do not have these blinding headlights. If they don’t require them then the average driver certainly does not.
Yes headlights are glaring bright which requires to be regulated. Mandatory to have auto high and low beam activation. I am sure car manufacturers can design a system which can auto dim lights when traffic is bumper to bumper
Yes we should go back to the old rule and limit headlight brightness ..Led has this new bright head light bulb that seems every one using and its blinding to pass on the road
We years ago there was limits to the brightness one can use on the head lights. But now they have new led bright headlights people are buying ..and yes we should go back to the old rule about limiting brightness of ones headlights.
Yes the new LEd, HD headlights are far brighter than older styles and are blinding in many circumstances. My wife avoids driving at night for years. Pedestrians are at far greater risk crossing now when blinded by oncoming vehicles.
link to survey ? would help I had to search Transport Canada to find it, but thanks for your reporting, and yes there is a huge headlight glare problem IMHO.
Yes, they are ridiculously bright, almost blinding. It is definitely a safety issue and needs to be addressed promptly.
Yes way to bright ,if the roads wet rainy dark out , these new lights ,you can’t see anything,and it takes a few seconds for your eyes to rejust .
1 in 10 is not 7 %
I am so happy to find this place to comment on the brightness of headlights. If the question has to be asked then it is blatantly clear that they are to bright. I agree with these comments. Not only are they to bright and cause vision impairment from on coming traffic, they are blinding from behind as well. The reflection in my side mirror causes me to lean over to see forward traffic. I know many people who can’t drive at night due to this. It is quit frightening to have this vision impairment. I can see it causing more accidents. There needs to be a law concerning the brightness of headlights!
yes, i think they are too bright. i had thought that drivers were just being insensitive and inconsiderate by leaving on their high beams. i did not realize they were LED lights. in that case, they are blinding, dazzling, and leave one blinded.
There are many aftermarket headlights being sold online that produce extremely intense beams of blinding blue white light. So much so that the blinding effect produces reduced vision which persists for minutes after exposure. This light is in a part of the spectrum which people are not normally exposed to and is likely damaging not to mention illegal. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
They are blinding and shouldn’t be legal
They are blinding and shouldn’t be allowed!!
This problem (fight over bright headlights) has been raised in the US for a number of years now. I think Canada has been slow to come to the table. We need regulations to contain this hazardous trend before more problems (accidents) become apparent
I see a lot asking about what the law say about the brightness. There is zero law on brightness. Law say your allowed up to 4 lights only across the front of your vehicle only as far as brightness that does not matter at all lumens don’t matter . As I asked that question to an officer two yrs ago and that is what he told me !
I refuse to drive at night due too I have hard time see with all the bright vehicles blinding me . These led and other super bright lights need to be stopped. The car manufacturers have to change what they are doing but the aftermarket also must not be allowed to sell these led or brighter head bulbs! As people go and buy them to compete with the brightness as when I worked in aftermarket sales they were a big seller for us led head lights and Amazon sell them which needs to stop if your going to change things .
I have special sunglasses for night driving because headlights blind me especially fog lights that people do not need on
Yes, headlights are ridiculously, blindingly, unnecessarily bright. I do not drive after dark. Please listen to what drivers are saying & have an efficient organization deal with this problem.
When I drive my NX350 on any country road people flash their high beams at me every time. I told the dealer about this and they said there’s nothing they can do. It’s ridiculous
Yes, the LED lights are too bright. It started with Ford F150 than all brands. I heard of a Ford recall to adjust/reduce the brightness and passed it on to a coworker and he dismissed the idea saying there was no way he was reducing the brightness of his F150 lights and didn’t care that it was blinding. It also affects other drivers being followed by these vehicles.
Too many Hindu headlights on big rigs too
Yes, soooo many of the new vehicles lights are toooo bright. Trucks that are higher than most vehicles, are blinding. A lot of drivers travel with high beams AND fog lights and not adjusted for oncoming traffic. Even when the cars/ trucks are following, their lights are not dimmed.
I hope the restrictions on lights too bright will get mandated. We need to protect all drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
Thank you.
Sincerely
Gloria
Half the problem is the dimwits who dont realize theyre driving with their high beams on. Clueless
Headlights used to have mandated testing and tolerances. Have these just disappeared? As a senior having had cataract surgery the glare of modern headlights is beyond annoying to down right dangerous! The powers that be should have tested these lights long before allowing them on our highways.
Maybe the police should carry light meters for lumens output and light beam angle !!
After all police carry window tint measuring devices, noise measuring devices, speed measuring devices ??
Just need better laws and method of enforcement !!
I thought the rule was 50watts back for incandescent lights now 50 watts of led lights I can grow tomatoes. Watts are not for brightnesses it’s for power, brightness of lights is lumens.
Those super bright lights are a hazard and I would like to see legislation to ban them.the government should be,oh wait,the government??ha ha ha!
I swear , I keep flicking my headlights to notify the cars coming towards to turn their high beams off. Lots of flicking going on.
It’s about time there’s a chance to express my disgust with those bright lights on our roads ! It’s so blinding bright, just as if one was using high beams, with complete disregard to fellow drivers ! This needs to be addressed, and absolutely – taken off the roads…needs to be made illegal, period. There is no excuse you couldn’t drive and see properly with normal, standard lights, aimed properly. Those led lights are bad enough on sedan cars, and even worse on SUVs, pickup trucks, and anything large. Such vehicles sit higher, and blind directly. Sometimes I can’t see the road where I’m going, and if ever I’d get into accident because of those blinding lights, there would be legal hell to pay by the system, for allowing such atrocity on roads…cause it is criminal !
New lights are annoying to say the least. When your windshield is wet there is even more glare. Low (misnomer) beams shoot straight out and not down on the road. They shine in the back window so you could read a newspaper. They shine on your rear view mirror and even worse on your side view mirrors. My tail lights come on day and night any time the ignition is turned on regardless of the position of the light switch. These new small diameter headlights are even brighter and are a step backwards.
not much to say but I would be beside myself if you all could rectify this bright light jumbo.G.Luck
~> Do you want to find a woman for one night? Come on ~ Xdate.mom
Yes they have been to bright now for at least rhe last 5 years. I drive a lot and when I have to follow the white line on my right hand side cause I can’t see the yellow line in the middle is pretty scary. Also the fact that we are now high beaming drivers more often to turn off brights but their brights aren’t on …then they high beam us and makes it way more unsafe. Please but a limit on the luminaries
The angles of the headlights are wrong one’s supposed to be pointing down and the others supposed to be slightly up but lower than somebody’s front window, not directly blasting at their eyes…
More to do with height of lens, jacked up trucks and SUVs are the main culprits. Inconsiderate morons who leave their high beams on are also to blame
“see other drivers better” ? so they will now quiet blindly crash into and kill you???
No, they’re angled in correctly…. Been going on for 20 plus years since HIDs
yes the headlights on cars are way to bright. As soon as it gets dark it causes me to be distracted because I have to look away from the bright lights as óbe car after anothers lights come through my windshield. It is time to go back to incandescent lights. This will stop car accidents from happening
They are way too bright, not adjusted properly and all LED lights suck. Guys jack their dodge pickups up install these LED lights because they have small… ding a lings
It is the LED lights that are so hard to look at
Increasing headlight brightness to enhance vision has gone so far that vision has been adversely affected, to the point of pushing vulnerable drivers pushed off the road. Clearly time to wind things back, perhaps automatic brightness reduction based on oncoming or ambient light, or impose brightness limits by height of the vehicle at very least.
I absolutely hate the led lights they are blinding and should be forbidden!
While advancements in automotive lighting have improved visibility for drivers, many of the modern LED or HID (High-Intensity Discharge) headlights currently being used are “ dangerously bright “ and often misaligned.
Especially trucks that are modified-raised with lift kits and added multiple groups of headlights.
These lights cause glare that can temporarily blind or severely distract other drivers, especially at night, leading to a higher risk of accidents.
There is a growing number of complaints from motorists who struggle with visibility due to these lights, especially on two-lane roads where oncoming traffic is close. This issue is not just uncomfortable but poses a serious public safety risk.
I really hate those bright blue lights. Totally ruin your night vision!
the height of the lights is the cause of many lights to appear brighter than they are. plus all lights should switch on or off without driver input,highlights should dim the same way.
Yes they are. Some vehicles, look like they have their high beams on.
Would want Ontario to follow low suit as BC has done. I have been badly distracted/blinded at night time when driving to the point where I limit driving at nigh.
Absolutely unnecessarily too bright!. What are they? taking off on a runway? They light up three lanes sideways and ten miles of road ahead….It’s completely ridiculous. I honestly can say, i drive at night with a handicap. I am temporarily blinded each time one of these cars drives towards me. I am forced to relieve some of the brightness by diverting my eyes as I try to look away and can focus only on the line of the road on my right side. When oh when will they realize this is a huge safety issue for everyone involved?
My wishes are for all vehicles on our highways to have the headlights ALL at the same height on all vehicles – the top of the headlights must be no higher than 2 feet off the ground and all headlights must be a set brightness and absolutely NO other lights to be on while the main headlights are on on the front of the vehicle, no decorative lighting of any kind to be allowed also no forward lights on the front of any vehicle that are decoration only and no lights on trucks higher than 2 feet off the ground
I don’t think it’s a glare, it’s more of a position and angle that these cars opted to set as default which is bothering a lot more. My Tesla when bought new, did upset few on coming drivers and once I realized I just went in settings and lowered the angle, though it’s not feeling great for me compared to earlier but I am happy no one ever complained since then.
The lights are definitely to bright. Not to mention that people also drive with there high beams on as well!!! Cars should automatically shut off brights high beams lights . When approaching on coming traffic. New drivers, new to this country don’t seem to care what other drivers experience with there high beams on
I have a big problem with brigh and hi beam head lights from the opposite traffic on tran canadian hwy.
The lights are way too bright. Even the glasses with the yellow lenses don’t help any more.
ridiculously, blindingly bright
You’re going to make me cry if I write about it…
Yes they are WAY WAY too bright. I’m a truck driver and am sick of being blinded by the new cars lights even though I sit up higher. In my car with rain on the roads I can’t see anything at night because if the glare from oncoming traffic. Please get the manufacturers of these bright’s to dim them down before there are more accidents because of the oncoming glare. Thanks
Way too bright – I now wear yellow lenses at night and on cloudy days to protect my eyes, in addition to dark sunglasses the rest of the time.. Tesla’s are particularly bad. While not me, if someone has had cataract surgery virtually impossible to drive at night without massive star effect from white led lights.
Cant afford to feed your family? Are you on the verge of homelessness because of rent prices? Cant find a job? Are you considering getting the government to MAID you because life is just too stressfull?
Not to worry, the government will spend time on headlights being too bright…that is the REAL problem.
Headlights are definitely too bright! Being back the yellow ones. But why are you asking if you’re parroting the U.S. regulations? I thought Canada was independent???????
literally: Stop getting angry and staring them down.
Every smooth brain commenter here sees lights, thinks they are too bright, and them stares at them intently because they are so triggered. Like as if they will dim them down with their rage.
I avoid night driving because of this
A vehicle’s headlights DO NOT have to flood all four lanes with blinding light!
Transport Canada should require that the current brightness of headlights is far too high and a distraction hazard particularly at night. Dim the headlights please. Too many accidents, and near accidents, are caused by glaring headlights.
Yes, the headlights on newer vehicles have an impact on one’s vision and are dangerously bright.
Far too bright & sometimes even too colourful!?
Yes vehicle head lamps are to bright!!!
Way too bright,I get drivers flashing at me all the time.Tone them down halfway between the old and new.
It doesn’t bother me. If we keep our eyes on the road and not in the incoming car head lights , to me it’s a nono issue. These lights makes our driving lot safer.
They are way too bright. It’s almost as if oncoming cars have their brights on permanently as they approach you. Shoul definitely do something about this if for no other way than safety.
My comment is that the lights are ok if people would just adjust them down . I had them on my semi and with proper installation OK. My issue is with auxiliary lights is factory foglights that people don’t know how to turn off
YES! they are definitely too bright and blinding oncoming drivers at night
They are definitely too bright at night
Absolutely, I have a minivan and get blinded a lot, I think it is the LED and maybe the projector lights that are the problem.
Way too bright!@!! Often don’t drive distances at night for that reason.
How about training actually training drivers about high beams. Try just teaching then day light running lights leaves your tail lights off. Not having East Indian unqualified testers test fellow East Indians. Dont allow foreigners a person to do the written part of the testing.
How about stop allowing immigrants to purchase no test purchase a license.
Put down your cellphone phone. Alignment is also an issue, if you have a loaded trailer on your pickup its a problem.
YES! YES! YES!
Aiming the headlights is not being done….vancouver used to have an annual vehicle inspection and headlight aiming was part of it….maybe that should be reinstated
It seems under regulated to me. Some vehicles seem fine, others have no running lights, a seemingly increasing number remain completely off at night and many are obviously far too bright for any illuminated highway. Older Canadians and rural people understand how and when to use highbeams. Automation seems to be lagging the ability of detached drivers to mismanage their vehicles.
It seems under regulated to me. Some vehicles seem fine, others have no running lights, a seemingly increasing number remain completely off at night and many are obviously far too bright for any illuminated highway. Older Canadians and rural people understand how and when to use highways. Automation seems to be lagging the ability of detached drivers to mismanage their vehicles.
Of course they are.