jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

CBS News did a bit on the dangers of LED headlights. Lots of accidents and injuries have resulted from those lights shining in the eyes of oncoming drivers. It's especially bad when the lights are a bit out of adjustment or when the driver leaves them on high beam. I wonder if they needed approval before being put on cars. I know that in 1957, states had to pass laws very quickly to allow cars with four headlights to be sold there. I dread driving at night because of the LEDs.

In Europe, cars have had bright, adaptive headlights that light up more of the road, yet do not blind oncoming drivers. Maybe in another fifty years, we'll be allowed to have them here.

Ollieboy

I've installed LED headlights in all my cars with no problems. You must realign your headlights (up, down, left, right) afterwards. There are clear guidelines as to height. If you do this there should be no problems.

Mr. SONY Loc: LI, NY

The problem is while you, my son who replaced his headlights with LED bulbs and a few others adjust
their headlights correctly. There are many others who don't either on purpose or they don't care.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Whether or not a conversion is appropriate depends on the type and construction of the headlight. If the headlight is a “projector” type with a European style sharp horizontal cut off with a right “ear” to light the right side of the road where pedestrians or animals might be, the conversion to HID or LED lights on cars can be perfectly fine for oncoming drivers, but if the light pattern is simply a large circle (whither no horizontal cut off) and/or on a truck or other raised vehicle where the light is high above ground, it’s a nightmare for oncoming drivers. Vehicles raised above normal height for off road are some of the worst offenders, plus they typically have tires offset outside the fender wells. That combined with off road tires with open tread are notorious for throwing rocks and debris at following cars - one of my pet peeves.

One of our cars, a 15 year old Lexus, came with HID lights that are self leveling (if you crest a hill, they point down) plus the turn with the wheels so you can see “around” corners as you turn. They are projectors with a sharp cut off and are great lights that don’t blind other drivers. Our other car, a 17 year old Mercedes, didn’t come with HIDs, but since it had sharp cut off European style projector headlamps, I converted it to HIDs, and it doesn’t bother oncoming cars either. See the pattern below, which is typical of European cars. I took this half way through the conversion, so you can see the difference between HID and Halogen bulbs and the razor sharp cut off at the top, which is key. At the time, HIDs were brighter than LEDs, but that may not still be the case. As I recall, the conversion kit was about $120 - some of the best $ I’ve ever spent.

pendennis

Jerry, LED lights were approved by the NTSB for use on motor vehicles a number of years ago. Changes to headlights, taillights, etc., all require vigorous testing before they can be installed on vehicles. The NTSB then issues a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS). They were first approved for the 1993 model year in the U.S.

rustfarmer

Funny thing is, some new cars do not have adjustments for left/right but only up or down. Once they suffer a minor wreck it becomes impossible to aim them properly. (Our daughter's Subaru Impreza)

rpm Loc: Houston, TX

Jerry, I totally agree with you & Tri-X. Some of these guys here in Houston love their jacked up trucks with the lift kits & big tires. If one gets behind you on I-10 or I-45 your in real trouble. Some of these trucks are like 36" off the ground! There's no way one could lower the lights enough to not blind the driver in front of you. And Dodge Ram truck drivers are the worst! They think they own the road, & I promise do it on purpose.

Jagnut07 Loc: South Carolina

Jerry, we do have adaptive headlights here. I have had them on my Jaguar since 2008. When you drive around a bend the headlights turn a light up a better view around that bend in the road. I also have them on my 2013 BMW X5. However, the BMW recently came up with a fault on the control unit for them and they no longer turn when I go around a bend. I got a quote to repair and the fix is to replace one headlight unit at $3000. If I get this one fixed the other side will probably fail soon after. I guess technology can come at a price.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Too bad. Reversing approval isn't going to change all the LED headlights already out there.

This is especially bad when an oncoming vehicle is a truck or an SUV. The higher headlights might be adjusted correctly, but they are higher than car headlights. About 70% of car sales are pickups and SUVs.

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

I share your pain. Many drivers seem not to know how to select lower beam but more likely just don't seem to give a dram! There seems to be a pervasive "you can't make me" attitude in our society these days. PLUS why do drivers feel they need these piercing high intensity lights in our well lit city streets? I see many driving with no lights at all because the streets are so well lit they don't need them to see their way. Headlights in most cities function simply so others can see you coming.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, that's a bad term because it means several things. The lights we have here are not like the lights in Europe because they shine in the eyes of oncoming drivers. I can spot an LED car a miles away, literally. If they have the high beams on, I might as well close my eyes. Looking at the right side of the road doesn't help if it looks like an A-bomb went off in front of me.

I remember the old, cheap sealed beam headlights. They could be replaced in a few minutes. To replace a headlight bulb now, we have to squeeze our hand into a small space and deal with a small, thin spring. Replacing the whole headlight unit on my Fit would cost over $100, and that's the discounted price from third party sellers.

That control unit costs more than a top-of-the-line computer. It probably cost $25 to manufacture. That's typical for car electronics. They feel justified to charge outlandish prices for cheap electronics.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

I use LED headlights and find the one big problem is when you crest a hill the lights can point up to another vehicle cresting from the other direction. I like the idea of self-adjusting lights that point down as you go up a hill like TriX mentioned. My night vision is not great and I appreciate the extra light from the LEDs but think the next vehicle I buy I will make sure they have those self-adjusting lights.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Speaking of headlights, I'm surprised that all cars don't have daytime running lights. It would be cheaper for car companies to have one set of components. On rainy or foggy days, some unlit cars practically disappear. Canada and all European countries (in The European Union) require DRLs. Mexico and the USA do not.

Looking online, I learned that many drivers in Mexico think they can see better at night without their headlights turned on. 🤣

alberio Loc: Casa Grande AZ

Well the NTSB had their head stuck somewhere where the light don't shine. I've had halogen headlights on cars in the past that covered the road plenty far enough to see whatever needs to be seen.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

If you need the level of brightness provided by these new headlights to see well enough to drive at night, you do not need to be driving at night. By allowing you night vision impaired people to safely drive at night, you are impairing the night vision of those who have good night vision and don’t need ultra bright headlights to safely see at night. If the spectrum of these LED headlights were set to match the spectrum of the incandescent lights, the glare problem would not be near as bad.

Stan