At the same time, experts say many US roads are actually underlit. Night driving carries a much higher fatality risk than daytime driving, and on roads without streetlights, headlights may be the only source of illumination. This creates a difficult balance between giving drivers enough light to see clearly and avoiding dangerous glare for everyone else.
Modern headlights can seem harsher even though US maximum light-output standards have not dramatically increased. LEDs produce a whiter, bluer-looking light than older incandescent or halogen bulbs, while SUVs and pickup trucks position headlights higher. Misaligned headlights can make the problem worse by directing the brightest part of the beam into oncoming traffic.
Adaptive headlights may offer part of the solution by keeping more of the road illuminated while automatically dimming sections of the beam around other vehicles or pedestrians. The technology is more common in Europe than in the US, and experts continue debating how effective it is. For drivers facing bright oncoming lights, one simple recommendation is to avoid staring directly at the light source.
