Name: Headlights are brighter than ever. Whats changed?
Uploaded: 2025-12-24T02:47:01.487Z
Duration: 2 min 49 s
Description: The bulbs used in headlights have evolved, and there are common mistakes people make when they install their own. CBC’s Jo Horwood explains why newer headlights seem so uncomfortably bright, and what’s being done about it.

The bulbs used in headlights have evolved, and there are common mistakes people make when they install their own. CBC’s Jo Horwood explains why newer headlights seem so uncomfortably bright, and what’s being done about it.

Calgary

Headlights on modern vehicles are noticeably brighter than older models, primarily due to the adoption of LED and HID bulbs, as well as changes in color temperature. Experts highlight that improper installation and mismatched housings can increase glare, making it more difficult for other drivers to see at night. 

Regulatory bodies have begun updating standards, with Transport Canada recently allowing adaptive headlights and planning further studies on glare and visibility. Until more comprehensive changes are implemented, experts suggest regular vehicle inspections and enforcement as interim measures to address the issue.

Headlights are brighter than ever. What's changed?

It's an unwelcome sight for many drivers, a pair of blinding headlights leaving you unable to see behind the wheel of your own car. So what's changed to make headlights so much brighter now? Okay so our first stop is Tuner Works in southwest Calgary where Chris Hart has set up a demonstration. It's hard to believe that was expected to light the road. The bulb he's got here is an incandescent, much dimmer than the modern LED or HID bulbs but the biggest cause of glare he says is how those brighter lights are installed. It simply just looks like a flood of light if they're not being reflected and projected properly so just as important as the bulb is so is the housing that it's going in and they have to be matched properly. Another problem, Hart says new headlights often include a change in color temperature. This is kind of the area where we start to see the spectrum of light increase from a yellowish bulb to more of a whitish light. The blue contribution is very strong here. This engineering professor explains that our brains expect warmer colors when it's dark out. Think sunrise and sunset versus noon sunshine. If you are seeing like very bright bluish lights that that can confuse the brain. And the powerful LED bulbs in those headlights coming your way are also smaller. All that power coming from a very small spot that will appear to be brighter to us. I mean if you measure it using an instrument it might work out to be about the same but perceptually it will appear brighter to us. He says any standards based on older technologies like halogen bulbs are out of date. We probably need to relook at those standards and see revisit sort of how bright they should be for safety purposes I guess. Transport Canada says it last updated its regulations in May partly to allow headlights that automatically adjust to approaching vehicles and road conditions. The federal government is also working with a United Nations task force and planning a nationwide survey on how glare affects visibility and driving performance. Until there's movement from the feds it's unlikely much will change on Calgary roads. Provincial legislation is aligned with federal standards but Hart thinks requiring regular inspections could help. So that shops like his can catch mistakes. If you're the original owner of a car from 1994 and you haven't had it into a mechanic shop for inspection you don't know what you know what the condition of that vehicle is or what the the headlights are aimed at. As for enforcement, Calgary police can hand out tickets for high beams shining in an approaching driver's eyes. They've handed out two since January. Jo Horwitz, CBC News, Calgary.

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