Are Car Headlights More Aggressive than Before?

DRIVING: Many drivers have complained for several years about being “blinded” or “dazzled” at night. The fault is the LED headlights which replaced the famous halogen headlights

“We must ban recent vehicles with their crappy headlights, I feel like I’m eating a flash grenade every time I drive at night”; “But when will the headlights that blind us stop? “; “Sorry but car headlights now are to blind us, I can’t see anything on the road anymore wesh what is that”… On X, the messages flow. For several years, the french drivers –and not only that – complain of being literally “dazzled” or even “blinded” by the new ones car headlights. White LEDs, powerful, sometimes blue: for many, the road at night has become an ordeal. But is it really worse than before?

We need to ban recent vehicles with their crappy headlights, I feel like I’m eating a flash grenade every time I drive at night
— Veli (@Veli_IV) November 11, 2025

Pierre Chasseray, general delegate of the 40 million motorists association, summarizes. “Yellow headlights illuminate much less, unlike LED headlights”, he says. “It’s a new revolution and we encounter the same reluctance as with the arrival of halogen headlights. “However, he remains categorical: “The reality is that if the headlights are properly adjusted, they do not dazzle. “And added: “The LED is designed in such a way that thanks to the correct inclination of the vehicle, there is no glare problem. ”

SUV headlights directly target sedan mirrors

But then, why so many complaints? The numbers speak for themselves. According to study conducted by the ANWB in nine European countries in 2024, shows that eight out of ten road users are dazzled by vehicle lighting. In France, the National Health Security Agency (ANSES) alert since 2018: blue light from LEDs can damage the retina in just 10 seconds of direct exposure.

c’est mon quotidien, de face de dos je perds ma rétine en permanence https://t.co/jWp7nr1Quv pic.twitter.com/gIlRhcb1wv
— 🦌 (@ryanf20c) November 11, 2025

But why this dazzling? First, the color. LEDs emit cold white light, between 5,000 and 6,000 Kelvin, compared to 3,000 K for yellow halogens. Result: blue is perceived as 40% more aggressive by the human eye, even at equivalent intensity, reports the study on the influence of the opposite glare of high beams. Next, power. An LED headlight can reach 3,000 lumens, compared to 1,500 for a halogen. Add to this the SUVs, whose headlights, placed higher, directly target the sedan mirrors. And finally, the wrong setting: a single degree shift projects the light 30 meters too high onto the opposite lane.

Adaptive light headlights that could be a game changer

Pierre Chasseray sees a solution. “What happens and which should please are adaptive light headlights with artificial intelligence which will adapt its force depending on the context: if a vehicle arrives in front, to switch from low beam to high beam…” These matrix headlights, already present on certain cars, detect other users and cut off the light areas that bother them.

While waiting for smart headlights for everyone, what to do? Check the adjustment of your headlights at the technical inspection. Clean them regularly: dirt diffuses light, reminds a mechanic. And if you are sensitive, wear yellow anti-blue light glasses, advises a user