Canada has taken action! The "dazzling" problem of automobile LED headlights has aroused heated discussion, and netizens roast that they are blind!

Many drivers and passersby in Canada have noticed that the headlights of vehicles are becoming increasingly bright nowadays. Now, Transport Canada has finally 'seen' this issue - and indeed, it is quite glaring.

  The federal agency acknowledges that although the new light emitting diode (LED) light group can improve driver visibility and have a wider illumination range than the old headlights, this new technology may also affect the line of sight of all "illuminated" road users.

  Therefore, the Ministry of Transport launched an online survey last month to understand the impact of nighttime car light glare on all road users, as well as "which vehicles or light characteristics will affect people's experience".

  We would like to understand your experiences, attitudes, and behaviors related to using road lights at night, as well as how glare from other vehicles' headlights affects you and whether it makes it harder for you to see ahead, "the Ministry of Transport wrote at the beginning of this anonymous survey questionnaire, which includes 30 questions. The survey is open to Canadian residents aged 16 and above, starting on March 6th and ending on April 20th. This survey includes driving, walking, cycling, and all other modes of road transportation.

  The National Post has contacted the Ministry of Transport to inquire about more information about this investigation, including when the results will be announced.

The survey questionnaire focuses on night driving, individual driving behavior when encountering glare, and various factors that can affect vision.

According to Daniel Stern, the editor in chief of Driving Vision News, in an interview with the National Post, there are many influencing factors.

For other drivers, the LED lights of oncoming vehicles or the LED lights in the rearview mirror will generate a wider and stronger beam of light, making it easier to directly direct the line of sight of the oncoming driver. Moreover, the "blue" color temperature of LED is 50% to 60% more likely to make people feel dazzling than warm colored light of the same brightness.

In addition, due to their small size and high brightness, LEDs produce higher luminous intensity (i.e. surface light intensity in a certain direction) in a smaller area, which is more eye-catching to the human eye.

Frost or aging lampshades, slippery roads, modified light bulbs, and decreased vision in older drivers can all exacerbate glare. Stern also pointed out that the direction of headlight illumination is not always constant during driving.

The car is moving, turning, passing through potholes, going up and down hills, the suspension system is also moving, and there are passengers and cargo in the car. Therefore, the lights will also shake in different directions, "he explained.

If the actual direction of the headlights is higher or slightly to the left than we imagined when adjusting on a level ground, other drivers are more likely to be swayed.

Stern added that height is also a factor that causes glare. Nowadays, SUVs, pickups, and small trucks have high headlight positions - accounting for nearly 87% of young car sales in 2024- causing lights that should have been directed towards the ground to directly enter the eyes of the driver on the opposite side.

The survey questionnaire also specifically asked respondents for their views on these influencing factors.

Automakers are willing to adopt LED technology because it is durable, energy-saving, and more importantly, it can greatly enhance the driver's night vision, which is very helpful for market promotion.

Glare itself is actually a subtle phenomenon, and different people experience it differently. The principle is that in a dark environment, a person's pupils will dilate to receive more light. Suddenly encountering strong light will reduce the contrast, causing the eyes to temporarily lose their adaptation to darkness.

This scattered strong light is called "veil glare" and can also lead to related effects: some people may feel uncomfortable or even painful, which is called "discomfort glare"; There is also a type called 'disability glare', which directly affects the driver's ability to see ahead clearly.

You may encounter all three situations, or you may only encounter one or two, depending on the specific situation, "Dr. Ralph Chou, retired professor of optometry at the University of Waterloo and editor in chief of the Canadian Journal of Optometry, once told the National Post.

The survey also asked what measures may help reduce glare. For example, ensuring the correct direction of headlight illumination, strengthening driver education, strictly enforcing existing laws, restricting the sale of certain modified light bulbs, updating standards related to headlight design, performance, and installation height, etc.

The Ministry of Transport is responsible for supervising the safety performance and requirements of the original headlight systems of automobiles. But once the vehicle is on the road, the specific road safety (including modifications and lighting changes) is the responsibility of each province and region.

Stern pointed out that one of the main obstacles is the alignment of regulations between Canada and the United States. At present, the implementation of these proposed measures is limited by the unified standards of the United States and Canada.

North America has not adopted the relevant regulations of the United Nations on glare from car lights (considering it a public health issue), but follows the standards of the United States, placing more emphasis on the driver's field of vision rather than the impact of glare on others.

Stern advocates limiting lamps with excessive blue light, inspecting or enforcing modified light bulbs or aging lampshades on old vehicles, and more importantly, mandating the installation of automatic headlight calibration systems - a technology that has already been applied in other parts of the world.

The automatic headlight calibration system can solve the equation for the 'screwdriver gorilla', "Stern said." The headlights are built into the lights when they are installed, calibrated once when the vehicle leaves the factory, and the headlights will always maintain correct illumination no matter how bumpy it is

However, he added that any reform is difficult to achieve quickly.

The problem of glare from car lights, or at least the increasing brightness, has indeed become a hot topic of concern and discussion among Canadians. In mid March alone, the social media post from the Ministry of Transport regarding this investigation received over 1700 likes, 1500 comments, and 1900 retweets, while other posts from the department were almost ignored.

Netizen Katie Gilmour commented jokingly, 'Sometimes I feel like I've seen a glimmer of hope, but it's actually just a Ford F-150.'.

Ruth Perkins suggests that legislation should be enacted to require car lights to be yellow, not white, and not to shake the driver in front of them. Please! How could such a glaring safety hazard be approved“

Peter Smythe said, 'Every time I go on the highway at night, I feel like I'm being exposed to X-rays.'.

However, there are also netizens who support LED headlights as long as the angle is appropriate.

Andrew Sheh commented, "The car lights should be on, as long as there is a clear tangent and angle adjustment

Shelby Mackinnon said, "I really like my LED lights, they can see deer far in advance and avoid them in time. "

This topic has also caught the attention of Vancouver City Councilor Sean Orr. At the beginning of this year, he submitted a motion to the federal government to address the issue of LED headlights. The relevant proposal will be presented at the Canadian Municipal Federation Conference in Edmonton in June.