Rep. Perez calls for federal regulation to dim overly bright headlights

During a time of extreme partisanship, U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez wants to work on a problem that seems to unite most Americans in disdain: overly bright headlights.

“This is something that draws ire from rural Americans, from older Americans, from law enforcement,” Perez, D-Skamania, told the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 21.

Headlights with a soft yellowish glow are being edged out by harsh bluish-white beams. That’s because modern cars are increasingly equipped with LED and high-intensity discharge bulbs, which produce wider, stronger and crisper beams.

Brighter headlights can make seeing nighttime hazards, such as wandering animals, easier, Washington State Patrol Capt. Deion Glover said. But if they’re blinding another driver, that can be a safety issue, he said.

He said he hears his fair share of headlight-brightness complaints, but there’s not much he can do.

“We don’t have a tool that people would carry to measure brightness. It’s really a tough thing to do,” he said.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 regulates vehicle lighting. But it doesn’t set limits on low-beam intensity. Even if it did, estimating lumens isn’t something the state trains troopers to do.

“It’s almost impossible,” Glover said.

People in Clark County, where dark and hilly back roads are abundant, have complained about blinding headlights for years.

During a January town hall, both supporters and protesters cheered for Perez when she said something needed to be done about overly bright headlights.

The federal government has already taken some measures, including allowing adaptive driving beam headlights, which automatically dim part of the beam to avoid blinding oncoming drivers.

“But let’s be honest: It has not helped,” Perez said.

She’s interested in working with a committee to ensure that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration limits maximum headlight brightness, Perez told the committee.

The headlight standards should “retain visibility for drivers but also reduce glare and increase safety for other drivers on the road,” Perez said.

The regulations would likely apply to vehicle manufacturers and equipment suppliers, keeping the onus off law enforcement.