February 16, 2022 – Adaptive headlights technology – lights that actively dim small sections of the high-beam to provide both maximum illumination without blinding drivers and pedestrians – does exist but those systems were outlawed due to extremely outdated National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulations that trail Europe’s driver safety guidelines by well over a decade.
The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill now allows adaptive headlights on U.S. roads. For new car buyers, this means flicking between separate high and low beams could become a thing of the past.
Audi has been selling cars in America with adaptive headlights for years, with the previously forbidden technology locked behind a software wall to keep its cars federally legal. With the systems now allowed, a software patch can be applied to use this already integrated feature without a single bolt touched or retrofit required.
