If you’ve driven at night lately, you’ve probably encountered oncoming vehicle lights that look like portable stadium floodlights.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) safety experts have been crunching real-world crash data, and they say glare from headlights is linked to only a tiny fraction of nighttime crashes. It appears more often on undivided two-lane roads, in wet conditions, and among older drivers, particularly those over 70, who are naturally more sensitive to bright light.
That doesn’t mean the industry gets a free pass to blind everyone. The same rating program that rewards better illumination also penalizes excessive glare, and automakers have responded.
