A new generation of headlights is lighting up the road better than ever, but they are also causing problems for other US drivers, according to thousands of complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Detroit News said.
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The paper said NHTSA regulators are nearing completion of a two-year review of headlight glare, which could lead to new rules for brighter high-intensity discharge, or HID, headlights that are becoming increasingly popular on premium cars and light vehicles sold by Audi, BMW, Lexus and Range Rover.
NHTSA is trying to strike a balance between capturing the benefits and energy savings of the new technology, and unintended consequences, the Detroit News said, adding that the agency also is likely to lower the maximum height for SUVs and other light trucks, whose higher lamp positions can shine into a car’s rear view mirrors.
Within the next two years, NHTSA will explore those and several other glare issues, including whether to regulate auxiliary lamps such as fog lights, and new rules that could change requirements on how lamps are aimed. Several of the rules could be issued by the end of the year, NHTSA spokeswoman Liz Neblett told the newspaper.
