Danger Zone: Are Millennial Headlights a Growing Hazard in Maine?

Count me in on this topic. Headlights these days seem not only incredibly annoying, but also excessively bright. The question is, have they become downright dangerous, and are millennials to blame? Let's dive into it.

An opinion piece was published by the Portland Press Herald, and while I was reading it, I was nodding my head so much I felt like I was headed towards a mosh-pit.

The article was written by author Victoria Hugo-Vidal, and she states that millennials have brought something to light that is far too bright: LED HEADLIGHTS on cars.

According to Consumer Reports, LED Headlights all started about eight years ago on the Lexus LS 600h sedan in 2007, and was initially featured exclusively in luxury cars.

Then LEDs started making their way into more common car models.

The author is pretty much stating that it is truly frightening when a car comes towards you with those ultra-bright white LED beams, leaving the driver temporarily blinded. She said she finds herself frantically blinking and trying to clear the dots from her vision. But in those few seconds traveling at high speeds, it feels like an eternity.

She says that the county's car safety rules and regulations are good for the most part, but in the case of the headlights, the government now needs to crack down.

As for me, I don't entirely blame millennials. It's more about the car manufacturers or whoever came up with these blinding LED lights.

Perhaps it was a millennial, but that's besides the point, because the brightness is indeed hazardous.

Take for instance, when my wife and I drive at night, we both collectively say, "Here it comes," when encountering cars with those intense LED headlights. Even if their high beams aren't on, the regular brightness is still super overwhelming! In addition, those annoying LED headlights are even worse on dark, poorly lit, windy roads in Maine.

I share the author's perspective when she highlights that the situation gets even worse with larger vehicles, as they sit up higher and their lights shine directly into your eyes.

As the article continues on, the author does point out that there may be a silver lining in all of this: adaptive driving beams, a tool that has already hit the roads in Canada and Europe.

This will use a computer and the headlights automatically adjust, diverting away from "occupied" sections of the road, which may include signs, pedestrians, or other vehicles. Instead, they focus on "unoccupied" areas, effectively decreasing the glare. That's something that I believe would help a lot here in Maine.

Just make sure to drive safe until we hopefully get some safer options. And when those bright lights blind you, slow down and stay cautious.

What do you think about the LED headlights?