Nate Rogers

A lot of that is like the IIHS. And they, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, have deemed brighter headlights to be advantageous to getting a good safety rating. So if you're trying to get that safety rating, you want to pump more light down the road. And the way to pump more light down the road is through more powerful LEDs. So that's an important reason why car companies favor them.

NHTSA, that's the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. They are the federal highway safety czars. They are the ultimate authority. Any car that is driving on the road has to meet NHTSA standards. It's hard to say exactly what they're doing on a day-to-day basis. They're kind of mysterious. They did not want to talk to me for the story that I did.

NHTSA, that's the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. They are the federal highway safety czars. They are the ultimate authority. Any car that is driving on the road has to meet NHTSA standards. It's hard to say exactly what they're doing on a day-to-day basis. They're kind of mysterious. They did not want to talk to me for the story that I did.

NHTSA, that's the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. They are the federal highway safety czars. They are the ultimate authority. Any car that is driving on the road has to meet NHTSA standards. It's hard to say exactly what they're doing on a day-to-day basis. They're kind of mysterious. They did not want to talk to me for the story that I did.

They actually told me at one point to stop emailing their employees. But, you know, I think that it's a government agency. It's not some vast conspiracy. They probably are just busy doing other stuff. And clearly in the last 15 years since LED headlights have started to roll out, they have not been a priority for NHTSA.

They actually told me at one point to stop emailing their employees. But, you know, I think that it's a government agency. It's not some vast conspiracy. They probably are just busy doing other stuff. And clearly in the last 15 years since LED headlights have started to roll out, they have not been a priority for NHTSA.

They actually told me at one point to stop emailing their employees. But, you know, I think that it's a government agency. It's not some vast conspiracy. They probably are just busy doing other stuff. And clearly in the last 15 years since LED headlights have started to roll out, they have not been a priority for NHTSA.

They haven't changed the rulebook to accommodate LED headlights, which people are seeming to agree now was an oversight because of how different the technology is.

They haven't changed the rulebook to accommodate LED headlights, which people are seeming to agree now was an oversight because of how different the technology is.

They haven't changed the rulebook to accommodate LED headlights, which people are seeming to agree now was an oversight because of how different the technology is.

This is the million dollar question because... You know, common sense will tell you that headlights that are really bright, like let's imagine that you're driving down the road and a car's coming the other way and the headlights get in your eyes and they're really bright and you're struggling to see. That's an obvious safety issue.

This is the million dollar question because... You know, common sense will tell you that headlights that are really bright, like let's imagine that you're driving down the road and a car's coming the other way and the headlights get in your eyes and they're really bright and you're struggling to see. That's an obvious safety issue.

This is the million dollar question because... You know, common sense will tell you that headlights that are really bright, like let's imagine that you're driving down the road and a car's coming the other way and the headlights get in your eyes and they're really bright and you're struggling to see. That's an obvious safety issue.

I mean, it's not disputed that headlight glare is a safety issue that is important. The question is how much of a danger is it and how can you measure that? Because with a government agency like NHTSA, You need hard data. You need proof.

I mean, it's not disputed that headlight glare is a safety issue that is important. The question is how much of a danger is it and how can you measure that? Because with a government agency like NHTSA, You need hard data. You need proof.

I mean, it's not disputed that headlight glare is a safety issue that is important. The question is how much of a danger is it and how can you measure that? Because with a government agency like NHTSA, You need hard data. You need proof.

And when you're trying to measure... So one study that gets pointed out is that the IIHS, they said that there was a 20% reduction in car accidents with cars that have good safety ratings for their headlights, right? Basically, the short version is... it's really hard to measure something that's tied in as intrinsically with everything else in the way that the highway operates.

And when you're trying to measure... So one study that gets pointed out is that the IIHS, they said that there was a 20% reduction in car accidents with cars that have good safety ratings for their headlights, right? Basically, the short version is... it's really hard to measure something that's tied in as intrinsically with everything else in the way that the highway operates.

And when you're trying to measure... So one study that gets pointed out is that the IIHS, they said that there was a 20% reduction in car accidents with cars that have good safety ratings for their headlights, right? Basically, the short version is... it's really hard to measure something that's tied in as intrinsically with everything else in the way that the highway operates.

And without that strict measurement of how dangerous car headlight brightness is, it seems that NHTSA is a little stuck and a little unsure about how to approach it, how to gauge it, and how to fix it.