Member-only story
You’re Right About Car Headlights
It’s not your worsening eyes, they’re brighter than they once were
When I got my used 2010 Toyota Prius, the first thing I did was slap a COEXIST bumper sticker on it. The second thing I did was use it to drive my brother and a neighborhood friend to our high school. Back in those days, in Charleston circa 2014, traffic was light, other drivers were friendly, and everything seemed just dandy with other cars’ headlights.
Oh, how times have changed.
Nowadays, traffic sucks all the time, all the other drivers are transplants from Ohio and California, and headlights seem to be infused with some sort of high-powered laser meant to blind you when you’re driving at night.
I started to wonder, is it just my 26-year-old aging body that simply can’t handle bright lights anymore? Are my eyes worsening as I climb closer to 30? Surely, it’s a me problem.
But actually, I found out, it’s not. Car headlights are getting brighter, and there are three reasons why.
Halogen vs. LED
Car headlights have changed the type of light they emit. In the 80’s and 90’s, halogen bulbs were the standard. But with the rise in the popularity of LED lights, that standard has changed. LED bulbs are cheaper, more…
