According to the National Safety Council, 50% of deaths that result from traffic accidents happen at nighttime. In other words, simply being out on the road after nightfall jeopardizes one’s safety by quite a large percentage. And oftentimes, it doesn’t even have to be the victim’s fault, just how one very inconsiderate driver’s headlights essentially blinded the family in the car across a busy street in North Carolina. Making the road hard to see is an understatement; the lights were so bright that even the video the father uploaded to r/mildlyinfuriating is hard on the eyes to watch.
“We’re not far [but] these bright LED lights [are] damaging our optic nerves,” remarked the dad, quite frustrated at how excessively bright the driver’s headlights across the street were. In hopes of raising awareness of the intensity of light pollution while driving at night, the father also posted to r/NorthCarolina, but moderators deleted his post. He explained how the light was so bright, it was almost as if they had a light on inside his vehicle. “Had kids in my car. Just standing where I was, I was concerned about our safety,” he remarked.
“If you need lights this bright you shouldn’t legally drive,” commented a Redditor. “I find it hard to believe these are legal,” remarked another user. The father said that, after he finally managed to drive away from the thoughtless driver’s car, his eyes needed a full minute to readjust. Luckily, he didn’t get into an accident as a result, but what’s to say that someone else wouldn’t have been so fortunate, or that someone else affected by the brightness wouldn’t have jeopardized his family’s safety? “We need regulation,” exclaimed a commenter.
North Carolina Law States Extremely Bright Headlights Are Illegal
This isn’t the first time someone in North Carolina has complained about people using extremely bright headlights while driving at night. One person posted about it years ago in 2022. There is indeed a $50 penalty to dissuade people from using their headlights to blind other drivers within 500 feet of them, according to North Carolina law. Yet, that amount doesn’t seem quite enough to discourage drivers enough from being reckless with their vehicles’ light pollution, endangering others on the road.
