State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton FILE PHOTO
By EMILEE KLEIN
Staff Writer
A bill moving through the Legislature will require all new vehicles sold in the state after Jan. 1, 2026 to include adaptive headlights that illuminate the road without shining into the windshields of oncoming drivers.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Adaptive Driving Beam Headlight Systems (ADBs) use automatic headlight beam switching technology to shine less light on occupied areas of the road and more light on unoccupied areas. The adaptive beam is particularly useful for distance illumination of pedestrians, animals and objects without reducing the visibility of drivers in other vehicles.
“The American Automobile Association research found ADBs illuminate the road 86% better than current headlight technology but without the glare,” said sponsor Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, in a statement. “Smart headlights make about 5,000 adjustments per second to curve light around the part of the road already lit up by an oncoming car. So, there’s no direct beam in the other driver’s face.”
Sabadosa said car manufacturers have changed the bulbs in headlights from a halogen bulb, which shines a yellow light, to bright blue LED lights at least four times stronger than the previous bulbs. The result is a brighter light without turning on the high beams. While driver visibility at night is greatly improved by the stronger light, the placement and glare of headlights poses a danger to oncoming cars.
“The legislation seeks to address the problem with overly bright headlights,” Sabadosa said.” There are no shortage of news articles that speak to the growing problem of overly bright headlights on the highways of Massachusetts. While they improve driver safety in some respects, they also blind oncoming traffic, which does not help with road safety. A solution is adaptive headlight technology or smart headlights.
Sabadosa has received several emails from constituents concerned about driving at night due to the intense headlights, and they aren’t alone. According to a poll by Boston.com, 93% of the 600 respondents said car headlights today are too bright.
Many luxury vehicles, like BMWs and Mercedes, already utilize this technology, and Canada, China and the European Union require adaptive headlights.
“There’s some conversation about bringing it to the United States, but it’s something someone will have to start pushing in multiple states before more car companies will start to offer them,” Sabadosa added.
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Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.
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