this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2026
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The survey lasts until April 20. I'm glad transport Canada is looking into it.

Edit: thanks @Quilotoa@lemmy.ca for pointing out that I got the date wrong.

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[–] Quilotoa@lemmy.ca 55 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I did the survey. It took 5 - 10 minutes. The survey ends April 20th.

[–] lambdabeta@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah, I think OP misread the date. I hope they update the post so as to not scare people away.

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 week ago

Yeah, I got the date wrong. I've fixed the post.

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago

Oops! Thanks for pointing out the date. I've fixed the text.

There is also a petition going for the House of Commons.

It's open till June. 8600 signatures so far.

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 52 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It’s bad and we should match European standards.

The US standards for cars are a cancer and perfectly encapsulate the American β€œI got mine fuck you” mindset.

[–] Damage@feddit.it 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)

European standards

As a European, headlights are way too bright. And modern dashboards too. If your car gave your eyes the chance to adapt to the darkness, we wouldn't need bajillion lumen headlights.

[–] copd@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Every car I've owned has had a little potentiometer or "roller" to dim internal and dashboard lights. I have no idea why it's not common knowledge but I use it every time I have to travel in the dark and it allows me to see outside so much better

[–] Damage@feddit.it 9 points 1 week ago

As someone who rents a lot of cars, it's becoming harder and harder to locate

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago

not good enough. Europe allows LED headlights with stupidly high outputs

[–] KingOfSuede@lemmy.world 48 points 1 week ago (7 children)

I’d also like to see enforcement of proper headlight aiming. While lights really are too bright, it’s crazy that no one aims them properly.

An educational program about proper aiming, along with a check stop style safety sweep would help mitigate a lot of the issues.

Then again, we could just do the smart thing and mandate auto-leveling headlights, but that would be too simple.

[–] bradbeattie@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm unclear how aiming solves the issue of a car with ungodly bright headlights going over a speed bump and blinding me.

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[–] discomatic@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago

I drive a little hatchback. Aiming just means headlights on trucks point directly into my mirror. People insist on leaving zero space.

[–] ArchEngel@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago (3 children)

This is probably gonna sound really unfortunate, but...: wait, you can aim your headlights?!

I drive a little rusting out budget car, but even so, I will be looking into aiming my headlights.

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[–] dom@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Education wont help the majority of culprits which are pickup drivers.

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[–] nik282000@lemmy.ca 38 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I drive a B2300 (old Ranger sized pickup) and headlight glare is fucking unbearable. Most modern SUVs and pickups have their lights above the bed of my truck and shine directly into my rear window, usually bright enough to drown out my dash lights. I can't imagine that the experience is much better for car drivers who get those lights at eye level.

I have taken to dropping down to 1 under the speed limit when I get truck/suv tailgating me with insane lights because they are drivers most likely to get impatient and pass if you aren't going at least 10 over.

[–] Phil_in_here@lemmy.ca 21 points 1 week ago

Oh yeah, I drive a little Civic and those mfs are directly at eye level. In fact, sometimes when they tailgate my so close after slowing down the lights are actually comfortably over my car for a brief moment before you rip around me and the side mirror gives me a good retina jab.

[–] TheFeatureCreature@lemmy.ca 34 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Filled it out. I live in Vancouver which is rainy for a large part of the year. Driving in the dark in the rain with modern headlights glaring in my face makes it impossible to drive. That's not a hyperbole either; I've literally had to pull over and let cars pass because I could no longer see the road or road markings.

[–] Mossheart@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 week ago

Same! Its bad anytime but so much worse in the rain and we only get two seasons now, rain or fire.

I don't drive at night anymore if at all possible!

[–] SapphironZA@sh.itjust.works 31 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Only solution is maximum height of lights. Make these massive SUVs and trucks look stupid with the light dragging on a lower bumper.

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 week ago (3 children)

uh, no. the only solution is instituting an appropriate maximum level of output

height only matters on flat smooth roads

[–] SapphironZA@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I was referring to trucks and SUVs that are so tall they blind the cars in front of them even if they are pointed appropriately. Their headlights are at the eye level of other drivers in normal cars.

Output level is another matter that also needs attention

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[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The law actually specifies a maximum wattage, which back before all the new technology like LEDs and Xenons actually did limit the brightness... But the laws haven't been keeping up with technology for quite a while...

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[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Neither of these are, in fact, the only solution.

We could, for example, have heights that identify other cars in the road and selectively dim the area around those cars.

We could have headlights that keep light below a certain level accounting for both the attitude of the car and the oncoming terrain.

Really how it is achieved doesn't matter, the regulation should just say that, within some cone in front of the vehicle, light levels must be limited to below x for the window areas around any other vehicles.

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[–] polle@feddit.org 7 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I never understood why bigger cars can have their bulbs at a higher level.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] karlhungus@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago

I actually think it's mostly an aim issue, the height of these vehicles is also an issue but I think the headlight one could be solved by aim

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 29 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The yellow headlights are so much better for people with astigmatism btw.

[–] cecilkorik@piefed.ca 9 points 1 week ago

I drive my 21-year-old halogens in their filthy yellowed plastic lenses with pride.

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[–] xtr0n@sh.itjust.works 18 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It’s so heartwarming seeing a country where the government tries to fix everyday problems.

[–] frunch@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Right? Here in the us, it seems the best solution is to just stop driving at night (as though people have the option, with the sad state of affairs that is our mass transit system)... Because if I'm certain of anything, it's that this blinding-light situation isn't going to be fixed in my lifetime. Hell, I've seen these lights on during the day and still got temporarily blinded by them. 🫠

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[–] texture@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

started driving last year and oh my fucking god i cannot believe people regularly drive at night. i literally cant see anything when a truck or suv is approaching. its TERRIFYING.

[–] slykethephoxenix@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 week ago

I have seen supernovas less bright than some car headlights.

[–] shittydwarf@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 week ago
[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

The problem is the headlights are not regulated for total lumens, and all the light is highly concentrated. Second problem is brodozers illegally lifted causing the lights to be aimed at the wrong angle. OPP or local police don't enforce the height law of 3", nor the law that says wheels cannot exceed the fender width.

[–] Soup@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Not just brodozers, I swear headlights are just never adjusted as part of PDI. My grandmothers highlander has them lighting everything from the road to the forest beside the highway to the people in front of the fucking thing to even the driver who looked at the reflective speed limit sign only to have that shit go straight back into their eyeballs.

My car’s headlights are simple halogen bulbs, not LEDs, and I have a manual adjustment dial which I keep quite low. I even adjusted it all myself so it’s good no matter where I put it. It’s just a BRZ so it wasn’t blinding anyone anyway but holy fuck, not that hard.

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[–] bradbeattie@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

A problem I find is that cars are increasingly visible with their brighter and brighter headlights, but that means pedestrians are much harder to see after you've been blinded.

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[–] texture@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

please fill out the survey! it took me 5 mins and theres no sign in or email required.

https://tc.canada.ca/en/corporate-services/consultations/canadian-experience-vehicle-headlights-glare-night

[–] SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It would warm my frozen little heart if Canada bans and outlaws headlights that are too bright.

Imagine a whole army of cops, just driving around, ticketing anybody with them that passes.

Ban the design, ban the production, ban the use.

Fuck those headlights so goddamn much.

[–] bravemonkey@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago

lol, cops enforcing road safety laws? Good luck with that

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[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

But I need to see three provinces over for SAFETY, for the CHILDREN.

edit: also fucking bike lights, there is a local idiot who somehow has found a piece of quasar and has strapped it to his handlebars and even on a cloudless summer noon that fucking thing is ON and manages to pierce my retina. I think it's a mental illness at this point. Both from companies that make these technological anal cancers, and the anencephalic weirdos who buy them.

[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago

Let's do vehicle size first, if we are starting to retalk about standards.

[–] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 5 points 1 week ago

I'm a Canadian citizen not living in Canada who gets blinded by stupid lights just the same, but apparently they aren't interested in my opinion.

[–] Smaile@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

its to much, i keep thinking people are highbeaming me

[–] Tigeroovy@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Honestly they also might be.

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[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm in Washington state and dude, every year they get brighter and brighter. It has to stop. We need a vehicular headlights standard communication system... You see my lights, I see your lights so we both dimm automatically. Or maybe the headlights have a side light that turns off. So if your headlight sees the light from a different car then your lights point elsewhere or the LED goes dim just for that side. Or maybe the lights synchronize and every driver wears glasses that synchronize to their light. Each car communicates the synchronization frequency. A device then polarizes the lenses of each driver such that they only see their own reflected light. Or maybe each light is on for a certain period of milliseconds at a time and the glasses then become dark when the other car's lights are on for a few milliseconds.

[–] SparroHawc@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Just limit the light levels and require a gradual fall-off instead of the harsh line of projector headlights that blind everyone when you go over a bump. We don't need more finicky systems that make cars more expensive and increase repair costs.

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