Dear Supporters,

I was copied on an excellent letter from one of our supporters which I would like to share with you. To get an email address for your two Senators, just call their office and request the email address for the Legislative Director or other staff person who would review your letter.

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To: Senator Ed Markey
cc: Legislative Director Jeremy Daloisio 

I am a constituent of Senator Markey, and I wish to address a safety concern that impacts everyone when the sun sets.

Blinding Headlights.

Blinding headlights, especially newer blue-white LEDs, are a real issue causing discomfort glare and temporary vision loss (flash blindness) due to their intensity, blue light scattering, and sometimes misaligned aiming, particularly from high SUVs/trucks.
 
U.S. automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have a statutory duty to conduct an investigation into the health and safety impacts of using small, blue-rich, high-intensity LED light sources for vehicle headlights. These blinding beams operate with few or no restrictions on intensity (luminance), spectral distribution (blue wavelength light), and have neither a standardize mounting height of the headlamp nor a uniform beam angle.

I am continually blinded by the headlights of on-coming cars,. It is as if an increasing number of drivers are using their high beams and fog lights as they commute to and from Arlington MA.

I now limit my night driving, afraid that I may hit a pedestrian crossing the street because the glare of the oncoming car completely obscures my ability to see the road in front of me. 

Under 49 U.S. Code § 30118 (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act), LED headlamp technology clearly qualifies as a safety hazard as it now exists. 

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Senator Ted Cruz, will convene a full committee hearing titled “Pedal to the Policy: The Views of the American Auto Industry on the Upcoming Surface Transportation Re-authorization” on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

Please request that this issue be addressed and that headlights finally become standardized in this country, as they are in other developed countries.
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Sincerely,

Mark Baker
President
Soft Lights Foundation
www.softlights.org
mbaker@softlights.org
X: @softlights_org
Bluesky: @softlights-org.bsky.social