Imagine trying to drive while someone shines a flashlight in your face. That’s the effect blinding LED headlights have on someone with an astigmatism.
TikToker Tahoma (@realtahoma), who has an astigmatism, calls out the ubiquitous headlights in a video posted to her account Sunday.
So far the video is up to 520,700 views and counting.
She can’t keep doing this
In the video, Tahoma makes no bones about the discomfort LED headlights cause her while driving.
From her driver’s seat, she tells her viewers, “I’m losing my [expletive] right now,” as a car with blazing headlights follows behind her.
She then flips the bird to the driver behind her before unleashing a string of profanities about their headlights.
Tahoma pleads in her caption, “These new cars’ headlights need to be investigated by USDOT like my astigmatism can’t keep doing this.”
Call for a ban
Another TikTok, posted by user Tiesyn (@tiesyn) on Dec. 22, makes a less dramatic but more eloquent argument against LEDs as well.
“Can we please ban these?” he asks.
“The amount of times I’ll be driving at night and I just see this flash of white light blinding my … eyes, and I can’t see anything? And it’s not these cars using like, their high beams or anything like that. These are just their normal headlights,” Tiesyn complains.
He relates a story of driving a friend’s truck that had LED headlights.
“Cars were honking at me because you legitimately can’t see anything,” he claims.
“I feel like there needs to be some sort of regulation,” he argues.
He states in his caption, “It’s actually blinding.”
Why aren’t blinding LED headlights illegal?
The two TikTokers aren’t the only ones frustrated by the headlights. A Change.org petition to ban blinding headlights currently has 66,679 verified signatures.
The petition’s organizers, The Soft Light Foundation, claim, “It is clear to anyone who drives, walks, or bikes the roads that the switch to LED headlights has become a source of dangerous, blinding glare.”
A New England AAA spokesperson talked CBS News about them.
“People aren’t imagining things,” he said. “Headlights are much brighter than they used to be even just a few years ago.”
However, he also noted, “It’s a double-edged sword. The reality is very bright headlights are actually much safer. It significantly improves how much can see on the road.”
A possible solution
Innovative new technology such as Adaptive Matrix Headlights, aka “Smart headlights,” could alleviate the issue for people like Tahoma who suffer while driving at night.
These lights can “do things like selectively dim individual bulbs to avoid dazzling pedestrians or oncoming drivers.”
However, the U.S. auto industry has been hesitant about adopting the tech.
In 1967, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration demanded all US car headlights have a mandatory “high” and “low” beam.
Unfortunately, that “negates these smart headlights. You have to have these specific headlights for the United States. So, we are behind Europe and the rest of the world by 10 years at this point,” automotive reporter Craig Fitzgerald told CBS.
@realtahoma these new cars headlights need to be investigated by USDOT like my astigmatism cant keep doing this 😭 #codeswitching #leaedu #floptok #morovaeofficial #tahoma #realtahoma ♬ Angle Grinder (Power Tool Electric Disc Side Hand Held Handheld Grinding Cutting Metal Construction Noise Clip) [Sound Effect] – Finnolia Sound Effects
Readers weigh in
Many of Tiesyn’s viewers commiserated with Tahoma’s situation.
“Driving at night and seeing them with astigmatism is the worst thing ever,” Alex Battershell (@alexbattershell) wrote.
Another added, “I have astigmatism so it’s 10x worse when I see them.”
Tahoma’s viewers reacted similarly.
One viewer simply wrote, “Me: cries in astigmatism.”
“It is worst if you have astigmatism in both eyes, like me,” a viewer called dimplez (@dimplez0594) wrote.
Another viewer agreed with the call for a ban.
“Bro those lights should be illegal by now.. ain’t no way you need to see more than everyone else on the rd.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Tahoma and Tiesyn via Instagram and TikTok messenger and TikTok messenger for further statement.
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