Update headlight safety standards

AI summary

Petitioners ask Parliament to update federal vehicle safety standards for headlights (intensity, beam pattern, alignment, colour temperature), fund independent research, and strengthen testing and enforcement with provinces and manufacturers. The government responds that Transport Canada has studied glare, amended standards to permit adaptive lighting, ran test‑track research and national survey, and will continue evidence‑based review.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons Whereas: Many Canadians who drive, cycle, or walk on public roads report increasing safety concerns due to the excessive brightness and glare of modern LED and halogen vehicle headlights; High-intensity headlights can cause glare, temporary visual impairment, eye strain, and disorientation, particularly at night, in poor weather, or for older drivers and individuals with visual sensitivities; A growing number of Canadians report difficulty driving safely at night due to excessive headlight brightness; Age-related changes in vision make older drivers more vulnerable to glare, increasing the risk of delayed reaction times and collisions; Rural and semi-rural roads often lack street lighting and have higher speed limits, intensifying the effects of headlight glare; Excessive glare affects not only drivers but also pedestrians, cyclists, farm workers, and roadside residents; Higher-mounted headlights on trucks and sport utility vehicles exacerbate these risks; and Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Act regulations have not been updated to reflect changes in headlight bulb technology. Therefore, we, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to: 1. Review and update federal motor vehicle safety standards related to headlight brightness, beam pattern, alignment, and colour temperature; 2. Commission or support independent research into the road safety impacts of high-intensity LED and halogen headlights on all road users, including drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians; 3. Strengthen testing, compliance, and enforcement mechanisms to ensure headlights do not produce excessive glare under normal operating conditions; and 4. Work with provinces, territories, road safety experts, and vehicle manufacturers to develop lighting standards that improve visibility while reducing glare and enhancing overall road safety.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Signed by Mike Kelloway Road safety in Canada is a shared responsibility among all levels of government, industry partners, and all road users. Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act,?Transport Canada?is responsible for?standards and regulations for new?and imported vehicles and vehicle equipment, including child restraint systems and tires.?In this context, vehicle and equipment manufacturers and importers must certify that all new and imported vehicles and equipment comply with applicable safety regulations and related standards. Provincial and territorial governments?are responsible for?driver licensing, vehicle registration, road maintenance, and establishing and enforcing rules of the road. In regard to vehicle lighting, Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 – Lighting System and Retroreflective Devices contains provisions for lighting devices installed on road vehicles. The Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 requirements pertaining to headlamps are designed to provide vehicle drivers with the roadway illumination necessary for safe night driving, while minimizing the glare to other road users. Every passenger car, multi-purpose passenger vehicle, truck, trailer, motorcycle and bus must conform to Technical Standards Document 108, Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment. As for headlamp intensity, the maximum intensity values for lower beam headlamps are specified in Tables XIX-a, XIX-b, and XIX-c of Technical Standards Document 108, while those for upper beam headlamps are provided in Table XVIII of Technical Standards Document 108. These maximum values vary depending on specific points within the beam pattern. As the lighting requirements are performance based rather than technology specific, the maximum intensity values are the same regardless of the light source. It should be noted that beyond the mandatory requirements of Technical Standards Document 108, Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 allows manufacturers to comply with select United Nations Regulations, also used in Europe, for headlamps as an alternative to Technical Standards Document 108. Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 was amended in March 2018 to allow for advanced lighting technologies (adaptive driving beams and adaptive front-lighting systems). The intent of these technologies is to increase driver visibility without affecting other drivers. In some cases, under a specified headlamp mounting height, adaptive front-lighting systems allow for brighter maximum intensity values to improve driver visibility. Subsequently, the United States updated their lighting standard to allow adaptive driving beams headlamps to be installed on vehicles. In 2025, Technical Standards Document 108 was amended to align with the United States standard by incorporating all the changes made to the lighting standard for adaptive driving beams conforming to the United States regulations. This latest adaptive driving beams allowance is in addition to the two previous allowances that were permitted in 2018; thus, providing manufacturers with three compliance options for these advanced lighting technologies. Transport Canada is aware of concerns raised by the public regarding headlight glare and is actively studying the issue. While experimental and simulator studies have shown that glare can temporarily affect visual performance and cause discomfort, the evidence does not currently establish a clear causal relationship between modern headlighting systems and real-world collision outcomes. Crash risk is influenced by many interacting factors, including driver behaviour, vehicle characteristics, roadway design, and environmental conditions. The absence of clear, real-world evidence is why Transport Canada has undertaken a literature review, targeted complaint analysis, test-track research, and a national survey to better understand the issue and support evidence-based policy decisions: Publication of the literature review is anticipated later in 2026. Test-track research results were presented at the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles Conference, held in Toronto, in May 2026, and will be published on Transport Canada’s website in the coming months. This Transport Canada study examined how modern vehicle headlights affect drivers at night, focusing on both discomfort glare (annoyance or pain from bright lights) and disability glare (reduced ability to see and react). Twenty-three drivers completed nighttime drives on a closed test track while exposed to vehicles with different headlight types: halogen, high-intensity discharge, light emitting diode; and mounting heights. The study found that brighter headlights and higher mounted headlights, especially light emitting diode and high intensity discharge systems on taller vehicles, caused the most discomfort glare. Drivers also showed slower reaction times to visual signals under high-intensity discharge and light emitting diode conditions compared to halogen headlights, suggesting some impact on visual performance. The survey closed on April 20, 2026. Transport Canada is analyzing the survey responses and will share the findings publicly when complete. As headlamp glare has been found to be an area of concern internationally, Canada is also participating in ongoing international discussions at the United Nations regarding glare and vehicle lighting performance. An international Task Force has been established to examine the causes of glare and to support evidence-based regulatory approaches at both the United Nations and national levels. Transport Canada agrees that visibility is fundamental to safe driving, and that vehicle and lighting design features, such as headlamp performance, windshield geometry, and interior displays can influence the driver’s visual environment. However, while some of the issues raised in the petition are consistent with known visual principles and are subject to current research by Transport Canada, regulatory decisions must be grounded in clear, objective evidence demonstrating impacts on safety and driver performance. As such, prior to any regulatory changes, federal regulatory policy requires a thorough analysis of data to justify that a regulation is necessary, that it will benefit Canadians, and that it will not create unnecessary economic burden for manufacturers. Considerations must also be made to broader factors such as regulatory alignment with international standards and the need to support safe innovation in vehicle technologies. Transport Canada will continue to review emerging evidence, including both objective performance data and road user experiences, to inform our work in this area. Transport Canada?remains?committed to improving road safety for all Canadians and will continue to examine the issue of glare through research, international collaboration, and evidence-based regulatory review. The?public?will be informed as research findings become available.