How Bright Can Your Headlights Be in Washington State

I was driving home last night from a meeting and all I could see was bright lights coming my way.

Surprise: There Isn't A Specific Law On Headlight Brightness In WA State

I often joke the older I get, the less I like driving at night and one of the reasons is the bright headlights. I feel that the headlights have got even brighter thanks to LED lighting and it's hard to see when someone is blaring their brights down on you.

Elenathewise

Get our free mobile app

I always taught to look to the white stripe on the passenger side of the car to avoid the glare but it did get me thinking.

How bright is too bright? what's the legal limit on headlight radiance at night?

So let's break it down. According to KING 5 News, this is the official statement from the Washington State Patrol:

There are no specific rules in Washington state about the brightness of headlights, according to Washington State Patrol spokesman Dan Coon. So, the state has adopted federal standards on this. The specific regulation is 49 CFR 571.108. It's by this standard that police will enforce the law.

PinkBadger

I was a little disappointed by the answer but it seems as long as your vehicle meets the federal guidelines, you can blast those brights as much as you want. I think I might have to design a huge light array for some of those folks who refuse to turn off their brights.

You can read more about the headlight regulations here.