You aren't imagining it. Car headlights are brighter.

It’s happened to all of us. Driving down the highway after dusk when all of a sudden, there’s a bright, blinding light in the rearview mirror that makes it more difficult to drive.

If car headlights suddenly seem much brighter than they used to be, it’s because they are, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration .

“LED headlamps have become more common as they consume less energy, are more durable and offer other advantages,” a report from the NHTSA states. “Approximately 75% of 2023 model year light vehicles are estimated to have LED headlamps.”

Rick Voccio, co-owner of local auto repair shop the Vehicle Maintenance Place, has noticed an increase in people asking for customizations for their vehicle’s lighting, ”from these light bars to additional lights and all these aftermarket modifications that causes a lot of problems, especially if they’re put on trucks.”

“And people have smaller cars where they’re sitting a little bit lower than the truck or the other vehicle that’s lifted or modified, and then they end up getting that extremely bright light in the rearview mirror,” he added.

LED conversion kits — aftermarket upgrades that replace halogen bulbs with LED bulbs — are the main contributor to the excessive light people may encounter on the road. Many versions of the product do not follow federally set headlight safety regulations, according to the NHTSA.

Previously, many cars used halogen bulbs to light up headlights. Halogen bulbs can produce a wide range of lumens — the measurement of perceived light — but typically produce 900 to 1,000 lumens of light. In comparison, LED bulbs can produce light between 3,600 and 4,500 lumens.

Other factors, such as how clean the lights are and restoration processes that remove the effects of oxidation, can also determine how far lighting will reach.

“With most folks who experiment with trying to get a brighter bulb, it’s a result of the headlight assemblies becoming oxidized, not that the original bulbs weren’t bright enough, over time and from just traveling on the roads,” Voccio said.

He said while there are services to restore the surfaces of headlights by sanding and polishing them, “the only real, permanent fix is to replace the headlight assemblies.”

A lack of proper lighting while driving is more dangerous than overly bright lights. Despite only 25% of driving taking place in darkness, 50% of crashes occur then, according to AAA New Mexico.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation recommends using headlights at all times of the day, especially during inclement weather “to improve a car’s visibility,” said Shannon Glendenning, traffic safety division director for NMDOT. “In addition to lowering the risk of crashes at wildlife crossings and blind corners, headlamp use helps decrease head-on collisions on roads lacking designated passing lanes.”

“Helpful tip is if your windshield wipers are on, turn on your headlights,” Glendenning said. “State law requires drivers to use headlights from a half-hour after sunset to a half-hour before sunrise or in other times when visibility is limited.”

Drivers should avoid using brights during fog or dust storms, according to NMDOT, but use them when there is limited visibility.