Smart Headlights Finally Trickle Down to Cars in the U.S.

If you’ve shielded your eyes from oncoming headlights that seem brighter than a supernova — and who hasn’t, lately? — there is new technology that should dazzle drivers. In a good way.

For about a decade, cars all over the world have had high-tech smart headlights that can steer light away from oncoming traffic while surgically illuminating the pavement farther down the road. They’re better for you, the driver, and they’re better for the drivers in front of you.

They have finally been approved for American roads, and carmakers are slowly incorporating them into new models. Even with the approval of these adaptive driving beam headlights, or A.D.B.s., it will take years before enough vehicles are equipped with the tech to make a significant difference. But at least there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

They can only help. According to Federal Highway Administration data, half of all traffic fatalities happen after dark, but only one-quarter of driving happens at night.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/business/smart-headlights-adaptive.html