By: Olivia Visser, Copy Editor

What’s with all the blazing car headlights in recent years? Many of us have noticed, newspapers have written about it, and, shocker, people have crashed as a result of them. For the longest time, I thought half the drivers during my nighttime highway commutes bizarrely had their high beams on. Nope — just illegal headlights, baby!

There are laws about the maximum wattage allowed for headlights, but no one seems to care these days. And the problem isn’t just LEDs — xenon bulbs are much brighter, have a glaring blue tone, and half the time they’re installed incorrectly. Headlights are supposed to be aligned in such a way that illuminates the road, not the car in front of you. I am personally judging every single person who doesn’t know how to properly install headlights, yet insists on doing it themselves anyway.

Tell me, why do you feel the need to install these humorous yet hazardous bulbs? Do you think it makes you look snazzy? I thought that’s what your demon eye headlights were for, but now I can’t even see those, either. Bummer. Your sick lifted F-150 is a mere white smear in my rearview mirror, and don’t even get me started on oncoming traffic. At this point, I simply avert my gaze and pray for the best, lest be subjected to lingering splotches in my vision that are just wonderful when you’re driving at night. 

I’ll be honest, I pity these folks a little. I mean, it’s pretty sad that I can get around perfectly fine at night with 25-year-old halogens, while others feel the need to install military-grade spotlights on their cars. There’s nothing wrong with being afraid of the dark, but please don’t punish other road users with your ridiculous beacons.