2,350 Fines Issued: Glaring LED/HID Headlights Force 2026 Regulation Change

The increasing intensity of new LED and High-Intensity Discharge (HID) car headlights is creating a serious and dangerous glare problem for drivers, prompting a former police sergeant to call for an immediate ban on their importation and sale in the country.

Former Traffic Branch Sergeant Barlen Munusami has warned that the excessive and dazzling light from this new generation of headlights could have “grave consequences” for road safety. He is urging the Ministry of Commerce to step in and prohibit the products.

The Transport Minister, Osman Mahomed, has acknowledged the issue, announcing that new regulations are on the way. He stated that the government will “tighten the screws on offenders” through the upcoming point-based driving licence system.

New Enforcement and Standards

The Minister confirmed that the future point-based licence system will specifically target non-compliant, dazzling, and tampered LED headlights.

• Offenders will face a fine equivalent to 3 penalty points.
• A licence will be withdrawn if a driver accumulates more than 15 points.
• Minister Mahomed also disclosed that “new standards will emerge in 2026, under the impetus of the point-based licence.”

Concerns Over Imports and Enforcement

The issue stems from the new LED/HID technology, which is highly efficient and precise, but whose intense light causes excessive glare for oncoming traffic, particularly at night.

Mr Munusami pointed out a major loophole in current enforcement:

• The law currently requires car bulbs to have a power of no more than 75 watts.
• However, he states that the Traffic Branch does not possess a luxmeter (a sensor to measure illuminance), making it impossible for police to issue fines for not respecting the 75-watt limit.
• While vehicle examiners at ‘fitness’ (technical control) centres can measure light intensity, these controls only occur every seven years, leaving a significant gap in-between.
• He also highlighted the proliferation of non-approved, high-power adaptable LED bulbs online and the import of traditional bulbs that mimic the intense bluish light of high-end units, arguing these must also be banned.

Safety Risks for Drivers

Drivers are reportedly struggling with the dazzling effect:

• One driver from Albion described being “completely blinded,” particularly when powerful LED vehicles go over speed bumps, sometimes making them unable to see fluorescent markers on bends.
• The intense light is particularly affecting older people, who are blinded by the extra-bright, concentrated beams.
• Motorcyclists are also highly exposed due to their lower position, which directly aligns their eyes with the beams of high-riding vehicles like SUVs.

Mr Munusami also noted that poor headlight alignment is a major factor, stating that a shift of just one degree can project light 30 metres too high into the opposite lane. Furthermore, the higher placement of SUV headlights is causing increasing glare into the rear-view mirrors of lower-profile saloon cars.

Illegal Modifications and Fines

Police have greater clarity when enforcing rules on light colour, which must be white, yellow, or amber for the front. Despite this, many drivers are applying blue or green film to their LED headlights, or using bulbs of these colours to achieve a specific effect, which is restrictive to the eyes.

• A Traffic Branch source reported that 2,350 tickets have been issued for this type of colour-related offence since the start of the year.

Wider Context: UK Concerns

The problem of headlight glare is also being taken seriously in the United Kingdom:

• A study commissioned by the British Department for Transport found that 97% of surveyed drivers are regularly or sometimes dazzled.
• 33% of motorists indicated they drive less at night, or not at all, due to the brightness of headlights.
• UK authorities have responded by deciding to implement new regulations for an automatic headlight adjustment system, set to take effect in 2027.

Source: Le Mauricien