Transport Canada presents results from a national survey on vehicle headlight glare conducted from March to April 2026, with 361,438 respondents. Approximately 90% of participants experience glare at least weekly, with oncoming vehicles cited by 97.4% as the primary source. Large SUVs and pickup trucks were identified by 95.4% as causing the most glare. Light intensity, headlight mounting height, and misalignment were the most commonly perceived contributing factors. Survey respondents identified updating headlight design standards (83.6%) and restricting replacement headlight sales (82.8%) as preferred solutions. Transport Canada is conducting ongoing research including a naturalistic driving study and developing a dedicated vehicle headlight glare webpage.

This document presents updated recommendations for glare reduction based on TFGP-08-06. Recommendations are categorized as effective, mid-level, less effective, or requiring no opinion, and address adaptive cut-off lines, motorway adaptive driving beam modes, dynamic adaptive low beam, headlamp installation heights, automatic high-beam switching, dynamic auto-levelling, headlamp cleaning device requirements, in-vehicle driver reminders, luminous flux limits, periodic technical inspection clarifications, driver instructions for manual overrides, headlamp maintenance awareness, lane dividers, market surveillance, aiming differences investigation, and alignment degradation remedies.

The document discusses amendments to UN R149 regarding road illumination device requirements. Illuminance and light intensity requirements have been amended multiple times over 16 years. The basis for type approval was adapted to 13.2 volts, increasing required values by approximately 40 per cent. In the 01 series, maximum values at 50L increased by a factor of 4 to improve visibility and pedestrian recognition. On dual carriageways, headlamp illuminance should exceed 8 lx@25m in point E50R/L and 16 lx@25m in point E75R. On motorways, E75R should exceed 36 lx@25m with half those values in E50L. However, increased light intensity increases glare risk for oncoming vehicles, particularly with levelling changes due to load.

HWT-PTI held meetings on 8 July, 13 August, and 19 August, with further meetings planned for 28 September, 3 November, and 24 November 2026. Work focuses on three items: revised wording for neutral state of passing beam under discussion, cut-off and kink point commenting on UN R149 Annex 5 and 6, and provision for PTI awaiting outcomes of earlier work items.

GTB comments to draft list of recommendations for GRE based on TFGP-08-06 assess glare prevention measures across effectiveness categories. Recommendations include introducing adaptive cut-off lines, motorway ADB, dynamic adaptive low beam, and improving ADB requirements for latency and vehicle detection. GTB ranks headlamp cleaning devices and maximum intensity output as low effectiveness. PTI-related items include clarifying practical aspects, defining uniform requirements for floor evenness and headlamp aiming devices, and improving coordination between type approval and inspection requirements. General considerations address driver awareness and manual overrides. Knowledge gaps concern aiming differences and alignment degradation.

TFGP-09-02 HWT-PTI comments on draft list of recommendations for GRE based on TFGP-08-06. Recommendations address glare prevention through dynamic auto-levelling for all vehicles, lowering maximum headlamp installation height, improving headlamp cleaning device requirements and ADB performance, introducing adaptive cut-off lines, defining clear PTI measurement methods and aiming procedures, improving coordination between type approval and inspection requirements, providing driver instructions for manual ADB override, enforcing headlamp cleaning status, improving driver awareness and market surveillance, and investigating aiming differences from end of production line through PTI and workshop stages.

The 8th session of the GRE Task Force on Glare Prevention (9 June 2026, Brussels) approved the previous meeting’s report and received feedback on GRE-94. The Task Force discussed headlamp cleaning requirements, the 2000 lm light output limit, horizontal aiming for passing-beam orientation, and periodic technical inspection compatibility with Regulation No. 48. The GTB Task Force will submit an update at the 9th session targeting ranking of proposed glare-prevention solutions. The Task Force will next address glare from light signalling devices and then work on countermeasures. The 9th meeting is scheduled for Tokyo on 8 September 2026, and the 10th meeting for Brussels in December 2026.

TFGP-08-06 (Rev. of TFGP-07-08) presents draft recommendations for GRE on glare prevention. The recommendations include:

• Consider dynamic auto-levelling for all vehicles,
• lower maximum installation height of headlamps,
• reduce the 2000lm limit for headlamp cleaning devices and make cleaning mandatory on AFS/ADB lamps,
• improve ADB requirements for latency and vehicle detection,
• introduce Motorway ADB requirements,
• define adaptive cut-off lines,
• address PTI coordination with type approval requirements,
• provide driver instructions for ADB manual override,
• improve headlamp cleaning enforcement and driver awareness,
• investigate aiming differences between production line and PTI,
• address alignment degradation within the first 10,000 km.

The Homework Team on Adaptive Driving Beam/Adaptive Front-lighting Systems prepared a status report identifying elements causing glare in activated ADB/AFS systems, including wet road conditions, external objects obstructing sensors, soiled headlamps, camera positioning, and detection limitations. The report examined literature and expert inputs to determine negative performance effects and recommend improvements such as enhanced detection capabilities, stricter cleaning requirements, increased safety margins, predictive beam adjustment, mandatory motorway ADB usage, and driver instruction on manual override functions. Knowledge gaps and potential research needs were identified for consideration in draft recommendations to the Taskforce on Glare Prevention.

The Homework Team on ADB/AFS status report to the GRE Taskforce “Glare prevention” documenting timeline activities from February to June 2026, including seven HWT meetings and three TFGP sessions. The team listed system descriptions, benefits, disadvantages, conducted literature review, identified elements causing glare, negative effects to ADB/AFS performance, and improvable requirements. The team drafted recommendations addressing enforcement of headlamp cleaning, reduction of 2000lm limit, manual override requirements, improved detection and camera specifications, motorway ADB usage, cleaning systems, beam pattern dimming, and adaptive beam patterns for various driving conditions.

This document presents the draft agenda for the 8th meeting of the GRE Task Force on Glare Prevention, scheduled for 9 June 2026 at CLEPA Headquarters in Brussels. The agenda includes welcome remarks, adoption of the agenda, approval of the previous meeting report, feedback from GRE-94, and status updates on HWT on PTI, ADB/AFS, and Regulation 48. Discussion topics cover horizontal adjustment of passing- and driving-beam and AFS-ADB, vehicle preparation for passing-beam measurement, and updates from the GTB Task Force Glare Control. Future meetings are scheduled for Tokyo in September 2026 and Brussels in December 2026.

The 7th GRE Task Force on Glare Prevention meeting was held on 13 April 2026 in Brussels. The Task Force reviewed outputs from three homework teams on PTI status, ADB/AFS status, and glare control countermeasures. A draft list of recommendations for GRE-94 was updated, reflecting feedback from the teams, without ranking by priority. The Task Force agreed vehicle categories should be considered during countermeasure definition. An analysis of effectiveness, cost-benefit, and time-to-market criteria was proposed for completion before the GRE October 2026 session. The 8th meeting is scheduled for 9 June 2026 in Brussels, and the 9th meeting in Tokyo in September 2026.

Annex 6 specifies methods for measuring variations in motor vehicle passing-beam inclination caused by changes in vehicle attitude due to loading. Para. 4 establishes vehicle preparation requirements: vehicles shall have travelled between 1,000 km and 10,000 km; tyres shall be inflated to full-load pressure with full fuel replenishment; parking brake released and gearbox in neutral; conditioning for at least 8 h at specified temperature; and headlamps with well-defined passing-beam cutoff should preferably be installed. Comments on para. 4 question compatibility with periodic technical inspection (PTI) requirements.

OICA opposes introducing a regulatory requirement for horizontal adjustment of passing-beam/driving-beam and for AFS/ADB to the current SLR agenda. The proposal does not contribute to simplification of lighting regulations, no identified safety concern or ambiguity justifies this requirement, and it lacks a formal proposal from a Contracting Party, NGO, or other stakeholder. The SLR group is managing several longstanding unresolved issues, and introducing this topic risks further delaying progress. Harmonized requirements require comprehensive understanding of Periodic Technical Inspection specifications across all Contracting Parties, which are currently unavailable.

TFGP-07-08 provides a draft list of recommendations for GRE-94 addressing glare prevention. Recommendations include providing driver instructions for manual override of adaptive driving beam in case of glare; considering dynamic auto-levelling for all vehicles; lowering maximum installation height of headlamps; investigating aiming differences; defining limits on maximum luminous flux and intensity output; improving adaptive driving beam requirements; introducing motorway adaptive driving beam usage; reducing the 2000 lm limit or making cleaning mandatory; considering dimming of beam pattern; introducing adaptive cut-off line; clarifying definitions for cut-off line; improving connection between type approval and inspection; clarifying practical periodic technical inspection aspects; defining remedies for alignment degradation; defining uniform requirements for floor evenness and headlamp aiming devices; improving market surveillance; and improving driver awareness on headlamp cleaning and levelling systems.

Document identifies challenges with headlamp aiming for glare prevention. UP-DOWN aiming challenges include vehicle actual load and cut-off line definition. LEFT-RIGHT aiming challenges include references on the vehicle and kink point definition. Cut-off line definition makes it difficult to check up-down aiming; kink point definition makes it difficult to check left-right aiming. The beam pattern must be used to check alignment. The way forward includes reviewing criteria for passing-beam orientation in approval and adapting inspection criteria accordingly.

The hard-working team identified glare issues in four areas: aiming procedures lack clear definitions of cut-off line and kink point, making PTI inspection difficult; high-mounted headlamps tend to glare lower vehicles in front, and cleaning hardware and auto-levelling performance are insufficient; PTI lacks a dedicated chapter on provisions; and measurements using 75 kg on driver’s seat are impractical, alignment is not mandated at end-of-line, and no general requirements exist for headlamp testers.

The GTB Glare Task Force defined countermeasures for critical glare types, categorizing them as Regulation, Technology, Individual, or Workshop measures. Proposed solutions address specific glare sources including climbing roads, left bends, high beam misuse, and vehicle acceleration. Countermeasures range from short-term driver education to long-term mandatory technologies. Future work includes quantifying effectiveness and addressing less critical glare events.