RadioNemo Guest Interviews

RadioNemo Guest Interviews


Brighter Headlights, Safer Roads? | IIHS Engineer Matt Brumbelow on Headlight Glare & Crash Data | Nemo Nation

October 27, 2025

On this edition of Nemo Nation, hosts Jimmy Mac and Dave Nemo sit down with Matt Brumbelow, Senior Research Engineer at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), to shed light on one of the most common driver complaints — headlight glare.


Despite the complaints, Matt’s new IIHS study reveals something surprising: headlight glare is implicated in only a tiny fraction of nighttime crashes, and that number hasn’t increased — even as headlights have become brighter and more advanced.


The conversation dives into:

How IIHS headlight tests have improved safety since 2016.

Why better headlights reduce nighttime crashes by 19%.

The balance between visibility and glare — and how automakers are getting it right.

What the data says about who experiences glare-related crashes and under what conditions.

It’s an illuminating conversation about innovation, safety, and what’s next for America’s roads at night.


Read the full IIHS report here:

https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/head...

Learn more about the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

https://www.iihs.org


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