How Bright Can Your Headlights Be In Arizona?

As a morning drivetime radio DJ, my day starts EARLY. I'm usually on the road by 4:40am, meaning the sun is nowhere near rising, and I'm doing the whole drive in the dark.

In order to, you know, see where I'm going, I need to use headlights, and so do those on the road with me. I can't help but notice, however, that I'm practically blinded by just about every pair of headlights I come across. I find myself asking "How can this be legal?"

Headlight Rules in Arizona

Arizona does not have a very strict code when it comes to the headlights on your car, but there are some rules you'll have to follow when driving in the dark.

Many of these are simply common courtesy, which we'd follow anyways, such as turning your brights off when 500 feet away approaching a vehicle, or 200 feet away when following behind a vehicle.

Get our free mobile app

Read More:

Should Arizona Politicians Be Above the Law?

Headlight Regulations in Arizona

The Arizona Department of Transportation has a few other regulations for your headlights to be street legal. Lights must be colored correctly, amber on the front and red on the back. Passenger vehicles are also not allowed to display red and blue or flashing red and blue lights, for obvious reasons.

You are required to have at least two headlights and at least one tail light, but you are allowed to add more including up to two additional fog lights. There still is not a set regulation for brightness, however, meaning we'll have to survive staring into the concentrated power of the sun every time a lifted Ford F-150 decides he can't see enough on the road.

[Arizona Legislation 28-942][Kensun]