In his latest single-panel cartoon for The Guardian's Life and Style section, celebrated illustrator Stephen Collins has turned his incisive wit to a familiar frustration for modern drivers: the blinding glare of contemporary car headlights.
The Glaring Issue of Modern Illumination
Published on Saturday, 14 January 2026, the cartoon captures a universal moment on today's roads. It features a driver, visibly squinting and overwhelmed, as the interior of their car is flooded with intense white light from an oncoming vehicle. The scene perfectly encapsulates the experience many motorists have faced since the widespread adoption of powerful LED and xenon headlights.
Collins's signature style uses clean lines and subtle expression to convey a powerful message about this everyday nuisance. The driver's pained face tells the whole story, highlighting how what is meant to be a safety feature for one vehicle can become a significant safety hazard for others. The artwork moves beyond mere complaint, offering a sharp, humorous observation on how technological advancement can sometimes create new problems even as it solves old ones.
More Than Just a Light-hearted Grouse
While the cartoon is undeniably funny, it taps into a serious and ongoing debate among motorists, safety campaigners, and regulatory bodies. The brilliance of modern headlights, while improving forward visibility for the driver using them, is frequently cited as a cause of temporary blindness and discomfort glare for oncoming traffic and pedestrians.
This issue has sparked numerous discussions about whether current regulations are sufficient for these brighter technologies. Concerns have been raised about headlight misalignment, the height of modern SUVs, and the stark colour temperature of LED beams compared to older halogen bulbs. Collins’s work, in its clever simplicity, brings this technical and regulatory discussion into the realm of shared public experience.
A Reflection of Common Experience
Stephen Collins, known for his weekly contributions to The Guardian, has a renowned talent for distilling complex social and personal themes into accessible, poignant cartoons. By choosing this subject, he validates a widespread modern annoyance, giving it a cultural reference point. The cartoon suggests that in the "era of LED headlights", as the strip's title implies, drivers must now equip themselves with patience and a strong squint alongside their driving licence.
The piece serves as a reminder that design and innovation must consider all users, not just the primary beneficiary. As automotive technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, Collins’s artistic commentary underscores the importance of balancing innovation with collective safety and comfort on the road.
