All lighting should have a clear purpose, and we understand that there are many reasons that we light up when it is dark outside. We rely on it for our personal safety in regard to both crime and road conditions. But it doesn’t always hold up under scrutiny that bright lights necessarily increase personal safety.

In the midst of Houston’s LED streetlight conversion, Rice University researchers challenged “the common perception that more streetlights lead to fewer crimes… (We find) a much muddier picture, suggesting that crime is a reflection of other neighborhood contexts… Cities should be cautious in expecting direct reductions in crime with the introduction of more streetlights.”

Similarly, more light does not necessarily make us safer when moving around. The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) sets roadway lighting standards, and they state, “More light is not always correlated with better visibility, as inappropriately designed lighting can increase visibility-reducing factors such as glare.”

This is a problem that we cannot afford to ignore because light pollution is increasing at a phenomenal rate. Nights are becoming around 10% lighter each year and the latest calculation shows that it is doubling every eight years. The fastest rate of change is in North America.

Reducing light pollution is a readily available win-win solution. It directly protects biodiversity by lessening the impact of excessive light on plants and animals immediately. And by reducing energy demand at night, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and aids in long-term protection strategies.

Beyond cost and energy savings, the higher efficiency of LED lights provides other benefits, including reduced carbon emissions, helping cities reach carbon reduction goals, reduced light pollution from less light being directed into the night sky due to optical control, and greater perceived public safety because of improved visibility through better color rendering and more uniform lighting distribution.