Imagine you are driving down the road at night, when suddenly a child appears in front of you, and you have no time to avoid impact. Are your headlights to blame?
Many of us were taught not to “overdrive” our headlights – meaning not to travel so fast that our stopping distance is farther than what we can see
with our headlights. See Diagram at right.
A new report reveals that many of the cars produced today need to improve the performance of their headlights. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that most headlights performed poorly when it came to helping drivers see far enough down the road to help them detect hazards in time to avoid them. The study tested 86 types of headlights on 31 vehicles. Only one – the Toyota Prius V – out of 31 tested earned a “Good” rating. Unfortunately, consumers will have to wait to see if the auto industry steps up to correct poor headlight performance or whether the government will require stricter headlight standards.
To see if your make and model was tested and how it fared click here.
