Posted on 04/03/2016 9:02:04 PM PDT by smokingfrog
There’s a lot to consider when buying a new car, but headlights are rarely on anyone's top checklist; now a new study says it’s something drivers should seriously consider.
The first ever headlight test was conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety this week and researchers say the results are ‘dismal’.
Only one new car model received a good rating. The 2016 Toyota Prius with led headlights received the best rating in the study, while some higher-end cars were in the bottom tier.
The study says headlights should illuminate at least 300 feet ahead, but many of the new cars tested revealed only half that.
“If you're driving on the interstate in one of the worst performing vehicles you probably shouldn't be driving faster than 35 miles an hour,” Matthew Brumbelow, a senior research engineer at IIHS, told ABC News.
Local retailers say if you do a lot of night driving, there are some headlight upgrades that can help.
“A car that has the HID which are High Intensity Discharge lights…is going to give you about 25 percent better visibility; its going to let you see farther, wider and let you see some of those shorter obstacles that might be in the road ahead of you,” Tommy Baker with Schulte Subaru of Sioux Falls said.
If you're not in the market for a new car, area law enforcement say all drivers should think about headlight maintenance.
(Excerpt) Read more at ksfy.com ...
I need this
And annoy the hell out of, or blind, worse case, oncoming drivers.
That’s the reason I quit driving at night. It stressed me out, I felt there wasn’t enough light, it wasn’t worth the chance I was taking. No reason to be on the interstate for me anyway. The people are safer.
You can see all the drivers swerving towards you with their forearms covering their eyes trying not to be blinded.
bookmark
We used to have a pair of Cibie “Big Oscar” driving lights on our Land Cruiser in Uganda.
Great for spotting potholes, livestock & game animals while driving dirt roads at night.
Of course, they were rated “Off-Road Use Only”, and would get you a ticket if used on highways here.
It is always a trade-off between being able to see at a distance and blinding oncoming cars.
You've got to be careful with "E-Code" lights, though - there are versions for continental Europe and others for the UK, designed so the beam pattern is reversed.
I still haven’t readjusted my headlights after lifting my Jeep. It sounds like maybe I don’t want to anyway. (Even if every tenth car flashes their brights at me.)
Not really - if the headlights are aimed properly.
The latest thing is LED headlights, which I think might be better and would last longer.
Just drive with your brights on. Duh!
/s
You can also improve your headlights by polishing the clear plastic covering with toothpaste or a commercial polish that does the same thing.
https://www.google.com/search?q=clean+headlights&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
Yes, I know that's true. Regarding oncoming headlight observations, I've recently noticed far more "headlights out" than ever before. These would seem to be mainly halogen lamps with burned filaments, not high-tech light emitters. Now, I am not sure if the failure to replace dead sealed beam units is due to economic reasons or what, but I've also recently seen updated sealed-beam designs with MTBF of only a few hundred hours. Up here in northern latitudes headlights are needed much of the time in winter and no wonder they don't last long in calendar time! Conversely, my pickup has had the same old-tech sealed-beam bulbs for well over 10 years and may be dimming a bit now.
The blue light is damaging to the retina.
Jerk.
Certificated LED headlights ted to be quite expensive due to engineering issues having to do, unexpectedly, with heat. Too much heat at the back of the headlight assembly (shortens life) and too little at the front (can’t melt snow and ice). These situations require expensive thermal management add-ons.
“The blue light is damaging to the retina.”
I believe it. These LED lites are being forced on the public. Cree got tons of our tax $$$... They are replacing the sodium bulbs on neighbourhood street lights with LED as well, and the people’s voice doesn’t count, even in historic, well-heeled and vocally opposed neighborhoods.I believe this is part of the “smart-grid” so there’s a good chance they are online.
On the road they are like permanent brights. I loathe them. As for the increasing Popeyes which another poster mentioned they are here like an army of one eyed men. I think they must be networking.
"Always-on" headlights burn out quicker.
I’ve seen some parking lots that have switched to LED lighting and they don’t seem as harsh to me as the sodium lights.
I drive faster than the speed of light, thankfully there’s Braille...
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