How headlights are tested and how you can improve yours
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According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), about half of fatal road crashes occur at night, with about a quarter of them occurring on unlit roads. This statistic makes it more important than ever to…
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), about half of fatal road crashes occur at night, with about a quarter of them occurring on unlit roads. This statistic makes it more important than ever to test and verify that your headlights are working properly and provide the best possible visibility while driving at night. New IIHS testing has found that many vehicles are missing headlights. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to improve the overall illumination provided by your car's headlights, which will make your car safer on the road.
How headlights are tested
In an attempt to measure how far a vehicle's headlights reach in different situations, the IIHS subjects vehicle headlights to five different approaches, including straight, smooth left and right turns with an 800-foot radius, and sharp left and right turns. with a radius of 500 feet.
Measurements are taken on the right edge of the roadway at each vehicle entrance, and also on the left edge of the lane when testing easy cornering. For a direct test, an additional measurement is taken at the left edge of a two-lane road. The purpose of these measurements is to measure the level of illumination on both sides of a straight road.
The headlight glare is also measured. This is especially important as glare from oncoming vehicles must be kept below a certain level. For the most part, there is a steep falloff of light coming from the left side of most vehicles.
To determine visibility levels, measurements are taken at a height of 10 inches from the ground. For glare, measurements are taken three feet seven inches from the pavement.
How IIHS Headlight Safety Ratings Are Assigned
IIHS engineers compare test results to a hypothetical ideal headlight system. Using the disadvantage system, the IIHS applies visibility and glare measurements to obtain a rating. To avoid disadvantages, the vehicle must not exceed the glare threshold on any of the approaches and must illuminate the roadway ahead by at least five lux at a given distance. In this test, the low beam has more weight due to the likelihood of it being used instead of the high beam.
headlight rating. The IIHS headlight system uses Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor ratings.
- To receive a "Good" rating, a vehicle must not have more than 10 faults.
- For an acceptable rating, the threshold is between 11 and 20 flaws.
- For a marginal rating, from 21 to 30 flaws.
- A car with more than 30 faults will only receive a "Bad" rating.
The best cars in terms of headlights
Of the 82 midsize cars, only one, the Toyota Prius V, received a "good" rating. The Prius uses LED headlights and has a high beam assist system. When equipped with only halogen headlights and no high beam assist, the Prius received only a poor rating. Basically, it would seem that the headlight technology the car uses plays a role in this ranking. On the other hand, this contradicts the 2016 Honda Accord: Accords equipped with basic halogen lamps were rated "Acceptable", while Accords with LED lamps and using high beams were rated "Marginal".
Some of the other 2016 midsize cars that received an "Acceptable" headlight rating from the IIHS include the Audi A3, Infiniti Q50, Lexus ES, Lexus IS, Mazda 6, Nissan Maxima, Subaru Outback, Volkswagen CC, Volkswagen Jetta, and Volvo S60. Most vehicles that receive an "Acceptable" or higher rating from the IIHS for their headlights require vehicle owners to purchase a specific trim level or various options.
How to improve your headlights
While you might think you're stuck with the headlights your car manufacturer put on your car, you can actually upgrade them. There are several options that can improve the light output of your car's headlights, including adding extra lights to your car or changing the brightness of the headlights themselves by replacing the headlight housing with a more reflective one.
Purchase external high beam headlights. Adding additional lighting fixtures to your car's body is one of the options to improve your car's headlights.
This is a great option if you want to add fog lights or off-road lighting.
This often requires drilling holes in your vehicle's bodywork, which can lead to rust in damp environments.
Another consideration when adding headlights to your vehicle is the extra strain on the battery. At the very least, you may have to install another relay.
Replace headlights with brighter bulbs. You can replace standard halogen incandescent bulbs with xenon high intensity discharge (HID) or LED bulbs.
Xenon HID and LED lamps produce brighter light than conventional halogen lamps, while generating much less heat.
Xenon and LED headlights also have a larger pattern than halogen ones.
HID bulbs tend to produce more glare, making it harder for other drivers to work.
LED lamps provide excellent lighting, but are too expensive compared to other types of lamps.
Replace headlight housing. Another option is to replace the headlight housings in your car with more reflective ones, which will increase the amount of light emitted.
Reflector housings use conventional halogen or xenon bulbs to get more light.
- A warning: Keep in mind that if you are modifying existing headlights, you will need to make sure they are aimed correctly. Misdirected headlights can actually reduce visibility and dazzle other drivers on the road.
You are not tied to any headlight system that the vehicle manufacturer installs in your vehicle. You have options to improve the lighting situation while driving. IIHS tests and evaluates car headlights to try and improve vehicle safety and help you better understand this new area of vehicle safety. If you need help replacing your headlights, contact one of our experienced mechanics.
