IIHS Pushing for Better Headlights

[billt460]

New Report Raises Concerns About Effectiveness of Car Headlights

In its first-ever test of the performance of headlights on cars has found “dismal” results, according to a new report from the IIHS.

abcnews.go.com

" A new report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that some car headlights did not perform as expected. The institute -– well-known for crash-testing cars to see how well they protect occupants in a collision –- tested the performance of 82 sets of headlights on 31 new, midsize cars of varying models at its research center in Virginia. The results were "dismal," the institute said".

"The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety said a headlight set on low beam should provide illumination for at least 330 feet on a straightaway. There are government regulations about how much light a headlight bulb puts out, but there is no standard for how far it must reach when installed on the car".

 

[Dave9]

You are trying to make this into a Moon shot. Bad headlights are just that, BAD. I can face that fact. You can't. And a dozen paragraphs of your complete and total B.S. doesn't change that fact.

Stay off public roads at night. Problem solved, as it has been for anyone, over decades, who couldn't see to drive at night.

It's not a moon shot at all, quite the opposite, that the vast majority of society with appropriate eyesight to drive at night, does so fine, contrary to the pseudo-science nonsense in the linked article.

Let's face facts. If you can't drive safely, you don't drive. Period. Always longing for some future tech that blinds others more so you finally feel that you can drive safely, is chasing a ghost because as already mentioned, if all vehicles get brighter lights, it just blinds you that much more.

You have already demonstrated an inability to do what everyone else does, yet you want a handicap imposed upon everyone else due to that, and want to link to fiction to prop up the false argument. Sorry, no, that liberal nonsense flag don't fly. You need to stop driving at night and stop trying to handicap everyone else to bring them down to your level of poor visibility, which just stinks like you hate mankind and are too selfish to accept your limitations.

Remember, despite all the cherry picked nonsense you claim, I can drive over 35MPH with nothing more than a pocket flashlight if I even need that, UNTIL jerks with excessive lighting blind me.

Clearly we need more stringent testing for driver's licenses. We need to prohibit those who can't see to drive at night, doing so. No BS, no race to outshine everyone else with a headlight race, JUST, you shouldn't be driving at night, period. There are other things I'm not good at, and consider a bad idea to do them, so maybe accept your limitations instead of whining and trying to place a burden on others due to your handicap.

I fully support your being arrested every time you drive, if you sincerely believe this is important yet you drive anyway. Remember, it's not just about your pimped out, probably illegal headlights, but also about the supposed, vast majority of other vehicles with insufficient headlights.

Tell me you won't ever drive again at night. If the problem is that serious, you wouldn't dare to. I'm waiting for that promise from you, that you won't drive at night. I insist that you make this promise, since it is clearly a problem that needs solved if what you stated was true... which it is not.

 

[billt460]

......... I'm wondering if you're just a shill for some LED headlight company, selling illegal products.

And I'm wondering why you so foolishly have your ego invested in your headlights? It's not me saying this, it's the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety. These people literally built an industry around testing vehicles for a living. I'm simply agreeing with their findings. Because I've had exactly what they're saying PROVEN to me.

But instead of believing them, and my own experiences with my own vehicle, I'm supposed to believe some steamed up, arrogant Internet poster, who's paranoid about people driving with their brights on.

 

[billt460]

Tell me you won't ever drive again at night. If the problem is that serious, you wouldn't dare to. I'm waiting for that promise from you, that you won't drive at night. I insist that you make this promise, since it is clearly a problem that needs solved if what you stated was true... which it is not.

There is nothing wrong with my eyes. I just had them checked 2 weeks ago. What you need are a few anger management classes.... And to perhaps stay off the road completely, until you can learn to curb your condescending arrogance.

 

[Skippy722]

There is nothing wrong with the way they're adjusted. It's the way they are designed. When you turn on the high beams, they accomplish nothing, except to make what the low beams have illuminated, a bit brighter. They provide nothing as far as casting additional illumination further down the road.... Like high beams are supposed to, and have done so for decades. Which is why they're called "high beams" to begin with.

I agree, the “high beams” on my 300 were the same way… they lit up signs a bit better that was about it. I was basing the aiming thing off of IIHS’s data, your headlights should be outperforming my Ram’s halogen reflectors easily (apples to oranges but that’s what I’m familiar with).

I still maintain the best headlights on a vehicle I’ve driven was my 2011 Durango… factory HID low beam projectors+halogen high beam reflectors. Roughly 11,400 raw lumens of output combined and properly controlled Though when I first got it they were aimed super super low, about an 6” drop at 25ft, raised that up to the recommended 2” drop at 25ft and gained a ton of distance without glaring most oncoming traffic (cut off was still below most sedans mirrors even at stop lights).

 

[billt460]

I agree, the “high beams” on my 300 were the same way… they lit up signs a bit better that was about it. I was basing the aiming thing off of IIHS’s data, your headlights should be outperforming my Ram’s halogen reflectors easily (apples to oranges but that’s what I’m familiar with).

I still maintain the best headlights on a vehicle I’ve driven was my 2011 Durango… factory HID low beam projectors+halogen high beam reflectors. Roughly 11,400 raw lumens of output combined and properly controlled Though when I first got it they were aimed super super low, about an 6” drop at 25ft, raised that up to the recommended 2” drop at 25ft and gained a ton of distance without glaring most oncoming traffic (cut off was still below most sedans mirrors even at stop lights).

My 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a bit better. But not much. And nowhere near as they should be, as far as projected illumination on a dark desolate highway. My guess is the fact the Grand Cherokee is a much higher profile vehicle than a Toyota Camry, is where the slight improvement comes from.

But simply being a low profile sedan is no excuse for lousy headlights. And it doesn't explain why the "high beams" do basically nothing but brighten what you can already see. While doing nothing to increase the distance you can see it.

 

[Dave9]

And I'm wondering why you so foolishly have your ego invested in your headlights? It's not me saying this, it's the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety. These people literally built an industry around testing vehicles for a living. I'm simply agreeing with their findings. Because I've had exactly what they're saying PROVEN to me.

But instead of believing them, and my own experiences with my own vehicle, I'm supposed to believe some steamed up, arrogant Internet poster, who's paranoid about people driving with their brights on.

You couldn't have it more backwards. People with ego invested are those that alter their headlights for a different look- usually the brighter, colder/bluer look which is more blinding and what I'm opposed to. Others, a blackout color scheme, which I could care less about but to them it's ego.

You want to attribute my posts to anger, but did you not realize that you're annoying every single driver on the road if you have excessive headlights? It's YOU too, who are going to be blinded more and more.

It's not paranoia to recognize through every day/night of driving that the problem is getting worse. There are more and more people complaining about it, not arrogant at all to expect people to not drive if they can't do so safely which includes not blinding others. Would it be arrogant to tell someone who's drunk not to drive? Not about ego at all but rather, the reality of wanting safe roads for everyone.

IIHS, whoever is calling the shots, can't process more than one simple variable in the equation of why it's getting more difficult to see on public roads despite headlights already being better than ever (on average), and even so-called bad ones, no worse than decades ago that people managed to use fine.

 

[billt460]

You want to attribute my posts to anger, but did you not realize that you're annoying every single driver on the road if you have excessive headlights?

I don't have "excessive headlights". I told you I have insufficient headlights. And you whine too much. What do you do when you actually have a real problem?

 

[Dave9]

My 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a bit better. But not much. And nowhere near as they should be, as far as projected illumination on a dark desolate highway. My guess is the fact the Grand Cherokee is a much higher profile vehicle than a Toyota Camry, is where the slight improvement comes from.

But simply being a low profile sedan is no excuse for lousy headlights. And it doesn't explain why the "high beams" do basically nothing but brighten what you can already see. While doing nothing to increase the distance you can see it.

It comes back to your having poor vision. A headlight can't be a laser point of light to project that far, has to have at least "some" spread to illuminate the entire lane you're in, nearer, but then if the brightness is also enough to project very far, that is more light scatter into the opposing lane of trafffic and also the headlight must be aimed higher so more into the cabin and rearview mirror of the vehicle in front of you, as well as drivers going the other direction.

You keep thinking it is bad but it is deliberate, how they were designed until the LED craze caused automakers to try to upsell for more profit.

 

[Dave9]

I don't have "excessive headlights". I told you I have insufficient headlights. And you whine too much. What do you do when you actually have a real problem?

You have, if properly maintained, appropriate headlights and WANT excessive headlights.

Are you whining that I'm (in your whining mindset) whining? That is kind of ironic, and going off-topic towards personal attack posting. Very poor form, tells me you probably don't care a lot if you blind other drivers. Blinding other drivers IS a "real problem", that is getting worse.

 

[billt460]

It comes back to your having poor vision.

And I told you there is nothing wrong with my vision. What you have a major problem with reading comprehension.

 

[billt460]

You have, if properly maintained, appropriate headlights and WANT excessive headlights.

You don't have a single clue as to what you're even talking about.

 

[supton]

I know my wife is not a fan of the sharp cutoff in the lights on her car. They are strange, but I don’t drive it enough to know how good they are. But it sure is “fun” driving my other cars, my 99 I think uses candles for illumination.

I just wish they would ban most LED headlights, they sure suck staring into. My wife thinks part of the problem is auto dimming headlights is part to blame: they don’t seem to recognize dim incandescent bulbs. Which is probably partly to blame for my dislike of them…

 

[930.engineering]

.
I currently do own two cars with excellent headlights and one car with
insanely poor headlights. One with Bi-Xenon (D1S), one with adaptive
full-LEDs including permanent highbeams (masking oncoming traffic)
and one with H4 Halogens, which is literally like candle light compared
to the newer cars. It doesn't matter much in light output if it's Xenon or
LED. The GTI's benefit is permanent highbeam, which works stunningly
well, just plain flawlessly. It isn't road legal in the US so far, but it is for
more than a decade in Europe. It isn't brighter than the Mini's Xenons
though ( 2 x 3,200 lm). No increased dazzling for both. I wouldn't drive
longer distances with the Turbo btw.. Halogen is yesterday's technology
even if there are better Halogen lights than those that Porsche used in
1980. I'm considering the latest road-legal Philips H4 LEDs but I don't
really feel like disassembling the 911 headlights at the moment as the
rings tend to be a bit brittle.
However if you want to have proper headlights on your car you have to
spec proper headlights with your new car. Often they're optional. Go for
it and see. You get what you pay for.
.

 

[PimTac]

The US has been far behind when it comes to better headlights. Other countries can have adaptive matrix LEDs but we are still stuck with high beam/low beam.

I read last year that they are finally allowing matrix LED headlights on US vehicles. It’s about time.

What the matrix does is keep the lights at a high beam setting but turns off selected LED lamps when a car is approaching or being followed. Those particular lamps would have blinded the other driver. It still illuminated the rest of the pattern at high beam intensity.

 

[Blueshound]

The US has been far behind when it comes to better headlights. Other countries can have adaptive matrix LEDs but we are still stuck with high beam/low beam.

I read last year that they are finally allowing matrix LED headlights on US vehicles. It’s about time.

What the matrix does is keep the lights at a high beam setting but turns off selected LED lamps when a car is approaching or being followed. Those particular lamps would have blinded the other driver. It still illuminated the rest of the pattern at high beam intensity.

This technology is already included in USA 2021+ F150s with projector headlights. People were able to activate it through the software.

 

[billt460]

I know my wife is not a fan of the sharp cutoff in the lights on her car..........

She's not alone by any stretch. People failing to dim their headlights to on coming traffic are in fact an annoyance. It's been happening since the invention of the automobile, and rural 2 lane roads. I've been putting up with it for the over 50 years I've been driving. As most people have. And it's no better now, than it was when I was 16. And the more traffic you have, the worse it gets.

It's why if you fail to dim your high beams to an on coming cop, they can ticket you for it. As they can if you modify, or increase their brilliance to the point it causes added glare. Although getting a ticket for the latter is quite rare.... Especially in rural areas. And today we have features on new cars like auto dimming "high beams", as well as "night vision" rear view mirrors that help.

But modern headlights that cut off your forward vision, to the point you're over driving them at half the night time posted speed limit, are not an annoyance. They're outright dangerous. Not being able to see where the hell you're going is far more dangerous, than having to deal with a few seconds of glare from an on coming vehicle on a rural 2 lane road.

It's pretty obvious to me anyway, when The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety tests 81 sets of headlights on 31 different new cars, in the largest study of it's kind ever done, and reports that only 1 gave satisfactory vision at night without having to overdrive them, it's a major problem.

Will they eventually make them better? Sure, if they do what they always do when it comes to automotive safety. And apply tombstone technology, after enough people get killed running into things they can't see because their headlights are crap.

 

[PimTac]

This technology is already included in USA 2021+ F150s with projector headlights. People were able to activate it through the software.

That’s good to hear. Just to make sure, they are like these?

 

[SubLGT]

....It's pretty obvious to me anyway, when The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety tests 81 sets of headlights on 31 different new cars, in the largest study of it's kind ever done, and reports that only 1 gave satisfactory vision at night without having to overdrive them, it's a major problem....

That was true 6 years ago, but there has been some improvement since then.

Headlights

Information from IIHS-HLDI on headlights

www.iihs.org

As of October 2021, 29 percent of headlight systems tested on model year 2021 vehicles received a good rating. Almost half of the systems tested were rated marginal or poor because of inadequate visibility, excessive glare from low beams for oncoming drivers, or both.

 

[Jethro_Bob]

Originally Posted by Colt45ws
Never seen tinted front windows. Sometimes a 3" strip across the top?

Yes, front windshields are tinted. This is one of those things that is so subtle and we've been conditioned to it for so long that we don't notice it. What you have to do is get out of the car and look through the windows. Then you'll see the tint.

This is one of the points brought up in Ralph Nader's book, "Unsafe at any Speed."

The tinting is marketed at keeping the car cool and to reduce glare. But there is no such thing as reducing glare. It reduces total light, exactly the opposite of what we are trying to accomplish with brighter headlamps. The irony from this circle of logic is obvious.

The slight green "tint" from being tempered?