Are The Headlights On Your Car Bright Enough To Avoid A Car Accident?
When you are driving at night, you depend on your car’s headlights to provide sufficient light to see objects in front of you. Pedestrians, animals, vehicles, road debris, and other objects can appear suddenly. It helps to have as much time as possible to apply the brakes to avoid a collision. At night, your headlights are supposed to give you ample light; however, a recent study found that the majority of headlights failed to provide sufficient illumination.
How Far Ahead Of Your Vehicle Should Your Headlights Shine?
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the standard distance your car’s headlights should provide illumination is a minimum of 330 feet on a straightaway. The federal government does not set a minimum standard for how far a headlight must reach even though it does have regulations about how much light the headlight bulb must generate. The IIHS decided to test headlights to see how various vehicles performed from five different approaches. Only one vehicle tested received a good rating and that was only with an advanced technology package that was not standard and increased the price of the vehicle.
Because vehicles can be equipped with different headlights, the IIHS tested 82 headlights on 31 different automobiles to obtain every possible headlight combination available from dealers. Only the Toyota Prius v rated in the “good” category after adding the premium package that included LED lights with high-beam assist. The remaining vehicles fell into three categories — acceptable (11 vehicles), marginal (9 vehicles), and poor (10 vehicles).
One surprising result was that price does not always guarantee superior performance. The halogen lights on the BMW 3 series had the worst rating according to the IIHS test. According to the IIHS, a driver would need to travel 20 mph slower in order to avoid a crash with the halogen lights on the BMW 3 series. The IIHS has made it simple for consumers to research which headlights performed best on various models. You can review the ratings at the IIHS website.
You Cannot Avoid All Car Accidents
Even with the best equipment, you cannot avoid every car accident, because we still have to account for human error. Distracted, careless, reckless, and/or negligent drivers will always be on the road. All you can do is take every precaution possible to help reduce the risk of being injured in an accident.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident in Fresno, CA or the surrounding Central California Valley area, our personal injury attorneys can help. Call Torem & Associates at (888) 500-5000to schedule a free legal consultation or use our convenient online contact form.
You may be entitled to receive compensation for your injuries. Being injured in a motor vehicle accident can turn your world upside down. Let our attorneys take care of ensuring you receive a fair and just settlement while you focus on your recovery.
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