Every year, approximately 5,000 pedestrians and bicyclists are killed along United States roads - 2,300 of them occurring at nighttime - and another 70,000 pedestrians are injured in traffic crashes, in accordance with a 2003 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation.
Latest automotive lighting technologies, including xenon bulbs and Adaptive Front Lighting Systems that use led headlights, can help improve night pedestrian safety, in accordance with the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council.
In accordance with researcher Michael Flannagan of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, car drivers "overdrive" the headlights on most of today's automobiles, meaning they are going too fast to stop securely within the distance made visible by the headlights.
"The crucial security require in low-beam lighting is seeing distance," Flannagan said. "The highest safe speed with nowadays standard low beams is only about 45 mph. Our analyses indicate there's a major security problem that headlights could solve."
One probable solution is Xenon headlights, sometimes known as blue headlights, these lights are based on a gas discharge process, Xenon uses an arc rather than a filament as a light source. The result is enhanced roadway vision by increasing the light output to the sides of the street.
A 2004 University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute experiment exposed that Xenon headlamps offered twice as much light for seeing vital objects on the road while producing 25 percent less glare. The wider beam coverage also offers better lighting on road shoulders, where pedestrians and bicyclists are generally found.
Near 120 automobile models built with Xenon headlights were sold in North America in the 2005 model year -; up 21% from 2004.
Another emerging headlight technology is AFS or Adaptive Front Lighting System. It offers optimal lighting in many driving situation by automatically changing the beam pattern of the headlights in response to various speed, weather conditions and road conditions. The headlamps automatically move as the steering wheel is turned. This helps illuminate the road at an earlier stage, permitting the driver more time to adjust and steer or brake as required.
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