New research from AAA says European vehicles equipped with high-tech headlights illuminate the road better than the low beams used by most American drivers.
The report says roadway illumination went up by 86 percent with the use of adaptive driving beam headlights, which use computers and sensors to dim or adjust the shape of the light beam in front of a vehicle. The system also reduces glare for oncoming motorists while allowing the light beam to remain bright. The technology is not allowed under current U.S. automotive standards, but AAA and other organizations want to change that.
“Driving at night doesn’t have to be such a risky undertaking for Americans,” John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair, said in a statement.
Previous studies have found that drivers rarely use their high beams, but low beams are not enough to see well when vehicles travel at 40 mph or above.
