Originally published December 7 2005
New lights on vehicles could reduce nighttime pedestrian deaths
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
According to the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council (MVLC), new vehicle lighting technologies like Xenon and Adaptive Front Lighting Systems could improve safety for nighttime pedestrians by increasing a driver's field of vision.
Each year, about 5,000 pedestrians are killed along U.S. roads, with 2,300 deaths occurring at night, according to a 2003 NHTSA report.
New vehicle lighting technologies, including Xenon and Adaptive Front Lighting Systems, can help improve nighttime pedestrian safety, according to the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council (MVLC).
According to researcher Michael Flannagan, of the University of Michigan, drivers often use their "bright" headlights inappropriately.
Flannagan says, "The critical safety need in low-beam lighting is seeing distance,.
Everyday experience as well as our formal analyses of crash data reveal that today's drivers routinely 'over-drive' their headlight beam pattern at night."
He adds another tests reveals Xenon headlamps provided 45-percent more light for seeing critical objects on the road, while producing 25-percent less glare.
The wider beam coverage also provides better lighting on road shoulders, where pedestrians and cyclists are commonly found.
Another emerging headlight technology is AFS or Adaptive Front Lighting Systems, where the headlamps automatically move as the steering wheel is turned to the right or left.
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