Headlight ratings from IIHS can help consumers when they look to buy their next vehicle

(These five soundbites are from David Harkey, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s president.) “About half of all fatal crashes in the U-S occur in the dark—even though most driving occurs during the day. And, while headlights have an obvious role to play in preventing these crashes, not all perform their job equally. That’s why we, at the ‘Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’, started evaluating and rating them in 2016. Our tests push automakers to make critical improvements—in order to increase visibility, while also keeping glare to other drivers in check.” (:27) “As the days get shorter, many of us might notice how bad our headlights are—and, perhaps, how bright some others seem to be. Our tests help focus, on both fronts: Good headlights can help drivers see further down the road—while also limiting glare that can blind other drivers. We’re seeing big improvements on new vehicles; still, it will take time for them to filter through the fleet of all vehicles that are on the road.” (:24) “Drivers may have noticed that L-E-D headlights are becoming more popular. While these lamps can provide better visibility, they also have the potential to create a lot of glare—particularly when they are not aimed correctly. Tests by ‘I-I-H-S’ are designed to address misaimed headlights—and we’re already seeing progress: This year, only five-percent of the evaluated vehicles have produced excessive glare—compared with 20-percent of the models that were tested in 2017.” (:26) “‘I-I-H-S’ is the only group in the U-S that rates headlight-performance. Consumers can use our ratings to ensure that their next vehicle will come with good headlights that can keep them—and others—safe while driving at night. And, from studying crash-data, we know that these ratings matter: Vehicles with ‘good’ ratings for headlight-visibility have 19-percent fewer nighttime single-vehicle crashes than those with ‘poor’ headlights; they also have 23-percent fewer nighttime *pedestrian* crashes.” (:30) “Our testing-team conducts our vehicle-tests outside at night, on a closed track with instrumentation that can measure light-output down the road—as well as glare that could be dangerous to other drivers. Only headlights with the right balance between the two earn our highest rating of ‘good’. Consumers can find ratings, compare vehicles, and see a list of our ‘TOP SAFETY PICK’s’ at ‘i-i-h-s’-dot-org.” (:24)