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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) changed its 2018 testing criteria for headlight safety. Now it includes both illumination and passenger-side frontal impacts. 

“Drivers expect that their passengers, who are often family, will be protected just as well as they are,” said IIHS President Adrian Lund. “Manufacturers have been taking this issue seriously since we first shed light on it, and we are confident that good small overlap protection will become the norm on the passenger side, just as it has on the driver’s side.” 

IIHS reports that approximately half of traffic deaths occur either in the dark or at dawn or dusk. Most of these deaths might have been avoided if the vehicles at issue had headlights that were tested and fell into the category of good or acceptable. 

In 2016 IIHS started rating headlight performance, and its initial testing showed that most vehicles performed exceptionally poorly. The institute feels that since consumers do not tend to test-drive vehicles at night, they do not see potential headlight problems, and headlights are critical to safety. 

There are differences, according to IIHS, in bulb types, headlight technology and even how the headlights are aimed which would affect the amount of useful light supplied. When researching the problem, IIHS engineers measure: 

• How far light is projected from a vehicle's low beams and high beams as the vehicle travels straight and on curves.
• Glare from oncoming vehicles also is measured from low beams in each scenario to make sure it is not excessive. 

To be awarded an IIHS “Top Safety Pick Plus” award, a vehicle must have a headlight with more than an acceptable ranking. It must include at least one headlight option offering a good rating. In 2017, 38 vehicles qualified for the safety plus award; however, with the 2018 models, only 15 qualified. 

IIHS could not find a single vehicle in the small SUV category with forward illumination that it would consider good in July 2016. Two thirds of the tested vehicles scored “poor.” It called these findings “concerning.” 

Poor headlights, especially at night, can cause accidents. Drivers must be able to see the road ahead including pedestrians, bicyclists or obstacles. 

What does the law require? 

Florida law requires that vehicles must have two headlights on the front, and they must be showing a white light not more than 54 inches or less than 24 inches from road level. Headlights are to be turned on when it is dark and when there are poor weather conditions such as rain, fog, sleet or smoke. 

“Vehicle accidents can be devastating to those injured. When faulty headlights are to blame, experienced lawyers know how to handle these cases. After receiving medical treatment, please contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. We are available 24/7 to assist you,” said Fort Myers Car Accident Attorney, Randall Spivey.   

Fort Myers Car Accident Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839, or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.