Headlights are one of the most fundamental safety components of any automobile, as we quickly discover when one of ours fails – navigating dark roads with only one beam illuminating our path becomes considerably more difficult. One would expect that in 2021, headlights would be consistently good in terms of performance, appropriately illuminating the road ahead of us to reduce the chance of collisions.
However, according to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), most headlights fall far short of expectations.
Headlights can cause accidents in numerous ways
Headlights that are too dim or inefficient can cause accidents in a variety of ways. Poor vision caused by faulty headlights can result in accidents in the evenings as well as in adverse weather like fog, rain, and snow.
Bad headlights can also cause glare, making it difficult to notice road obstructions or even approaching cars. Without powerful, effective headlights, the odds of colliding with an item — such as an animal, another vehicle, a pedestrian, or a bike — are significantly increased.
That is why the conclusions of the IIHS research are so crucial. The headlights of 31 different automobiles were studied in this study. Good, acceptable, marginal, or terrible are the four potential grades for the lighting. Only one car (the Toyota Prius V) had “excellent” headlights out of the 31.
The headlights on 11 of the cars were rated as “adequate,” while 9 were rated as “marginal.” The headlights on the remaining ten cars were “poor,” the lowest possible grade for headlights. Many people may be surprised by these findings, especially given that the more costly headlights — notably those for the BMW 3 series – performed the poorest.
What can be done?
Since we’ve proven that many automobiles come equipped with subpar headlights, the issue becomes: what can be done about them? Part of the problem, according to the IIHS analysis, is poor aim, which car makers can easily rectify. If you’re having problems seeing the road at night, call the dealership and request that your headlights be adjusted.
You may be able to submit a claim against the manufacturer for putting a faulty product on your vehicle if you were in an accident due to an inability to see the road properly due to bad headlights. If the device was built or designed incorrectly, and this fault caused your accident, the manufacturer may be held liable – not you.
Accidents are, of course, difficult affairs that need a comprehensive examination into possible causes, such as defective products, insufficient road illumination, and the likelihood that other drivers were at fault. That is why having a skilled automobile accident lawyer on your side is so important in obtaining the highest possible compensation for your injuries. Even if it appears that the accident was your fault at first, an experienced automobile accident lawyer will know how to investigate your case from every perspective and explore all possible routes for restitution. Contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 now for a free legal consultation.
