Headlight safety needs discussion
Farhan Bhatti
When was the last time you flipped a switch to turn the headlights on in your car?
Chances are, if you drive a car made in the 21st century, you might not remember the last time. That’s because newer cars have automatic sensors that detect the amount of light outside and turn the headlights on when the sensors deem it appropriate. Many of today’s younger generation of drivers have never had to worry about turning headlights on in their vehicles.
If the sensors were perfect, there would be no issue. Technology, however, is never perfect. As we enter into winter, and as the number of overcast, rainy and snowy days exceed the number of days with sunshine, drivers and law enforcement officials need to revisit what Michigan law says about the proper usage of headlights.
Michigan law states that headlights must be used when visibility is less than 500 feet. The automatic sensors that the car companies use, however, are not smart enough to always reliably be turned on during these times, particularly in cases where limited visibility — fog, rain or snow — occurs during the daytime hours.
Car companies have invested millions of dollars in perfecting these sensors, but the sensors do more harm than good. The truth is, turning the headlights on should be a reflex, similar to putting on a seat belt whenever drivers start their cars. Because of these sensors, less people are turning on the headlights for themselves while more people are simply relying on their cars to do this for them. And often, their cars fail to do so in situations where headlights are sorely needed as a matter of public safety.
Serious accidents happen as a result. The state of Michigan’s official Web site, www.michigan.gov, estimates that usage of headlights, even on sunny days, can reduce your risk of being in an accident by up to 32 percent.
Driving without headlights on the highway on an overcast day or in the rain or snow with limited visibility at 65 or 70 mph is certainly more dangerous than driving 5 mph over the speed limit on the highway on a bright, sunny day. When changing lanes at high speeds on crowded highways, drivers need to be able to make quick and accurate decisions about whether or not to proceed. If they cannot see the vehicles behind them, they may make a decision that could prove fatal to themselves or others.
Highway traffic enforcement officials, moreover, are simply far less concerned with proper headlight usage and far more concerned with their radar equipment. When was the last time you heard of someone getting a ticket for not having his or her headlights on?
I spend a lot of time on the highway and I count, in cases where visibility is low, just how many of these fancy new cars actually have their headlights turned on. The amount is strikingly low and is quite unnerving. My experience is at least two out of every 10 cars on the highway during daytime hours, in cases of limited visibility, are driving without headlights.
Overwhelmingly, these cars are newer cars whose drivers likely are unaware that their lights aren’t on, and unaware of their responsibility to themselves and to others. The sensors on Chrysler vehicles are particularly poor, and I have had several close calls with dark-colored Chrysler minivans and Jeeps whose lights are off on the highway when almost all other cars have their lights on. I have watched law enforcement officials happily pass by cars that came close to causing serious accidents at high speeds due to a lack of headlight usage.
To combat this glaring safety concern, lawmakers should mandate that car manufacturers do one of two things: simply scrap automatic headlights altogether and force drivers to take responsibility for, and be mindful of, turning their headlights on (instead of spending millions more to perfect automatic headlight technology); or, if they do not trust drivers to use their headlights effectively, mandate every vehicle be equipped with daytime running lights, i.e. lights that never turn off while the vehicle is in motion.
Furthermore, traffic enforcement officials should be more mindful of the serious danger posed to the greater public in situations where drivers do not turn on their headlights when visibility is limited, and should more consistently penalize drivers who are guilty of such behavior. Their cooperation is needed to combat this growing problem.
Farhan Bhatti is a State News columnist and a second-year medical student. Reach him at bhattifa@msu.edu.
Published on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Comments
marks
11/20/08 @ 1:17am
One certainly wonders about Farhan’s ability to “make quick and accurate decisions”, while he is busy counting “just how many of these fancy new cars actually have their headlights turned on”, especially “in cases where visibility is low”.
“The sensors on Chrysler vehicles are particularly poor, and I have had several close calls with dark-colored Chrysler minivans and Jeeps whose lights are off on the highway when almost all other cars have their lights on.”
One can just as easily say that those close calls were a result of you attempting to count the number of cars without headlights on, which would likely have adversely affected your reaction time.
“Overwhelmingly, these cars are newer cars whose drivers likely are unaware that their lights aren’t on, and unaware of their responsibility to themselves and to others.”
It would seem that being so caught up in your own sanctimonious inanity has left you just as unaware of your responsibility to yourself and others.
Asinine.
Joe
11/20/08 @ 7:24am
What a horrible article… I thought it was a joke but it kept on going.
Mike F
11/20/08 @ 8:17am
Are you serious? Did the Snews just publish an article about the proper use of headlights. To quote a classic 80’s movie, “I weep for the future”.
lol
11/20/08 @ 8:22am
this is definitely an article for your portfolio, riveting stuff
butterpile
11/20/08 @ 9:19am
Haha, and what an interesting discussion it would be, I’m sure.
wombat
11/20/08 @ 10:05am
A little more research would have helped this article. For example, he says that “The sensors on Chrysler vehicles are particularly poor, and I have had several close calls with dark-colored Chrysler minivans and Jeeps whose lights are off on the highway when almost all other cars have their lights on.”
If he would have checked the Chrysler web site, he would have learned that their “Smartbeam” automatic turn-on headlights are only on the most expensive Limited version. The least expensive LX version doesn’t offer auto headlights even as an options. So it would seem most Chrysler minivans require owners to turn on their headlights. Therefore, his conclusion that Chrysler sensors are poor is not valid and weakens his argument.
Many new cars do not have the automatic switch-on function. I have a top-of-the-line Honda Accord, which does not have automatic headlights.
Driving with headlights on during inclement weather is an excellent idea, and one that is mandated by some states. But thinking that scrapping automatic headlights is not the correct answer. Without that feature, we’d have more cars driving without lights in low visibility situations rather than fewer, as many drivers are just unaware of the risk and would fail to turn on the vehicle’s lights.
Saying that law enforcement “happily” pass by cars is also not fair. Officers are required to follow the Michigan Vehicle Code for enforcement guidance. Section 684 of the Code (MCL 257.684) provides the state’s requirement:
“Every vehicle upon a highway within this state at any time from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise and at any other time when there is not sufficient light to render clearly discernible persons and vehicles on the highway at a distance of 500 feet ahead shall display lighted lamps and illuminating devices as hereinafter respectively required for different classes of vehicles. . . “
500 feet is not a long distance — less than twice the length of the field in Spartan Stadium. Now officers are faced with making a subjective decision that the light was poor enough that a person could not be seen 500 feet away. If the driver disagrees, the ticket would be challenged in court, adding to the backlog of court cases and taking the officer off the road to testify in court. While there are clear cut example where a driver could be ticketed for no lights (how many times have you seen cars pull out of gas stations late at night where the drivers forget to turn on the lights), most cases as described in the article are too open to interpretation and disagreement.
Better education for drivers of the risks would be more beneficial in the long run. But education existing drivers is a challenge that courts, law enforcement, governments, and even MSU has wrestled with for many years, and for which there is no easy answer.
Janet
11/20/08 @ 11:53am
I agree with the author, actually. It’s easy to notice cars on the other side of the road that drive by you without headlights on. Next time you drive on the highway, you’ll probably be able to tell relatively easily how many cars approaching you, traveling in the opposite direction, don’t have their headlights on. It’s dangerous.
Farhan
11/20/08 @ 12:01pm
Marks —
Thanks for your comments.
I am definitely aware of my responsibility to others. It would be asinine, indeed, if I was scanning all the cars behind me without headlights on. But it’s hard to miss cars without their headlights on driving towards you on the other side of the road. I should have pointed that out. I would deserve a revocation of my driver’s license if my eyes were always in the rear view mirror counting the number of cars without headlights. That’s not what’s taking place. If you drive on a highway that’s one or two lanes going on both directions, you can simply count the amount of cars that drive by you in the opposite direction without lights on, and you can assume that on average, the amount of cars without headlights on traveling in the same direction as you is equal to the number of cars traveling in the opposite direction.
Dub
11/20/08 @ 2:03pm
What’s all this concern about headlice in Chrysler vans. Good god man just sweep the thing then fumigate. That should take care of it pronto.
Mike F
11/20/08 @ 4:00pm
I think that the author should write articles on the following topics:
1) Drivers that only use their parking lights and/or fog lamps.
2) Drivers that refuse to dim their high beams.
3) Drivers that replace their regular headlight bulbs with HID-look blue or yellow bulbs.
4) Drivers of European cars that turn on the rear “rain light” (that bright red light in the rear that looks like one of their taillights is burned out) and have no idea it is on.
Maybe he can combine some of these topics.
get back to me
11/20/08 @ 7:20pm
please give me some statistics on how many of the cars with these sensors have their headlights turned on compared to how many cars without these sensors have their headlights turned on when it is cloudy outside.
Before I had a car with these fancy shmancy new sensors I rarely turned on my headlights unless I couldn’t see. Now that I have caught up with all the new fangled technology and such my headlights often turn on much earlier than if I had to manually switch them on myself.
You have successfully created an argument without any proof other than you counting cars on the road you schmuck!
driver
11/20/08 @ 10:23pm
okay, so the whole article isn’t so great, but overall, i think there are some good points here- drivers all need to take responsibility for their actions when driving- including proper use of headlights, not being so distracted they can’t drive properly, caution in the snow/ice, and making sure that your car is properly defrosted before driving (I know I know, it takes forever and it’s cold out and you have to get to class…but if you can’t see what’s going on, you aren’t able to drive safely!), etc. We all took drivers training, try and remember at least some of what you learned, and apply some logic!
carter
11/21/08 @ 11:24am
Farhan, you deserve a revocation of your keyboard.
john
11/23/08 @ 3:44pm
farhan is a muslim fundamentalist, who aspired to run for governor of michigan one day.
uh oh.. osama is back eh?
Oh boy...
12/03/08 @ 1:53am
Wow, I’m astounded at the animosity this author has received for this column. He raises a serious… HOLY FUCK MY LIGHTBULB BURNED OUT!!! Dude, seriously, my lamp just stopped working! I must have purchased a defective bulb! Help! It’s dark! Mommy!