Car headlights can both be an assistive and dangerous on the road. While you cannot drive without putting them on, the traditional system also leads to blinding other drivers coming from the opposite direction. Many drivers have wished they could have done more with low beams and be more responsible and safe. A perfect solution has been provided by Mazda’s next generation adaptive LED headlight system.
Over time several auto manufacturers have researched and come out with headlight technology, that present you both high beams to see the road clearly and low beams that will not blind the vehicle coming in your direction. However, this would also mean that until and unless the car ahead crosses you, you are stuck with low beam and lower road visibility. As such, Mazda has come up with a technology that would selectively dim the portion of light beam that could be concerning the driver ahead, while allowing you to drive in full beam and a clear road.
What is adaptive LED headlight technology?
Most adaptive headlight technology is aimed towards improving distant sight at night. They are also programmed to respond automatically to presence of another vehicle, weather condition and similar factors. All throughout the automobile history, there have been various types of adaptive technologies. However, each adaptive headlight technology comes with its unique capability and is different from each other. As an example, the modern directional headlights are assisted by sensor inputs that determine vehicles taking a curve or changing direction. In such cases, the headlight rotates with the vehicle and illuminates the side of the road when cornering. Traditional designs don’t have this system and can be quite dangerous.
Other adaptive systems have sensors that can determine the intensity of the beam and adjust it to facilitate a safe driving. This system doesn’t require the driver to switch to manual adjustment of the beam and thus concentrate on the road. These systems can determine how far an incoming vehicle is and creates enough light to illuminate the road but without creating any glare.
Mazda’s current adaptive LED headlight system is integrated with a camera that can read images itself and identify vehicles coming from the opposite direction. Now, the system uses an array of high beams, wherein each of them can be dimmed and brightened individually. The area of beam that falls on the car coming from the opposite side will turn low while the rest remains the same presenting a consistent view of the road ahead.
Importance of adaptive LED headlight systems
Adaptive headlights have been conceived with the only aim to reduce accidents on the road, especially during the night. According to statics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, technology such as Mazda’s have been resulted in 10% less insurance claims and it can be directly linked to a safer driving standards. The institute has also found out that 7% of nighttime accidents reported by highway police are due to reasons related to headlights. Even real world data shows that adaptive LED headlight technology can have a significant positive impact on the safety of the car and fellow travelers. As they have been designed to work automatically, it helps the driver to focus better on the road and not get distracted. With many automobile manufacturers researching on better head lighting, it is really the time that car owners switch to a safer technology.
