Most of the 2017 midsize SUVs currently on the market do not offer headlights that provide proper crash avoidance, according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) ratings.
IIHS studied 18 luxury and 19 nonluxury models. Of the models, two — the Volvo XC60 and the Hyundai Santa Fe — were ranked good, 12 were ranked acceptable,
12 were ranked marginal, and 11 were ranked poor.
“As a group, midsize SUV headlights perform slightly better than the other SUVs and pickups we evaluated last year, and that’s encouraging,” IIHS Senior Research Engineer Matt Brumbelow said. “Still, we continue to see headlights that compromise safety because they only provide a short view down the road at night.”
Customers generally do not conduct test drives after dark, yet half of traffic deaths occur either at night or at dusk or dawn.
Tests evaluated a vehicle’s low beams and high beams, and how light is project on curves and while driving straight. Glare also was evaluated.
Seventy-nine headlight combinations were tested. More than half had too much glare, a common complaint about oncoming headlights.
Research found that the direction lights are aimed, whether a projector lens or reflectors are used and the type of bulb – halogen, high-intensity discharge or LED – all affect the power of the headlight beam.