Georgia Injury Law Blog
Driving at night is typically the least favorite time to drive for most people. Reduced visibility and glare are just some of the dangers of driving at night that can cause accidents. Better headlights that have a high safety rating, however, are much more likely to help reduce the risk of night time accidents. According to a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, headlight systems that have a good rating by the Institute can significantly help reduce the risk of accidents that occur in the night time.
In 2016, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety developed a safety rating system for headlights. Until then, there was no real way of measuring how headlights fared when compared with each other and when they were actually used in the real world. The federal standard for headlights was outdated, and under these standards, most headlights were more or less considered equal. However in 2016, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety established a headlight ratings program that measured headlight fitness as “good”, “acceptable”, “marginal” or “poor.”
Five years later, a new study finds that since the ratings went into effect, there has been a 19% reduction in the accident rate involving cars with headlights that have a “good” rating, compared to those that have a “poor” headlights rating. When headlights were rated “acceptable” or “marginal,” there was a 15% reduction in the number of accidents that involved these cars. Additionally the study also found that good headlights specifically helped reduce certain types of accidents. For instance, when headlights had a “good” rating there was a 29 percent drop in the number of accidents involving injuries to the driver. These headlights also contributed to a 25% drop in the number of accidents involving pedestrians.
According to researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, federally -mandated headlight ratings simply aren’t sufficient to help reduce the risk of accidents while driving in the night-time. For instance, there is a difference in the performance of headlights when it comes to certain factors. The range for headlights that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety included in its ratings varies from between 125 feet and 460 feet, which can make a difference of 2 seconds versus 6 seconds that the driver has to recognize a potential accident risk and respond in time to avoid a crash.
The bottom line is that better-designed, brighter headlights can be a crucial factor in helping avoid your risk of accidents when you travel in the night time. Night time is typically a dangerous time for driving with reduced visibility making it difficult to identify risks in time.
The Atlanta car accident attorneys at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent persons who have suffered injuries in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia. If you have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to an Atlanta car accident attorney at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers, and determine your legal options to a claim for damages for your losses. You may be eligible for compensation that includes medical expenses, lost income and other forms of compensation. Talk to a lawyer at our firm, and discuss your case.