June 19, 2001
Troy, N.Y. — Researchers at the Lighting Research Center
(LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute report that HID
(high-intensity-discharge) headlights enable drivers to see
more effectively at night than conventional tungsten-halogen
lights.
The LRC study has recently been featured in USA Today and on
the NBC Nightly News.
Based on field experiments in which drivers responded to
objects in their field of vision while using both sorts of
lighting, LRC researchers concluded that drivers using HIDs
were better at “detecting edge-of-roadway hazards, such as
pedestrians and animals.”
The study was conducted by John Van Derlofske, head of
transportation lighting at the LRC, and lighting scientists
John D. Bullough and Claudia M. Hunter, and was reported at a
recent World Congress of the Society of Automotive
Engineers.
Philips Automotive Lighting, an LRC partner and a major
manufacturer of HIDs, commissioned the study.
“[HIDs] produce more light, last longer, and use less energy,”
Van Derlofske said. “There’s no question they result in better
visual performance. Now we’ve quantified that,”
HIDs are widely used on European automobiles and are growing
increasingly popular in the United States. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration has ruled HIDs do not exceed
maximum illumination standards.
The study acknowledges criticisms leveled against HIDs that
the bulbs produce more glare, and urges further study to
quantify HID glare. “The problem with glare should be weighed
against the improved visual benefits,” the report says.
Contact: John Van Derlofske (518) 687-7100
vandej3@rpi.edu
John Bullough (518) 687-7138 bulloj@rpi.edu
Contact: Patrick Kurp
Phone: (518) 276-6531
E-mail: N/A