Nissan’s Brighter Headlights That Won’t Blind Oncoming Traffic

Have you ever been driving down a street or highway at night only to be blinded by the bright lights of oncoming traffic? This can be annoying, but it is also dangerous as more than half of all vehicle-related fatalities occur after dark.

This is where driving a Nissan vehicle can be greatly beneficial! Today, our team at Maus Nissan of North Tampa explores Nissan’s new headlights and shares what we are most excited about this new technology.

Nissan’s New Headlights

Nissan recently announced that they are going to boost headlight performance on its vehicles while also reducing glare for oncoming traffic. Once a luxury upgrade, Nissan’s efficient LED headlights are now standard on the:

• Altima
• Ariya
• Armada
• GT-R
• Maxima
• Murano
• Pathfinder
• Rogue
• Z models

This is an exciting update, as halogen lights are becoming a thing of the past. More on that below.

The Evolution of Car Headlights

Halogen headlights have been the standard in vehicles for many decades, but in the 2000s LED headlights have taken center stage.

The differences between these two technologies are significant.

• Halogen lights emit a warm yellow light and are inexpensive to manufacture.
• LEDs emit a bluish-white light, which falls on the cool spectrum. They last longer and are said to be 80% more efficient than traditional lights.

Though environmentally speaking, LEDs are great, the unintended consequence of the light emitted by LEDs is that they increase glare for drivers in oncoming lanes at night.

Further, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has been rating headlights since 2016. To be rated “good” headlights need to illuminate the right side of the road at least 325 feet. Headlights with a “poor” rating illuminate 220 feet or less.

Though LEDs are brighter than halogen headlamps, there are “poor” ratings for every type of headlight including LED, so it’s not a complete “fix” to switch out halogens for LEDs, though it’s a step in the right direction.

Nissan’s “Anti-Glare” Tech

Believe it or not, even low beams can cause glare for oncoming vehicles, especially if they are lower to the ground.

Nissan is now focusing on creating a low-beam headlight that incorporates an “anti-glare notch.” This headlight system will allow the brightest section of the LED beam to be aimed toward the lane of travel so that oncoming traffic will see a dimmer edge.

This is done by a physical barrier inside the headlight housing that will direct light in specific directions. And instead of a “V” shape light beam cast by traditional headlights, this new silhouette will look like an amoeba. This makes it easier to see the road straight ahead, and on the shoulder of the roadway, without blinding other drivers.

These kinds of headlights are part of the family of adaptive beam headlights, and Nissan is excited to incorporate more of this technology in the future. Beyond just automatic high-beam dimming, this technology which was just recently approved for use in the United States, will use cameras, sensors, and central processing units to automatically adjust beam shape and headlight brightness.

Bottom line? This new technology aims to illuminate the road more safely, so the number of crashes and fatalities is reduced. We’re all for it!

Visit Maus Nissan of North Tampa

While this new technology may take some time to be introduced in the Nissan lineup, we are proud to see that Nissan is taking the initiative to foster a safer driving environment for drivers and pedestrians alike.

If you’d like to discover more about Nissan’s new headlight innovations, call our team at Maus Nissan of North Tampa at (813) 800-6287! And since you’re here, check out our current lineup of IIHS top-rated vehicles!