HID Lights Still Not Seen as Safety Device

Car buyers and dealers are still not aware of the improvements in vehicle safety by dint of innovative automotive headlights, according to a survey of car buyers and dealers in Germany, Poland, and France by the market research institute “Puls”, based in Nuernberg, Germany. The study was commissioned by Light.Sight.Safety, an initiative created by the EU automotive lighting companies. The aim of this coalition is to reduce the number of night-time accidents by using advanced car lighting.

Only a small proportion of the car dealers, on average six per cent, indicate safety as an advantage of Xenon headlamps (open question) in the study. The proportion is even smaller among the car buyers: It ranges from one to four per cent within the analysed countries.
Vehicle safety is one of the most important aspects when buying a car. 61% of the French and 66% of the Polish car dealers indicate safety as an essential purchasing criterion for Xenon headlamps for their customers.

“Xenon headlamps increase the range by 30 to 50 per cent. Additionally, the bulb lifetime is five times longer,” compared to halogen headlamps, says Lex Krzyzanowski, chairman of Light.Sight.Safety .

According to the study, 22% of German vehicles are equipped with Xenon lighting. The take rates are significantly lower in France (10%) and in Poland (7 %).