Take the white knuckles out of driving in the dark

By Bill McLauchlan

With winter settling in and the day with the year’s least daylight just around the corner, many of us are driving in the dark more often. For those uneasy about night driving there are ways to help brighten the task.

Our eyes need light to work, that’s a given. Light entering the eye is gathered by the retina and processed to obtain the images we need to see. How well do you see at night? Well, if you’re middle-aged or older here are some dismal details to consider. If you’re over 50 chances are you don’t see as well as you think, even if you make like Bugs Bunny and eat lots of carrots.

The typical 50-year-old driver needs twice as much light to see as well after dark as a 30-year-old. At 70 it’s more like four times as much.

Another common mid-life change can be a gradual clouding of the lens – the formation of cataracts – which makes the lens less transparent and reduces the amount of light reaching the retina.

Bosch.com

Some auto manufacturers provide a solution to help improve your night driving experience with optional night vision systems. They typically use infrared cameras, sometimes combined with active illumination techniques, to collect information that is displayed to the driver, either on the windshield or within an instrument panel screen. Such systems are currently offered by premium brands like Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus and others.

If they’re beyond your budget you can always turn your attention to less costly cars that offer projector beam headlight technology as standard equipment. Many use halogen projectors, although HID (High Intensity Discharge) xenon projectors are better with their crisper and brighter blue-hued illumination.

© General Motors

One of the best of the bi-xenon brigade is Chevrolet’s newly redone 2014 Impala. The enhanced visibility provided by its headlamps can help drivers avoid crashes after dark, the riskiest time of day. According to a study cited by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, the risk of a fatality at night among drivers not impaired by alcohol is more than twice as high as in daytime due to less visibility.

According to a 2009 study conducted by the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, HID lamps, like those on the new Impala can help drivers see objects on the road sooner than other types of headlamps, allowing for greater stopping distance.

© General Motors

The Impala’s new headlamps are a key to one of the most comprehensive collections of standard and available safety features in the segment, receiving the highest possible 5-Star Overall Vehicle score for safety as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program.

Every 2104 Impala gets this projector beam technology. The base LS and mid-level LT models use halogen projectors, while the top-level LTZ uses xenon projectors. Both types distribute light evenly across the front of the car, providing a wider range of visibility than other headlamps. Their design also uses curved reflectors and “prescription” lenses meant to project brighter light farther and with more directional accuracy. They also feature a light shield designed to reduce glare for oncoming traffic.

As an added visual advantage, the headlamp designers also put an inner lens over the turn-signal cavity, helping to obscure the bulb while dispersing its light and giving a dramatic “fire-in-the-hole” appearance when lit.

As a result, the Impala benefits from a “premium” look. But more importantly, for those worried about driving in the dark, steering one is a nice way to lighten up a white-knuckled grip on the wheel after the sun goes down.