IIHS

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: We always like to shine a bright light on a good story, and now there’s word coming from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that suggests big changes are on the way in regards to their safety rating system.

Automotive News is reporting that the IIHS will soon add a new requirement for their “Top Safety Pick +” rating: headlight performance.

Shake ups have already taken place with the introduction of the small overlap front crash test, and, most recently, front crash prevention systems criteria. This has forced automakers to speed up investment in advanced safety technologies in order to conform.

In this instance, it is adaptive lighting and active lighting systems that will be addressed – features like automatic high beams, or dynamic headlights that turn based on steering wheel inputs.

There’s no word if a specific bulb type – be it halogen, HID, LED, or anything else – will play a role in the rating, but the effectiveness of newer lights, LEDs in particular, certainly make a case for it.

There’s also hope that this new rating criteria will force headlight technology to improve quickly, thus lowering costs, and put added pressure on the U.S. government to change rules that prevented the best global lighting systems from coming onshore.

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: No matter what happens in the future, you can bet we’ll be on the lookout for more from the IIHS as they continue to be a guiding light on vehicle safety. And that’s it for this week’s MotorNews!