- [Nolan] Technology in cars has advanced exponentially
in the past 20 years, and headlights are no exception.
They're for sure brighter,
but have headlights gotten so bright that they're bad?
(upbeat gentle music)
Headlights are a safety feature.
Without them, you wouldn't be able to drive at night.
Other drivers wouldn't be able to see you at night,
which is great if you're smuggling drugs
in a black Lambo, wearing night-vision goggles,
but not great if you're just trying to get home.
But some newer headlights,
whether they're insanely bright or just aimed incorrectly
create enough glare to distract
and even blind other drivers.
We're gonna talk a little bit
about the history of headlights
then go over the various types
before we get into the problems and the potential solutions.
- Do a cartwheel Nolen. - Kartwheel.
Everyone and their mother can do a cartwheel.
- I never--
- But before we get to that, like this video.
The first headlight, as we think of headlights nowadays,
was introduced in 1908.
Initially they were a high-priced upgrade,
but by 1911 the carbon bulb was the industry standard.
Pretty early on, federal laws were passed
that dictated cars not only had to have electric headlights
but they had to produce a certain amount of light,
measured in lumens, and point only in specific directions.
Headlights, same as any other light in general,
are measured in lumens.
Put simply, lumens is a measurement of the brightness
of the light that a source emits.
In the early 60's,
Italian auto manufacturers started using halogen bulbs.
They were essentially incandescent lights,
not unlike the ones found in your house,
but they had additions like bromide.
Bromide? - Brah-mide.
- Brah-mide. Bromide.
Bromide, what's up, dude?
I didn't take chemistry in high school. (laughs)
But they had additions like bromide and iodine
that made the bulbs glow brighter.
Although the technology isn't the most efficient,
halogen bulbs are still used
in the majority of headlights today.
A standard halogen headlight will put out
around 1,300 lumens.
To put that in perspective,
that's the same as about four Maglites.
Is this a gang sign? (laughs)
(typing)
(ding)
Slightly brighter than the halogen bulbs are LED lights.
These lights put out about 1,600 lumens on average,
but are much more efficient
and have a longer life than halogen.
HID, or high intensity discharge bulbs,
are significantly brighter than halogen and LED.
And you may know them by another more common name, xenon.
Xenon headlights produce, on average, 3,000 lumens,
more than double that of halogen bulbs.
BMW was the first to use them in their 7 Series Sedan,
which is probably why you associate
rich (coins clinking) holes with xenon headlights,
but guess what, it gets worse.
Laser headlights, what the (coins clinking).
Laser headlights can be found on new BMW i8s,
and 7 Series, and the Audi R8.
Apart from being the smallest
and most efficient of the bunch.
- Lasers.
- Can also be up to four times as bright as LEDs.
Come on, who asked for this?
♪ It's time for Nolan's random fact. ♪
All you Renault, Peugeot, and Citroen fans be like
we have the warmest lights in France, ho ho ho ho.
Well, it may be true that French cars
had yellow headlights for a while,
but it wasn't because of the color temperature.
From the beginning of World War II to around 1993,
France required that all cars have yellow headlights
to distinguish themselves from enemy vehicles.
The law stuck around long after the war ended.
It was only when the EU forced France
to conform to its standards
that the yellow headlights law was dropped.
So like I said at the top,
headlights are getting brighter,
but brightness isn't the only thing
that's making headlights dangerous.
A study done by AML Sytems found
that nearly 10% of cars on the road
have incorrectly positioned headlights.
That doesn't sound like much,
but for people that live in the cities like L.A.,
you're seeing around 3,000 cars a day,
so if 10% of those cars have beams that are aimed poorly,
that's like 300 cars.
Those headlights account for anywhere
from 3 to 30% more glare than the National Highway
and Traffic Safely Administration allows.
Misaim is caused by anything from a bumpy road,
to luggage in the trunk, to low tire pressure,
but the overwhelming amount of misaimed headlights
come from improperly positioned headlights
that the owner or mechanic installed.
If you've installed headlights
and you didn't measure the beam correctly,
chances are they are positioned incorrectly.
Here's something you can do.
This method of checking to see
if your headlights are positioned correctly is super easy.
All you need is a roll of masking tape, and a screwdriver.
Let's do it in my car.
Find a location with a wall and a level surface.
Pull your car right up against the wall
and turn on your low beams.
Using the tape, mark the center of the car.
Find the horizontal middle of each headlight
and mark it on the wall using the tape.
Now, mark the vertical center line
for each headlight using the tape.
Then take a milk break.
(people cheering)
Hop in your car, and back up twenty five feet.
Now, look at the lights on the wall.
They should be about two inches lower than the mark,
and slightly to the right.
If you live in an area that drives on the left,
your headlights should be slightly to the left.
Now that you've checked and found
that your headlights are aimed incorrectly,
it's time to adjust them.
Pop the hood and look at the top of the headlight.
There are two screws,
one for vertical adjustment, and one for horizontal.
While your car is still pointing at the wall,
adjust the headlights accordingly.
Ta-Da!
You've done it. (celebratory video game music)
That was easy.
- Yeah do a cartwheel dude. - You could do a cartwheel.
everyone and their mother can do a cartwheel.
(crowd cheering) - Yeah, that was good.
- Some cars actually have auto-leveling headlights.
AML Systems, the same company who made that study,
makes a system that automatically measures
and adjusts headlights on its own.
The LuMEMS System, possibly the corniest named system
in the automotive industry,
uses front and rear sensors on the chassis
to read and reposition the headlights
depending on the car's angle.
Wrongly positioned low beams are one thing,
but drivers who use high beams when it's not necessary
are a whole nother level of dangerous,
and you know who I'm talking about.
(heavy metal riff)
You could be driving down the the 10, in the rain.
Next thing you know you're trying to change lanes,
but there is some 1995 C-Class, silver mind you,
with his lights off, right in your blind spot.
Next thing you know, you're on Instagram
with a hashtag #mustangsinthewild,
and it's not even your fault
because that guy didn't turn his lights on.
Look there's a lot of pressure when you have a Mustang.
People are watching you.
(beeping)
So, how bright is too bright?
Well, if your headlights are aimed properly
you shouldn't need-- - Freakin' laser beams
- To light up the road.
Thanks for watching Wheel House.
It's the show where a slightly unhinged guy
who believes in aliens, goes on rants about car stuff.
Subscribe if you wanna see more of that.
Follow me on Instagram @nolanjsykes.
Follow Donut at @donutmedia.