The primary reason is usually attributed to poor driver vision caused by reduced light, which at night can be up to 70 percent. Because the human eye is not adapted for nocturnal vision, colors tend to disappear, contrast fades away, and drivers are often blinded by the oncoming light from other vehicles. In essence, nighttime drivers can experience the feeling of shortsightedness and can also lose some depth perception.

According to Ann-Marie Hines, senior marketing manager at Lumileds, a global lighting solutions company and the exclusive supplier of Philips automotive lighting products, the answer is simple. Hines notes, “The filament in a headlight bulb ages with use, time, and exposure to the elements. As a result, it becomes fragile and starts to deteriorate and this causes the light output to diminish. At the end of a typical service life, perhaps two-three years, headlight bulbs will likely be projecting a much shorter and less powerful beam light, than when they were new. From a driver’s point of view this is a critical safety concern.”eye is not adapted for nocturnal vision, colors tend to disappear, contrast fades away, and drivers are often blinded by the oncoming light from other vehicles. In essence, nighttime drivers can experience the feeling of shortsightedness and can also lose some depth perception.

 

This problem becomes even more critical with older drivers. The amount of light that the human eye needs to see properly increases exponentially with age. That means the older drivers get, the more light they need. This is because the lens of the human eye tends to…”