Using Visual Performance Modeling to Assess the Safety Consequences of Headlight Evaluation Systems

As new headlight technologies begin to take hold in vehicular forward lighting systems and they become more commonplace on vehicles, new frameworks for evaluating the performance of these systems are being developed and promulgated. The objective of each of these systems is the same, namely, improving safety by ensuring that vehicle lighting provides sufficient visibility for drivers without negative impacts such as glare. Recent research has shown the direct link between improved driver visibility and reduced nighttime crashes. To the extent that headlight evaluation systems can be compared using visual performance modeling approaches, it should be possible to relate improved visibility from high-performing headlight systems to the potential for reduced nighttime crashes. In the present paper we demonstrate how visual performance modeling in conjunction with vehicle headlight evaluations can lead to predictions of improved safety and ultimately, beneficial economic impacts to society.