Consumer Reports' 50th Anniversary Auto Issue Puts a Premium on Safety:.Business Editors/Automotive Writers YONKERS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 10, 2003 Problems with HID Headlights, Dangerous Blind Spots, and Top Vehicles for Crash Protection & Accident Avoidance CR's First-Ever Tests of HID Headlights: How Do They Fare Under CR's Glare? Consumer Reports April auto issue sheds some light on a new type of headlight designed to help drivers see better at night. While high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights tend to produce a wider, brighter, more uniform light than the halogen headlights found on most vehicles, complaints have poured into the government about the glare from HID lights. In CR's first-ever headlight tests, engineers found that the distribution of HID lights do produce more glare - the temporary annoyance or blindness caused by bright light in your field of view - than halogen lights. CR also found that while many HID lights tested were among the better performers, even the best didn't outdistance out·dis·tance tr.v. out·dis·tanced, out·dis·tanc·ing, out·dis·tanc·es 1. To outrun, especially in a long-distance race. 2. the best halogens. CR tested headlights on 41 vehicles, 10 with HID lights and 31 with halogen. Individual headlight Ratings will soon be a part of every car and truck test CR performs. In its evaluations, CR also found that an SUV's high-mounted lights can be especially glaring. Our HID equipped 2003 BMW X A small five-cylinder radial engine for sport and training aircraft. Although this engine, the BMW X, proved successful at several large-scale events in 1930, including that year's round-Europe flight, only a few were built. A successor model, the BMW Xa, was introduced in 1931. 5 and 2003 Range Rover
While HIDs' blue hue is part of the glare problem, much of it lies in how their brighter light is distributed. An HID beam's sharp edge between light and dark causes the beam to "flash" other drivers when the car travels over uneven surfaces. Halogens tend to produce a more gradual shift from light to dark. At CR's test track in East Haddam, CT, engineers conducted three sets of tests, measuring headlights' ability to light the road ahead and along the sides as well as checking them for glare. Tests were conducted on moonless nights, in good weather conditions. CR's engineers put the most weight on the test measuring low-beam lighting straight ahead - evaluated using 10 posts up to 800 feet from the vehicle - because more distance ahead equals more time to react and brake safely. Based on typical reaction times and braking distances, drivers traveling at 50 mph need 237 feet to see a pedestrian, hit the brake pedal, and stop in time. In this test, the inexpensive, halogen-equipped Mazda Protege5 was the winner. Its low beams illuminated our 600-foot marker without creating a glare problem. Among the worst performers, the HID-equipped Audi TT's low beams lit only to our 200-foot marker, while the halogen-equipped Chrysler Sebring The Chrysler Sebring is a line of mid-size cars sold by Chrysler LLC. There have been three entirely different vehicles with this name:
Based on the varying performance of the headlights tested, CR recommends that car-shoppers with trouble driving at night include night driving as part of their test drive. They should see how well the vehicle lights dark roads, how well the light is distributed, and whether drivers "flash" them with their high beams. CR's headlights report also includes a sidebar on blue-hued HID headlight knockoffs and what to avoid, and our recommendations for what the government can do to improve forward visibility and the glare problem. Safety Alert: Mind that Blind Spot Many consumers would be surprised to discover that there are significant differences between the blind spots - that area behind the vehicle that you can't see from the driver's seat driv·er's seat n. A position of control or authority. - of a Chevrolet Avalanche The Chevrolet Avalanche is Chevrolet's sport utility truck. It is a four-door, six-seat pickup truck with a somewhat SUV-like flavor, known as a "sport utility truck". Avalanche is based on the full-size long-wheelbase General Motors SUVs (such as the Chevrolet Suburban), and , a pick-up truck and a Honda Accord The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. , a family sedan. Kids 'N Cars, a consumer organization working on child-safety issues, is calling attention to the problem of the blind spot, citing that at least 58 children were backed over and killed last year. To compare differences, CR's test engineers measured the length of the blind spot of a sedan, minivan, SUV, and pick-up. The engineers used a 28-inch high traffic cone to simulate a small child, measuring how far behind the vehicle the cone would have to be before an average-height driver (5 feet 8 inches) and a short driver (5 feet 1 inch) could see it. The difference between the Avalanche and the Accord for an average-height driver was a striking 17 feet. CR reminds drivers that it's best to always look carefully behind the vehicle before you get in and again before you put the car in gear, and always back up slowly. Many CR Top Picks Earn Top Scores in CR's Safety Assessment of 85 Vehicles In CR's 2003 Safety Assessment (CRSA CRSA Chinese Radio Sports Association CRSA Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology CRSA Control Risk Self Assessment CRSA Cap-Rouge/Saint-Augustin (Canada) CRSA Coastal Resource Service Area ), many of the vehicles earning high marks are also among CR's standouts for overall performance and reliability. This year's Top Pick for family sedan among V6 models, the Volkswagen Passat The Volkswagen Passat is a family car built by Volkswagen AG ("VW"), produced in various forms since 1973. It falls between the Volkswagen Golf/Jetta and Phaeton in the current Volkswagen line-up, and is currently produced in Volkswagen's plants in Emden, and Mosel/Zwickau, , was also the number-one ranked vehicle in its class in the CRSA as was the Honda Odyssey The Honda Odyssey is a minivan / large MPV produced by the Japanese automaker Honda since 1995. Since model year 1999, the name was used on two related but distinct vehicles, with the larger Odyssey sold in North America market, while the smaller Odyssey sold in Japan and other , CR's Top Pick in the minivan category. Other high-scoring Top Picks in the CRSA include the Honda Civic The Honda Civic is a compact car manufactured by Honda. It was introduced in July 1972 as a two-door coupe, followed by a three-door hatchback version that September. With the transverse engine placement of its 1169 cc engine and front-wheel drive, like the British Mini, the (small sedan) and the Toyota RAV4 (small SUV). The Lexus 1S300, CR's pick for best upscale sedan, also earned the top marks for safety. Consumer Reports introduced the CR Safety Assessment two years ago to provide consumers with comparative safety ratings for vehicles within the same weight and size category. The CRSA helps car-shoppers choose a safer vehicle for their families by combining crash-test results produced by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (US government) ), a government agency, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is a U.S. non-profit organization funded by auto insurers. It works to reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes, and the rate of injuries and amount of property damage in the crashes that still occur. (IIHS IIHS Insurance Institute for Highway Safety IIHS Institute of Integral Handwriting Studies ), an organization sponsored by the insurance industry, with CR's accident-avoidance performance ratings. CR's accident avoidance ratings are based on its test results for braking performance and emergency handling-the tests that carry the most weight-in addition to its evaluations for acceleration, visibility, driving position, and seat comfort. CR only includes vehicles in its CRSA for which it has both IIHS frontal-offset-crash results and either frontal- or side-crash results from NHTSA in addition to its own performance tests. The 50th anniversary auto issue also takes a look back at some of the safety issues covered in CR over the last five decades--safety belts, brakes, air bags, child safety-seats, and vehicle rollover--and the improvements as well as our involvement in these areas. |
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