Of the five human senses, sight accounts for 90% of a driver’s ability to react to oncoming hazards and dangerous road conditions. This being the case, it stands to reason that headlights are one of the most important (if not the most important) safety features on your vehicle. The more nighttime driving you do, the more valuable a good set of headlights will be to you. The purpose of this article is to share with you the hottest new technology to hit the world of headlights (LED) and explore the benefits it has over traditional headlights.
Hands down, the most significant advantage that LED headlights have over traditional headlights is the visibility they provide. LED headlights produce a crisp, clean, bright white light that effectively turns night into day. A really well-designed LED headlight will meet all on-road regulations, eliminate glare for oncoming traffic, and have a beam pattern that lights up parts of the road you’ve likely never seen before at night!
LEDs utilize solid-state construction – meaning that there are no breakable bulbs, fragile filaments, or sensitive electrodes like those found in incandescent, halogen, or HID lighting. For this reason, LEDs are the perfect choice for trucks that travel roads with bumps, curves and potholes that cause traditional headlights to prematurely fail. Investing in a good pair of LED headlights will not only save you money on replacement parts and labor, but the time and inconvenience that a failed headlight will also cost you.
Another advantage that LEDs have over traditional headlights is their superior lifespan. One LED headlight will out-live 300+ incandescent headlights, 50+ halogen headlights, or 20+ HID headlights. Install LED headlights and it’s likely you’ll have to replace your truck before you have to replace the lights!
We’ve all seen news stories about the deadly consequences of falling asleep at the wheel, but did you know that the type of headlights you use can be a significant factor in either causing or preventing driving fatigue? Studies show that our body’s internal clock (called the circadian rhythm) is linked to the cycle of night and day. More specifically, our brains interpret the color temperature of light we’re exposed to and then tell the body whether we should be alert or at rest. Traditional headlights have a color temperature that closely resembles sunset – the time of day that our brain tells the body to prepare for sleep. LED headlights, on the other hand, closely mimic the characteristics of a bright noon day sun when the body is most awake.