Headlight Safety Warning

As I was monitoring our Scanner Chat, this caught my attention… “Just going to throw this out there…”

On my way to work this morning, I passed 9 vehicles that had headlights out. In the dark, especially, it is sometimes hard to see the vehicle, which could potentially lead to a wreck. Winter is coming, and headlights are very important to be able to see oncoming traffic. Check your headlights and stay safe out there, everyone!

“I passed a sheriff driving opposite of me this morning with just his fog lights on.”

“I saw 6 from my house on West Overland to the Scottsbluff Mall.”

“The sun had barely broken, so it was still pretty dark out.”

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “about half of traffic deaths occur either in the dark or at dawn or dusk. Better headlights lead to fewer nighttime crashes.”

They recommend “properly aimed low beams that light up the road ahead without temporarily blinding drivers of oncoming vehicles.”

The IIHS does offer some good news, cited below.

“Manufacturers have taken steps to reduce glare as part of their response to IIHS headlight ratings. For the 2023 model year, only 5 percent of the headlight systems tested had excessive glare, compared with 20 percent in the 2017 model year.”

And, “Some of today’s vehicles are available with curve-adaptive headlights. These headlights pivot in the direction of travel based on steering wheel movement and sometimes the vehicle’s speed to illuminate the road ahead. They make it easier to see on dark, curvy roads.”

Be sure to keep your headlights clean and properly adjusted. The life you save could be your neighbor, your best friend, family, or your own.

Think safety first this season!