Why the Feds Won't Let Us Have Volvo's Smart Headlights

Driving unlit back roads in the late hours of the night is one of the rare moments of solitude in motoring. Just you and the relaxing dull rumble of the engine, with your high beams cleaving a swath through the thick black night. But every few minutes, a set of headlights pops into view, breaking your zen-like driving flow as you reach to flip the high beams off.

But what if it was possible to drive dark roads uninterrupted, and you didn't even have to flip your brights off to stop from dazzling the odd oncoming car? Automatic high-beam toggling isn't a new concept?GM flirted with it nearly 60 years ago with the autronic eye?and ever since the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee automakers have used complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor sensors to detect headlights and shut off the brights. But recently, automakers such as Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen are experimenting with complex tracking systems to automatically adjust high beam range just outside of any oncoming vehicle; now, joining in the quest for illuminatory cruise control, is Volvo and its "Active High Beam Control" technology.

Available on the 2014 S60, V60, and XC60, the Swedish automaker's tech functions much like the rest of the industry: A camera scans the road for nearby cars and continually adjusts the beam to keep the headlights from blinding fellow drivers. While Audi's system is able to turn off individual LEDs, VW tilts the bulbs away, and Merc's and BMW's selectively either lamp, Volvo keeps the high beams locked on and simply shades portions of the light that would otherwise blind the other car, to within a 1.5-degree accuracy.

Although this headlight tech might seem trivial?there are sure to be curmudgeons who argue it solves a non-existent problem?the effect is surprisingly profound. There's certainly an odd pleasure derived from watching a complex system handle a mundane task with a cold efficiency no human could replicate. Beyond the gee-whiz factor, Volvo is billing this new high-beam management system as a safety feature, one capable of keeping the trouble spots on the side of the road illuminated (deer can ruin any driver's day in a split-second) without blinding oncoming traffic.

Unfortunately for U.S. drivers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sees this brave new world of smart headlights as a major safety problem. According to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, headlights aren't allowed to vary their lighting pattern with such dexterity. Until the NHTSA changes its regulations, the U.S. is restricted to a future in which high beams merely shut off at the sight of an oncoming car, and not alter small a portion of their throw distance. Add it to the ever-growing list of things Europe has that we don't.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/auto-blog/why-the-feds-wont-let-us-have-volvos-smart-headlights-15150836?src=rss

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