Vauxhall headlights a bright idea

Vauxhall has introduced a new non-glare main-beam headlight that offers drivers an extra one and a half seconds reaction time – or the equivalent of 50m on the road driving at 60mph.

More than 900 night-time accidents were caused by objects in the road last year; seeing further and recognising dangers earlier is an obvious advantage and Vauxhall Astra’s IntelliLux LED Matrix headlights enables drivers to do just that.

The key is that this intelligent lighting technology doesn’t dazzle other drivers, enabling Vauxhall drivers to keep the main-beam on permanently.

Instead, the matrix system – eight LED segments on each side of the vehicle – interprets information from a front-mounted camera and adjusts accordingly. When the camera detects light sources from oncoming or preceding traffic, it simply turns off the individual LEDs pointing in that direction, leaving the rest of the road brightly illuminated.

RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said, ‘Technology such as Vauxhall’s new IntelliLux system that gives drivers more time to react is a major step forward. One and a half seconds, the extra reaction time these headlights allow, might not sound like a lot of time, but when travelling at speed it really could mean the difference between life and death.’

Stuart Harris, Vauxhall’s head of Carline brand, said, ‘Vauxhall has always strived to make technological innovations affordable and available, and IntelliLux LED Matrix lighting is the latest example of this.

‘The Brit-built Astra is the first car in its class to get this technology that provides outstanding night-time performance, enhancing safety for the driver and those around them.’