Final Research Report
Final Research Report
Final Research Report
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We are grateful to many people whose efforts have gone into the making of this
report. The success and outcome of this project required a lot of guidance and help
from many people. We are extremely privileged and thankful to Prof. Izhar Ali for
guiding us on each and every step of our report. Furthermore, this project report
and the data given is entirely applicable only in case of given study and in the
Moreover, this report is solely the result of the hard work of Muhammad Hashir
is necessary to design the headlights up to some standards, so that the driver can see the road
information in front of him in time and make a timely judgment. The dazzling of other cars
driver due to headlights comes in the law of torts as it can make suffer the claimant because of
engineering negligence and absence of proper design standards, or safety inspections. Most of
the night-time accidents occur due to this, using high beam headlights of opposite car users;
while if these high beams are not used, the road cannot be viewed with clarity and obstacles
can not be identified in time. Thus, to prevent both situations international laws and standards
have been studied in the report and the two great brands have been analyzed based on these
The two technologies have been compared: BMW adaptive laser lights and Audi digital matrix
LEDs. It has been found that both consist of such technologies that efficiently prevent the
dazzling and glare of drivers by darkening the specified areas, highlighting pedestrians and
traffic signs in front of them, and thus providing a safe and secure travel.
Thus, keeping in view the results of this research, the survey taken, and the analysis performed,
it has been found out that the loopholes or the main factor of accidents in Pakistan were
absence of proper headlights design standards, along with the laws to use these in efficient
manner. If it can be achieved, dozens of lives can be saved, and with efficient headlights, drives
can be smoother, less exhaustive, more focused and above all, it will be safer.
Keywords: dazzling, law of torts, high beam, BMW adaptive laser lights, Audi digital matrix LEDs.
Table of Contents
Cover page __________________________________________________________________ II
Acknowledgments ____________________________________________________________ III
Abstract_____________________________________________________________________ IV
Methodology____________________________________________________ 25
Analysis and Discussion ___________________________________________ 25
Headlights Design Standards ______________________________________ 25
BMW VS Audi: Who will light the way? ______________________________ 29
Traffic Laws in Pakistan __________________________________________ 30
Conclusion ________________________________________________________________ 32
References ________________________________________________________________ 33
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Table of Figures:
Literature Review
1) F. Andrade, C.DE Santos and M. Castro published a research paper on reliability-based
safety evaluation of headlight sight distance. Given that the vehicle headlights represent
the fundamental source of light at night on rural roads, the sight distance provided by
the headlight beam is considered as the main criterion for determining the headlight
designs. This research proposes the use of probabilistic methods for determining the
design of headlights and the sight distance associated with it as opposed to the used
deterministic methods, which are known to present several drawbacks. This research
study has applied the proposed method to evaluate the risk level accompanied by the
curves and uphill and downhill road configurations and has also assessed the effect of
variables involved in headlight sight distance (HSD). A total of 71,334 case studies were
generated by combining the range of values of the variables involved in the HSD as per
the geometric design standard. The risk level associated to each case was calculated by
means of a Monte Carlo simulation. The results showed that variables modeling
headlight features significantly affect the risk level. Moreover, the risk associated to
design outputs that are considered equivalent by the standard varies significantly.
Therefore, the use reliability theory in the development of standards and design guides
2) Lee and Kim found that the obstacle color in nighttime determines the distance at
which it is seen, and that the minimum headlight beam illumination level should be 5
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lux. This highlights the importance of taking night conditions into account in headlights
design.
3) In an official report of Audi R8 by Dr. Michael Hamm and Dr. Wolfgang Huhn, the first
all-LED headlights were introduced. A throwback to the past designs and previous
technologies have been discussed and it has been included that the first LEDs used in
headlight modules were the turn signals in the original hybrid lighting systems
developed in 2004. Now, LED lights are fundamentally different from these. The
working, technological advancements, the new design options that this idea has
opened, and the minimized output and overall energy consumption of the vehicle
lighting have been discussed. LED lights increases the service life and efficiency of the
lighting systems and this ensures the importance of LED technology in the future
according to the report. The report also confirms the high efficiency of 85% in terms of
light being monochromatic and emitting almost parallel lines. Furthermore, the
accordingly are also mentioned in the report. It concludes that the headlights are the
components where the requirements of road safety and the demands of modern,
innovative design meet head on. Today’s headlights already have a much lower power
energy savings and reductions in CO2 emissions of up to 70 %, whilst retaining the same
lighting quality, if LEDs are used for all the lighting functions. LED technology is still in its
infancy, but it promises exciting technical and design solutions in the future.
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4) In a thesis submitted by Danielle Fortier, the problem of not standardizing the headlight
drivers are confronted with headlights differing in size, separation distance, and
brightness and due to which many motor vehicle accidents involve a driver's
variables were investigated, with regards to their effect on the estimation of distance of
In each experiment, ten adult subjects estimated the distance to a simulated vehicle's
distance between the lights. The apparatus consisted of a long dark tunnel in which
extraneous cues to the distance of the actual light stimuli were reduced. Dark adapted
observers sat at one end and viewed light stimuli presented as one pair of "headlights"
distance in the form of three pairs of simulated headlights were presented to set a
general scale of response. Test presentations of lights varied around the three
standards, or target distances. The stimuli ranged from 40% less bright, less large, or less
distance between the lights to 40% brighter, larger, or more separation distance, around
Both the effects of "target distance" and "levels of variation" were highly significant.
Positive linear trends were found for both factors. Pairwise comparisons revealed that
the power of discrimination in observers was better with the larger variation in size of
lights, brightness, and distance between lights. The errors made in estimating the
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standards established were not significant; neither were correlations between age,
years of driving experience and the error of these estimations. Lack of consistency in
the three variables under study. On the other hand, further research on direct distance
Moreover, Failure statistics have also been discussed in the research. It has been
mentioned that according to the Nova Scotia Department of Highways, 17,918 accidents
happened between January and December 1984, 170 of which were fatal. A
dark where roadway lighting was missing (39%). Similarly, Perel, Olson, Sivak, and
Medlin (1984) found the nighttime accident rates to be three times the day rates
Sometimes, accidents are attributed to adverse weather conditions which, like rain and
fog, restricted visibility, and conspicuity of the vehicle. Also, the design goal of
subjecting oncoming drivers to excessive glare. There are several headlamp design
characteristics which can influence driver vision including beam pattern, intensity, and
lamp construction.
The lack of standards being operational is also discussed. Since present headlight
standards are for the most part performance specifications of brightness and light
output, considerable latitude is allowed in the size, shape, location, and other physical
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attributes of the lighting device. Hence, standardization of headlight design would allow
drivers to develop consistent expectations of the distance to oncoming cars and would
5) Aleksanteri Ekrias, Marjukka Eloholma, Liisa Halonen, Xian-Jie Song, Xin Zhang and
Yan Wenb presented a research paper focusing on the lighting systems on roads that
provide vertical clarity as well as the car headlights that in their turn illuminates the
road surface, roadsides and in addition, any non-horizontal objects in the area. The
study is done specifically for China, but the results are also applicable in various other
areas. This paper objects on lighting dimensioning and lighting quality of vehicle lighting.
The work considers the factors that are important in creating optimal lighting conditions
and luminous environment for night-time driving. The work is based on simulating,
measuring, and analyzing traffic lighting. The work introduces a new method for road
method based on a real scene is also introduced. This method avoids several complex
processes such as absorption, scatter, reflection, etc. With the use of the presented
simulation methods in the design of headlights, the design process can be made more
efficient with decreases in costs and the developing period. It is important to consider
the combined effect of fixed road and street lighting and automobile lighting when
analyzing and optimizing the visual environment in nighttime driving. The imaging
technology and new type of measurement equipment provide feasible tools for this
6) The safety of car-driving relates to automotive headlamps’ quality. When we are driving
at night, headlamps not only illuminate the road ahead to provide drivers with a bright
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and broad vision, but also avoid causing head-on car drivers’ glare. With the
demands for headlamps. This has been the main part of research published by
Xiangbing Zhu in the Journal of Physics 2011 as an optical design and simulation of LED
automobile safety. With the improvement of optical efficiency and heat dissipation’
technology of white LEDs, it becomes feasible to design low-beam headlamps with LEDs.
The principle of B-spline surfaces is used to construct the free-form surface reflector
meeting the requirement. First, the initial B-spline surface reflector is established based
on the light source structure, emitting features and capability of light distribution.
Optical simulation is carried out according to the principle of ray tracing. And then the
The segmented surfaces fine-tuning method and the method of trial and error are used
to trim the part that failed to meet requirements gradually. The vector groups of
surfaces are obtained. Finally, the desired free-form surface reflector meeting the ECE
regulations is got. The experimental results can meet the standard of photometric
characteristics. The impact of the technique showed in this paper in the field of LED
reflects the control of light-range of motor vehicle headlights. The apparatus for control
adjusting devices; at least one electro-optic sensor detecting actual values of light
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analyzer/control unit connected to the at least one electro optic sensor and the
adjusting devices to control the adjusting devices and the headlight orientation
according to the sensor signal. To maintain the light-range of the headlights regardless
of load conditions, the analyzer/control unit contains a memory device for storing data
including set values of the light intensities for a desired headlight orientation and for
storing other data including actual values of the reflected light intensities for actual
headlight orientations when the headlights are set in the actual orientations; a
comparator device for comparing the actual values for different actual orientations and
the set values for the desired orientations; and a control device for controlling the
adjusting devices according to the comparator device to set the headlights in various
other actual orientations until the differences between the set values and actual values
are minimized to determine the actual orientation closest to the desired orientation.
Prevention. The main reason for accidents in roads having steep turns and curved roads
in hilly areas is due to the presence of blind spots. Blind spots are the areas around the
vehicle that cannot be directly observed by the driver. These areas cannot be seen
directly by looking forward or by looking through either of the side mirrors. Blind spots
may occur due to inappropriate positioning of the vehicles’ side mirrors, thickness of the
A-pillar, height, and width of the vehicle, etc. Other causes of blind spots are steep
curves in roads, lack of visibility due to weather conditions etc. Blind spots can occur
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due to the condition of the driver as well. Poor infrastructure, like improper streetlights
create problems for the driver, especially in the highways. These blind spots must be
eliminated for safe driving. Temporary blindness of the driver can occur due to dazzling
of headlamps. Dazzling occurs when the headlights of the vehicle coming in the opposite
direction falls directly into the eyes of the driver. This result in the driver being blinded
for some time and in turn increase the probability of accidents. This problem is more
prevalent when the road is curved. A vehicle with normal headlights sends the light rays
tangential to the curve. Thus, the probability of dazzling of lights in the eyes of the
driver of the vehicle coming in the opposite direction is very high. This driver, with his
eyes momentarily blinded, can go off the curve and off the road and create a major
accident, hence, killing him and others on the road. This paper focuses on the design
illuminate blind spots while driving in the night and during the times when the visibility
is reduced significantly so as to make the objects visible in those darkened locations and
thereby prevent accidents. The system functions in accordance with the controlled input
from Atmel AT89S52 microcontroller unit which drives the stepper motors connected to
the headlights. The system is also designed to receive input from the indicator switch
wherein a full turn is achieved by the headlight mirror when the indicator input is given.
Also, the adaptive headlights are automatically switched on when the amount of light
measured by a photo diode falls below a threshold, thereby eliminating the need for the
Vehicle Occupant Fatalities by Day and Night under NHTSA (National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration) collects the data on the traffic fatalities that occur during
different times. Out of the 43,443 people who died on the Nation’s highways in 2005,
nearly 73 percent were occupants of passenger vehicles. This data is from National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), which
annually collects crash statis- tics from 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto
Rico, and is made available by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA).
This research note looks at the various patterns among passenger vehicle occupant
fatalities based on time of day. Nationwide almost half (49%) of passenger vehicle
occupant fatalities occur during nighttime. This coupled with the fact that approximately
25 percent of travel occurs during hours of darkness, the fatality rate per vehicle mile of
travel is about three times higher at night than during the day. Hence, this report
10) In a report of Pak Wheels by Ahmed Shehryar on The Legal Action to be Taken Against
Use of HID (High Intensity Discharge) in Vehicles, it has been stated that in a bid to
reduce the number of road accidents, the City Traffic Police Lahore has decided to take
legal action against the use of HID lights in vehicles. According to the report, Captain (R)
Liaqat Ali Malik who is the Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Lahore has declared the use of HID
lights on vehicles as illegal owing to the visibility issues it brings due to the higher
intensity of light. Legal action will be taken against anyone violating the law. High-
intensity discharge (HID) headlamps have been a nuisance for all the road users in the
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city for a long time. HID lamps emit light that is almost two to three times brighter than
the conventional headlights with higher intensity as its name suggest. These headlamps
can easily turn into a painful experience for the drivers coming from the opposite
direction and create a blindness hazard. Although the HID’s make the view much clear
for the drivers as they can see further down the road, but the extreme intensive nature
of emitting light is a threat to others. Therefore, keeping in mind these issues and a
social protest by the public, City Traffic Police Lahore has decided to start taking legal
action against its users to enforce the law with its full effect.
11) According to Dawn News in the paper of Sep 21, 2019, High beams lights in vehicles
purchase, and installation of High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights by vehicle owners as it
causes road accidents, sources told Dawn. Earlier, a similar notification was issued on
Thursday by the District Administration but was withdrawn later on, the officials said.
The ban was imposed with immediate effect for a period of two months, the fresh
notification said. The sources said the decision had been after a number of complaints
received by Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqat against the use and
installation of the HID in vehicles. Such HID lights blind driver of the vehicle coming from
the opposition side which resulted into accidents, they said, adding substandard HID
lights also available in markets often resulted into short circuit and causes fire in the
vehicle.
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Headlights are utilitarian mostly. They illuminate the way. An obvious necessity, they might not
appear as the most important design feature on a car, but they determine the personality of
the vehicle. The shape, type of bulb, and amount of omitted light have come a long way since
the birth of automobiles — in fact the first cars did not even have headlights. They became
illuminate the road ahead. In the most precise usage, headlamp is the term for the device itself
and headlight is the term for the beam of light produced and distributed by the device [1].
the automobile. These carriages had lamps with candles and oil burning lanterns [2]. The
automobile did not appear until the late 1880s. At first there was no lighting on a vehicle and
no nighttime driving. Although the electric light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison in 1879,
the first lighting on automobiles was not electric headlamps. When people started driving at
night, the first vehicle lighting devices were oil (kerosene) burning lanterns. These lighting
devices provided a signal to drivers of other vehicles and carriages, and also to pedestrians.
They did not provide any substantial illumination on the road, which was badly needed because
the roads were often in poor condition and people were not able to see objects in the road. At
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the turn of the century the use of the automobile was limited because people were not yet
In 1911 the first electric headlamps were installed as standard equipment on some U.S.
passenger cars. However, the volume was extremely low. In 1912 the first vehicle-wide wire
harness, electric starter, and electrical system were installed (Johnston, 1996). This allowed an
increased use of electric light sources and significantly increased the installation of electric
headlamps on vehicles. It was at about this time that the U.S. driver position was established on
‘’ This regulation provided that wherever there was not sufficient light on the highway to
make all substantial objects visible for a distance of at least 150 feet (45.7 m), the lamps which a
motor vehicle was required to display, should throw sufficient light ahead to make clearly visible
any such object within the specified distance. They provided further that any light thrown ahead
or sidewise should be so directed that no dazzling rays should at any time be more than 3.5 ft
(1.1 m) above the ground 50 ft (15 m) or more ahead of the vehicle, and that such light should
vehicle.’’
Along with technical product developments, standards and regulations were also being
written. In 1918, the first joint IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) and SAE (Society of
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developed. Vehicles only had one beam, much closer to a high beam than what is now
considered a low beam. Four test points were determined for measuring the beam pattern. The
specification was written for the combined light output from both headlamps on a vehicle—the
Before 1924, all headlamps generated a single beam pattern, best described as a spot
beam resembling today’s high beam. In the middle twenties the first two-beam system was
developed (Moore, 1958). The two-filament automotive bulb was invented, which enabled a
high- and low beam pattern to be created in one headlamp assembly. In these bulbs, the high-
beam filament was placed on the focal point and the low-beam filament was mounted above
and to the left. Thus, when 8 switched to the low beam the beam pattern moved down and to
the right (side shifting). This arrangement of the filaments continued until the middle 1950.
regulators with responsibility for lighting, asked the GTB (Groupe de Travail Bruxelles), the
international automotive lighting and light signaling expert group, to study and recommend one
harmonized worldwide headlamp beam pattern. The GTB Coordinating Committee was
established for this purpose, consisting of the chairmen of several international lighting
commissioned to provide guidance in the harmonization process. This study (Sivak and
Flannagan, 1993) considered expert opinion, current practice, and research evidence
concerning visibility and glare [3]. Sivak and Flannagan (1993) recommended four test points
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that should be made common throughout the world, as a first step towards a fully harmonized
beam pattern. With slight modifications, these four test points were recommended by GTB to
GRE as shown in figure. Starting with these four test points, the rest of the beam pattern was
established by the GTB Coordinating Committee to provide spread light, foreground limits,
adequate overhead sign light, additional controls on glare, veiling glare limits, and gradient
definition. Considerable progress has been made within the GTB, although the previously
mentioned differences in priorities between the U.S. and Europe concerning glare and seeing
light still exist. Changes in the beam pattern have resulted in improved seeing light and wider
spread light; sufficient illumination on signs is retained without causing undo glare for
oncoming traffic; and gradient values are specified that allow for relatively accurate
Engineering Innovations
Over the years, many headlight technologies have been altered and many innovations have
been made to the cause. The most innovative designs mainly include the effective shapes, use
of cameras and sensors for adjustments of lights, the technology behind its widespread and
brighter view etc. The headlights have been the main concern for the past few years as it has
been found that 73.83% accidents occur due to the blinding headlights in night-time [4].
Headlights can literally make the difference between life and death [5]. Some of the main
▪ Mercedes Benz (S-Class) Coupe: This luxurious vehicle is the perfect combination of
engineering and beauty. Forty-seven (47) Swarovski crystals have been embedded in
each of the two headlights of this beauty used for the daytime-running lights and for the
▪ Dodge Challenger SRT: The light output is not what is the most impressive, but it is the
input. This engineering beast uses the hellcat’s headlights as air intakes. The car consists
of the 707 Horsepower V8 Engine that requires a large amount of air intake for its
cooling and heat dissipation, thus the lights serve the purpose as it is one of the ways
the massive engine gets the needed air. It is also termed as the “air-catcher”.
▪ Ford GT40: Ford with its crystal diamond headlights concept, are not just brighter and
more efficient than many of common lights; Ford claims these lights will make
▪ Alpha Romeo 4c: The exposed carbon fiber look, elegant design and the unique layout
on these cars’ headlights are what really make them stand out.
▪ Audi R8: The car comes with bright digital matrix headlights along with the automatic
alignment technology that adjusts the lights according to the incoming traffic,
pedestrians, and traffic signals. They also imprint digital signs ahead the user for better
clarity and quick response. These headlights were first used on Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro
race cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France before they were brought to Audi road
cars [6].
▪ BMW I8: It comprises of the Laser lights containing the adaptive light technology which
adjusts the headlights adapting the road environments which includes the incoming
traffic and the pedestrians etc. In addition, BMW laser lights are 30% more energy
The latest and most innovative designs for the headlights have been found in the two great
automotive brands which have been the main purpose of this research report as they are
different from other common light technologies and they greatly contribute to the most
▪ Audi
Purpose of Research:
The main purpose of this report is to examine the international engineering design
standards and their implementation in country of Pakistan. BMW and Audi can provide a great
guidance in this case study which will be used to analyze the drawbacks in our systems and the
laws associated.
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Lights in Motion
BMW Adaptive Laser Lights
Multiple headlight technologies have been employed by BMW over the years. They have
come through the halogen lights to the standard LEDs and at the latest they have been using the
laser headlights with adaptive lighting technology which include the cornering light and the BMW
selective beam, that aim to optimally improve road illumination in dark conditions.
The BMW adaptive LED headlights rely solely on diodes for both beam phases (short and
high) to illuminate the road and can actively adjust themselves depending on road conditions,
Almost a nocturnal revolution has been made by these laser lights that have a scope of
600 meters, less power consumption and more light intensity. BMW I8, the first ever car with the
latest technology in the field of light research, comes in the market in 2014. But the question
beams of light are produced, each having similar wavelengths. The laser’s light waves are in
phase, means the crest and troughs are both aligned to produce a monochromatic, narrow, and
In BMW lighting systems, the light from three single laser diodes is conducted to a highly
concentrated, strongly clustered beam of light. This is channeled through a reflecting surface on
the inside of the headlamp towards a yellow phosphorous panel by means of which the
transformation from blue light to white takes place. The motivation behind the design and
technology have been shared by the BMW official engineers to be the new type of light sources
that have been used in the medical sector in Japan [11]. These sources have been investigated
and concepts have been developed. The light concept in actual use combines various light
sources in one headlamp including the laser light for the high beam boosters and the LED
technology for conventional lighting. These laser lights are 30% more energy efficient in their
The laser lights pose an issue due to their high intensity beams of glaring. This possible
glare has been completely avoided by using camera based high beam system. It detects the
oncoming traffic and then switches automatically from high to low beam and if the road is free
again, it switches again to high beam with a full range of 600 meters.
Hence, the laser light technology ensures considerable boost of security. Driving is less
exhausting, and obstacles, pedestrians or crossings and traffic signals can be spotted far earlier.
▪ Once the driver passes 45 miles per hour of speed, the laser light automatically boosts
▪ It provides excellent visibility through intense lighting without dazzling other drivers.
▪ The dynamic light spot with the laser light is an early warning system with a bright
100 meters in events. This ensures the driver and the person approaching are very
▪ The camera system also detects narrow passages far ahead. The narrow passage
guidance light laser marks the exact vehicle width on the road and shows whether the
▪ These laser lights have been made from organic materials, each thinner than 0.1% of an
way with more innovations and improved performance. Audi has been pushing the limits of
vehicle lighting technology for many years. Its most recent innovation is the digital Matrix LED
headlight for the new Audi e-Tron Sportback [12]. It offers new features that make driving safer
and more secure, for everyone on the road. This technology has now been used for other road
cars too. The headlights consist of one million pixels and can project lights to the walls just like
any projector. One major advantage is the lane and orientation lighting for highways, in which
the headlights emit a carpet of light up to 50 meters long brightly illuminating the driver’s
current lane and adjusts dynamically during lane changes. Dark spots are used for showing the
position of car in lane. Also, the main headlights can exclude other vehicles from the beam of
light even more precisely, to avoid blinding them driving opposite to the car. At the beginning
and end of a trip, the digital Matrix headlights can generate dynamic loops. These are
animations that display geometric lighting patterns on the garage door or the ground. These
animations also help while driving making road signs visible ahead of driver and making a virtual
only a few hundredths of a millimeter. Electrostatic fields allow the mirrors to be tilted at a rate
of up to 5,000 times per second. The mirrors’ position determines what happens to the light
generated by the three LEDs. A lens system directs most of the light onto the street; when a
particular area should be dimmed, the necessary light is directed to an absorber that swallows
it up.
The digital matrix system splits the traditional single headlight beam into dozens of
smaller rays that can be turned on and off in order to darken some areas or illuminate specific
areas with more intensity in the front of car. The earlier Audi headlights uses 32 diodes per side
controlled by a forward-facing camera [14]. At the latest, reflective chip is used about the size
millimeter each, meaning a much more accurate and pixelated beam can be generated
The high beam of light is divided into individual segments and a camera identifies the
area in which the vehicle is approaching from or driving ahead in. The high beam is then
dimmed in precisely that area. The dynamic turn signals play a vital role in the design of
headlights. The turn signals go from inside to outside so the direction in which the vehicle is
H M 3 2 2 | 24
turning can be seen clearly; even when the vehicle is partially obscured. Here are a few features
▪ A 50-meter light carpet that is designed to keep light within the driver’s lane and
extends the carpet left or right when changing lanes and helps to avoid a “blinding”
▪ Low-beam curved lighting that bends below oncoming traffic and can help illuminate
people or objects on the side of the road, which are otherwise difficult to detect.
▪ Electrostatically controlled micromirrors that can adjust light beam pixels up to 5,000
▪ On-ground light arrows that place the vehicle’s tires within its lane.
the two headlights (BMW and Audi) considering the international laws. Furthermore, this
report intends to find various laws made accordingly in the country of Pakistan and
investigation of existence of loopholes whether in the law and standards of the state or
For this purpose, the data of road accidents of Pakistan have been collected, multiple
reports expressing the already present laws and standards have been inspected. A survey has
also been conducted among the students and faculty of Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of
Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI) [15]. An analysis has been caried out to assess the
formulation of engineering behind the most famous headlights (BMW and Audi). This
comparison would result in the common safety standards caried out by these brands which
would imply the laws in use and enhance the understanding of road safety in Pakistan. Thus,
this report combines the engineering innovations and the laws that come into act with every
new vision.
see as far ahead as in daylight; they limit the view of the sides of the road. The glare of
oncoming headlights makes seeing the road more difficult. More than 50% of accidents occur
H M 3 2 2 | 26
due to car headlights in night-times. Some of the headlights design standards are mentioned
below:
Aim of Headlights
The aim of headlights is characterized by its height alignment. Most of the people are
unaware of the adjustment of headlight heights. Just like changing the oil, headlights heights
should be adjusted to the proper standard (Figure 1). For adjustment of lights following steps
should be used:
1) Level your car: Remove any access weight and make sure the tires are properly inflated.
2) Position: On a level ground, park the car 3 to 4.6 meters from a wall.
3) Turn On: Turn on the headlights and mark the horizontal and vertical center lines using
4) Height: These center lines should be 1.1 meters from the ground.
6) Adjust the lights: The headlight adjustment screws are found adjacent to the headlights.
The alignment of headlights is also aimed specifically to suit countries that drive on the
right side or the left side. Headlights for use in left lane traffic countries have low-beam
headlamps that dip to the left, the light is distributed with a downward/left-hand bias to show
the driver the road and signs ahead without blinding oncoming traffic and vice versa for
countries that drive on the right side with most of their light directed downward/right hand.
Thus, the main function of the adjustment of headlights is to prevent the oncoming
traffic from being dazzled and having a clear and focused view of the road ahead.
Headlights Color
Bulb color temperature, or more accurately, correlated color temperature describes the
spectrum of energy released by a light bulb and is rated in kelvins [16]. The standard
measurement for light output for the car headlights is the lux or lumen. The term lux describes
how much illumination is produced by a light source at a given distance. It stands to reason that
any lux rating should include a distance at which the measurement was taken while lumen
Our eyes react very differently to different light colors. Blue to purple light has shorter
wavelengths than orange and yellow light and can cause eye fatigue. Most factory-installed
lighting systems use bulbs with a color temperature in the 5000 to 5500 K range as a standard
[16]. This temperature strikes an excellent balance between light output and appearance.
The studies showed that yellow lights, with color temperature of 3000K, are less
dazzling to other drivers, making it a safer color for headlights [17] [18]. Yellow light also cuts
through rain, snow, and fog better than white or blue light. That is why these lights are
Safe Driving
For safe driving, some rules and laws have been constituted. Some of these have been
mentioned below:
According to NRMA:
• Use your headlights on high beam on any road, even if there are streetlights.
-When you overtake another vehicle, you may briefly flash high beam immediately
-At any other time when there is not enough daylight to be able to see a person wearing
According to CMV (Central Motor Vehicles) rule number 106, the construction of headlights
any person
2) At a distance of 0.5 meter to the right side of the lamps, i.e., fitted at right extreme of
According to IIHS:
It takes 1.5 seconds for a driver to react to an unexpected event under ideal conditions.
At a speed of 55 mph, a car travels about 120 feet during this brief period [19]. Once the driver
applies the brakes, it takes more than 144 feet, on average, to stop at this speed.
The low beams of many headlight systems with poor ratings do not provide enough light for a
driver going 55 mph on a straight road to stop in time after spotting an obstacle in his or her
lane. They provide even less illumination on the left side of a straight road and when driving on
a curve. Glare is another common problem. Properly aimed headlights can illuminate the road
ahead without getting in other drivers' eyes. It is also possible to have headlights that provide
and completely serves the purpose they are made for. But there are always some differences,
and each have their own areas of perfections. Although, BMW beats Audi when it comes to
safety across its lineup. BMW's overall average brand safety score is 9.76 out of 10, compared
The similarity between both the types of headlights can be observed in the case that
both consists of the adaptive-lights technology. The headlights adapt the road environments
and adjust accordingly. They detect oncoming vehicles and dim the light of that side to avoid
dazzling for the upcoming driver. The lights also focus on the obstacles and pedestrians while
driving ensuring better control and less need for concentration. The lights also dip when there
is a vehicle ahead to prevent from causing glare to the front car driver. Surface alignment
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systems adjust the headlights according to the road surfaces while driving steep roads or hills
In terms of being energy efficient, BMW leads the way. While the projections made by
Audi really helps in road safety as they project the traffic signs ahead of the vehicle so that they
can easily be seen. They also make it easier to identify if there is a work in progress or any lane
is closed as the warning system initiates markings ahead of the driver. Although, the BMW
lasers are much brighter, Audi digital LED serve the similar purpose just a different way, using
Hence, it can be concluded that the most common factor that is kept in view when
designing headlights is the prevention of dazzling effect and the precise identification of
Now we shall discuss this concluded statement with the laws and standards in Pakistan
guidelines for road safety engineering and national guidelines for vehicle licensing states all the
laws governing to road safety containing the potential hazards of road accidents and solutions
provided to avoid them. It is found that no rule or law pertaining the use of headlights have
been mentioned. Although, the international standards suggest following the design and testing
simulations to be aligned with the SAE laws. SAE J3069 is an SAE Recommended Practice, which
provides test procedures, performance requirements, and design guidelines for adaptive drive
H M 3 2 2 | 31
beam (ADB) systems [21]. The requirements of J3069 intend to restrict the ADB pattern to
values of glare perceived by opposing and preceding vehicles to similar glare values from the
low beam mounted on the same vehicle. Since glare levels from low beams have been defined
by SAE J1383 and federal regulation FMVSS108, the goal of SAE J3069 is not to exceed these
values with an ADB equipped vehicle. Thus, helping the industry to quickly adopt the
According to the survey, In Pakistan among the 73.8% users who drive cars, 47.6% often
use high beams. The reason being addressed resulted in 50% because of less clarity in low
beams, 48.4% because they use it as a warning light, 23.4% users use it only for overtaking
purposes and 22.6% use high beams to increase the spread. When the solution to that being
asked it has been found that high percentage of people were in favor of adaptive headlights
technology. The frequent use of high beam headlights is just because of no road safety laws or
standards for headlight designs in the country. So is the reason for increasing number of road
accidents.
Conclusion
To sum up, headlights are as important to the cars as eyes to the humans. They have
been the symbol of beauty and personality of a car but, it also serves great purposes and can be
a difference between life-or-death situations. The BMW laser lights, and Audi digital matrix
LEDs are the role model designs for engineers of Pakistan. It has been concluded that the
absence of such laws and standards have cause a lot of losses. Therefore, standardized system
of headlights should be implemented to avoid such road accidents and provide focused, clear,
References
Citations
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlamp#cite_note-1
[2] Banta, J. (1940, April 11-June 20). The story of headlights. Guide Light [Company newsletter of
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[3] GRE (Group Rapporteurs Eclairage). 1995. Harmonized passing beam pattern (TRANS/WP.29/
GRE/R.210/Rev.1.Add.1). Brussels: Economic Commission for Europe.
[4] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/74-vehicles-using-blinding-headlights-on-
highways/articleshow/55424160.cms
[5] https://altamere.com/blog/the-importance-of-headlight-
care#:~:text=Headlights%20are%20obviously%20a%20necessary,markings%2C%20signs%20and
%20unexpected%20obstacles.
[6] https://www.insider.com/5-awesome-car-headlights-2016-5#the-bmw-i8s-optional-laserlights-
are-twice-as-strong-as-the-headlights-that-come-standard-1
[7] https://www.businessinsider.com/mercedes-s-class-coupe-headlights-have-swarovski-crystals-
2014-
2#:~:text=But%20Mercedes%20saved%20one%20of,form%20the%20turn%20signal%20lamps.
[8] https://www.wired.com/2016/02/ford-claims-its-new-headlights-make-you-feel-better-so-it-
claims/
[9] https://www.bmwblog.com/2020/03/15/guide-the-different-bmw-headlights-technologies-
explained/
[10]https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/laser/en/
[11]https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/photo/detail/P90185427/national-inventors-hall-of-
fame-washington-professor-dr-sujhi-nakamura-led-and-dr-abdel-hanafi-bmw-laser-light-
05/2015?language=en
[12]https://www.audi.com/en/experience-audi/mobility-and-trends/e-mobility/matrix-led-
headlights.html
[13]https://electrek.co/2020/10/14/audi-headlights-project-images-electric-suvs/
[14]https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/tech/audi-digital-matrix-led-how-does-it-
work/#:~:text=And%20Audi%20has%20taken%20that,light%20small%20areas%20in%20front.
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[15]https://www.giki.edu.pk/
[16]https://www.bestcaraudio.com/understanding-replacement-automotive-headlight-bulb-
color/#:~:text=Most%20factory%2Dinstalled%20lighting%20systems,between%20light%20outp
ut%20and%20appearance.
[17]https://www.vleds.com/led-color-temperature-
differences#:~:text=3000K%20%3D%20YELLOW&text=Yellow%20light%20supposedly%20penetr
ates%20further,increase%20visibility%20to%20oncoming%20traffic.
[18]https://www.powerbulbs.com/us/blog/2020/01/yellow-or-whiter-light
[19]https://www.iihs.org/topics/headlights
[20]https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/bmw-vs-
audi#:~:text=Winner%3A%20BMW,score%20of%209.3%20or%20better.
[21]https://www.ledsmagazine.com/manufacturing-services-testing/article/16695626/sae-adds-
new-standards-for-ledbased-automotive-lighting-magazine
Images
1) NRMA: https://www.mynrma.com.au/cars-and-driving/driver-training-and-
licences/resources/know-the-road-rules-using-headlights
2) CMV: https://www.cars24.com/blog/high-beam-headlights-road-safety-rules/
3) IIHS: https://www.iihs.org/topics/headlights
4) SAE: https://www.ledsmagazine.com/manufacturing-services-testing/article/16695626/sae-
adds-new-standards-for-ledbased-automotive-lighting-magazine
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