What is the illumination distance of vehicle lights at night?
3 Answers
Low beams are suitable for about 45 meters, while high beams are optimal for approximately 150 meters. Below is relevant information about vehicle light illumination at night: 1. Varies by vehicle model: Due to differences in headlight models, transparency and size of lamp covers, and the influence of reflector bowls among different vehicle types, the illumination distance of low beams ranges from 30 to 50 meters, and high beams from 100 to 150 meters. 2. High beam preference: Meeting the illumination distance for low beams may result in excessively high high beams, necessitating lowering the headlights to reduce the high beam distance, but ensuring low beam visibility is no less than 30 meters. 3. Low beam preference: If low beams are prioritized, the high beam distance may become shorter without adjusting the height, but when driving at high speeds with high beams, speed should be proportionally reduced; avoid driving too fast.
When I first got my driver's license, I was also very concerned about headlight illumination distance. Later I realized it depends on the situation. For example, the low beams on my sedan can only illuminate about 30 meters at most, while high beams reach around 100 meters. However, the effectiveness drops dramatically in rain or fog - during a heavy rainstorm on the highway at night, I felt like my lights only illuminated 20-something meters, which scared me into keeping my speed below 60 km/h. Another time on mountain curves, my lights were just illuminating the mountain walls. For those installing roof-mounted spotlights, please pay attention to the angle - blinding oncoming drivers is really inconsiderate. Now I regularly check my headlight height against white walls in parking lots and adjust if they're too low. Actually, the most important thing isn't how far your lights can reach, but ensuring they illuminate enough distance for safe braking. When driving at 100 km/h, I need about 60 meters from spotting an obstacle to complete braking, so my lights must illuminate at least that far for safety.
According to national standards, passenger vehicle low beams must illuminate over 30 meters, while high beams should reach 100 meters. This standard is actually quite scientific, factoring in human reaction time and braking distance. When I drive on highways, I often glance at the dashboard - at 120 km/h, the car travels 33 meters per second, making the 30-meter low beam coverage insufficient for even one second. The adaptive high beams in new cars are really convenient, automatically adjusting the illumination range to over 150 meters on highways while instantly dimming when detecting preceding vehicles. However, when I drove my friend's old Jetta recently, its halogen headlights could barely illuminate 60 meters on unlit provincial roads, making me hesitant to exceed 70 mph. Reminder: don't casually upgrade to high-power bulbs - while blown fuses are minor, overheating wires causing fires is truly dangerous.
