During evening hours pedestrians are tough to spot, even with your headlights on. Consumer Reports’ auto engineers regularly test headlights and know their limitations.
“Even with the best-performing headlights, the driver probably doesn’t have enough time to see, react, and brake for pedestrians or objects ahead," said Jennifer Stockburger with Consumer Reports. "Unless they’re going very slowly.”
The latest night-vision systems help remedy this with advanced infrared cameras that detect thermal heat and make visible what your eyes can’t see. This system is available on the latest BMW 7 Series and other luxury cars.
If it determines that a person or animal is too close or moving
toward your line of travel, it will also give you visual and audio warnings.
The system worked well in Consumer Reports’ evaluations at its test track and would be helpful on dark or foggy roads. The engineers also checked out another system - Dynamic Light Spot. It not only uses infrared technology to detect people or animals but also shines a spotlight.
“For those of us that had the opportunity to drive the Dynamic Light Spot, we thought it worked very well," said Stockburger. "It illuminated pedestrians before we were even able to see them.”
This system is currently available in Europe and Asia, but at this point it’s not permitted in the U.S. Current regulations limit how bright lights can be and prohibits lights that might be confused with emergency vehicles.
