High-intensity discharge (HID) headlights improve the safety of night driving by projecting light further down the road and increasing the time available for reaction to problems. Typical HID systems project up to 3,500 lumens, while older halogen systems produce a maximum of 2,100 lumens.
Although HID headlights improve the safety of night driving for users, they can cause glare and can (briefly) blind the driver of an oncoming vehicle on any two-lane road. This makes it more difficult for approaching drivers to identify pedestrians and other road hazards. For example, four percent of respondents to a survey cited glare as contributing to their accident; the problem can often be worse for older people or anyone with a vision impairment. More info...
