Keep Your Teen Safe With Proper Headlight Care

Seth Smiley of the Smiley Law Firm is here with today’s edition of the Parents of Teen Drivers Facebook Group. Our topic today is, “Keep your teen safe with proper headlight care.”

We are concerned with the maintenance of the headlights, not bright versus dim.

Typically, parents put their teens into an older car because they want them to learn the ropes of how to drive. If you don’t carry out careful headlight maintenance, there is a potential danger for your teenage driver. The AAA put out a recent study where they did some testing on vehicle headlights. There are essentially two elements to the headlight, the bulb which can go out as it ages, and the plastic lens case on the front of the car which can turn cloudy over time. The study discusses the cloudiness, and the headlight getting dimmer over time. The AAA notes that the new halogen and LED lights do improve the situation.

But the plastic covering becoming cloudy is still an issue that can restrict visibility, particularly at night or in inclement weather conditions. You need to make sure you check your teen’s headlights at least annually. You can either take the vehicle to an automotive shop or perform the checks yourself. You can drive the car at night to check that there are at least 300 to 400 feet of visibility so that there is enough time to stop when traveling at 60 miles an hour. The study showed that the lights can dim by up to 20% within three to five years, and older vehicles had an up to 80% reduction in available visibility.

There are headlight repair kits online for $25, so it is a great idea to teach your teen this simple maintenance that they can complete in under an hour. It is a crucial step to keep your teen driver safe, so make sure they do regular checks and make sure their car is in overall good condition to drive. If you have any input about today’s topic, “Keep your teen safe with proper headlight care,” please comment below.