Volvo To Introduce Active High Beam Technology
Being blinded by an oncoming car's high beam headlights is an annoyance - and a safety issue - that drivers face on a nightly basis. Volvo might have an answer to this pesky problem, at least for the small percentage of Canadians who purchase vehicles from the Scandinavian brand. The automaker has announced new headlight technology that will keep high beams permanently engaged unless traffic is detected in front of the car or crossover, at which point a mechanism inside the headlight will block out enough of the projector to prevent glare.
How does the system work? Volvo makes use of cameras mounted at the top of the windshield, behind the rearview mirror, in order to keep track of vehicles on the road ahead. Dubbed 'Active High Beam' technology, the feature scans for traffic and instantly activates the projector block to make sure no one is blinded either head-on or in their own rearview mirrors.
Volvo will be showing off Active High Beam at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, but it remains to be seen as to whether Canadians will be able to benefit from the system. In the United States, this type of automatic high beam control is not allowed under federal law. Without the U.S. market to spread development costs around, it may not be worth importing special Canada-spec cars with the feature. There is also the question of how snow build-up on the windshield could affect the utility of this headlight system, as it is unclear if disengaging the feature locks the high beams on or off - neither of which is an appealing prospect.
