Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Mrs. Ellman
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what research (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have undertaken on the effectiveness of (i) halogen and (ii) bi-xenon headlights.

Paul Clark
The Department for Transport has commissioned two studies related to the effectiveness of halogen and bi-xenon headlights.

TRL carried out a review of existing research on gas discharge (i.e. bi-xenon) headlights in 1994 to assist in the development of European regulations on the subject.

In 2000, ICE ergonomics at Loughborough University studied headlight glare and driver vision to help establish a basis against which future headlamp performance requirements might be assessed.