When you give it some thought, it’s really the most fundamental rule of automotive safety. If you can’t see something while propelling forward in a machine weighing roughly 4000 pounds or more, there’s a good chance you will hit it. If that thing is also an auto, it’s bad, dangerous, and potentially very, very expensive. If it’s made out of something softer, like, say, flesh and blood, it’s obviously a whole lot worse. At the same time, if others can’t see us, we’re sitting ducks for the potential damage that can be wrought by a 4000 pound object traveling at 20 to 100 miles per hour. It’s really quite scary when you think about it.
That’s why car owners should take advantage of any advances on the market that help in terms of visibility. HID lights — i.e., “high intensity discharge” lights — are now a popular means for motorists to increase the ability to see and be seen, while also having the added benefit of being aesthetically pleasing in the opinion of most car enthusiasts. They are also being used for other vehicles, particularly motorcycles and ordinary bicycles, whose drivers are especially vulnerable and who therefore benefit even more from the increased visibility provided by high intensity HID lights
Of course, lights are just one aspect of the question of seeing and being seen. Another one might seem laughably obvious, but you’d be surprised how often it’s a factor. It’s important for drivers to make sure their vision is up to snuff and, conversely, that they don’t forget to turn on their lights or drive with lamps that are broken. A driver who isn’t wearing the right corrective eyewear out of vanity, laziness, forgetfulness, or lack of funds is a real menace, and an unlit car is danger to itself and any other auto on the road, for pretty darn obvious reasons. Remind your friends and loved ones who have difficulty seeing at long distances to bring their glasses along for the ride, and don’t be afraid to flash your own bright HID lights at any car you see driving at night without its headlights on. It’s simply common decency to try and help others to be a bit safer.