A bright feature for headlights

We rented a car while we were on vacation in Canada that had what they called “adaptive driving beam” headlights. This makes a huge difference when you’re driving at night. Why don’t they spend a little extra money in this country and put them on the cars here?

People do rave about adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlights. They increase roadway lighting by up to 86 percent. They illuminate roadways far greater distances and reduce the risk of being unable to stop quickly enough when you’re traveling at faster speeds, and there’s something in the road ahead. ADBs are not allowed under U.S. standards.

Here’s how ADBs work: The lights stay on high beam all the time. But when another vehicle is detected, the area the other vehicle occupies is shaded to prevent glare, so the vision of the other vehicle’s driver isn’t affected.

Even though some newer models in the U.S. have technology that automatically switches between high beam and low beam, that’s not as effective as ADBs because the high beams won’t come on or stay on when there’s another vehicle present.

AAA recently did a study that showed that at a speed of 55 miles per hour, it takes 492 feet for the driver to perceive something on a dark road, react to it, and brake to a full stop. The low beam range is only 400 feet, so there’s a safety gap.

Moreover, when headlamp lenses are scratched and foggy, which is the case with many cars that have been driven more than a few years, the problem is exacerbated. So AAA recommended restoring or replacing cloudy lenses to at least get the best possible out of the existing technology.

We thought our minivan days were done. But a change in circumstances requires us to go in that direction again. We need an all-wheel-drive because of the climate and the terrain where we live, and we’re not finding it. Is that just non-existent in the minivan area?

You can get a Toyota Sienna minivan with an all-wheel-drive. It will start at about $40,000 new.