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Lighting and signaling regulations vary considerably around the world. There are 3 main regulatory regions: the United States, Europe and Japan. Rules vary in scope as well as in strictly technical requirements. The ECE has published the most comprehensive regulations, covering even headlamp leveling and cleaning devices. Japan has, for the time being, the least extensive ones. Standard lamp Regulations are pretty much alike, with the center high mounted stop lamp being the most notable exception. The most pronounced differences are for headlamps: all values above the horizon line are lower in Europe where being dazzled is not accepted. The cutoff line is also sharper in Europe, where visual aim has been common practice for 70 years. Europe specifies amber rear side markers and amber rear turn signals but prohibits red contour markings as well as rear turn signals and red rear side markers. Differences are more acute in the field of procedures.

Headlamps vertical aim is analysed and discussed in relation to its effects on driving safety during nighttime conditions. The legal requirements in Europe, the U.S. and Japan are strictly dependant on the beam pattern as specified by relevant regulations, but enforcement is often questionable. Progress in lighting technologies may adversly influence the consequences of vertical misaim. This study was designed to identify the causes of misaim, with separate evaluation of human factors and wear during operation of the vehicles. The consequences are divided into two parts (a) for the driver himself and (b) for the other road users. The ise of levelling devices is an approach to improving the accuracy and consistency of vertical aim. The automatic versions eliminate the possibilities of misuse, and the most advanced quick-response devices resolve the problem of transient positions due to vehicle acceleration and breaking.

A fog light is a device that is greatly appreciated by professional drivers and also by those who must often drive through very humid areas, especially during winter months. Water droplets stay suspended in the air, acting as multiple segmented mirrors, which reflects light coming from the headlights in every direction. This gives an impression of a wall of light to the unfortunate driver when not using his fog lights.

In the 80's, it has been possible to significantly improve the lighting efficiency by developing new complex surface reflectors. The ability to lower the reflector's height and to radically tilt the lens, provided a new flexibility of design guided by aerodynamic requirements, while the performance improvements enhanced the security. As the styling and performance demands keep increasing, this will require a tangible improvement of the light source itself. THE DISCHARGE LIGHT must answer this challenge. - Being two to three times brighter than the halogen light source basically used today, the discharge light by comparison with the halogen lamp having the same frontal size, offers the best performances and consequently, the highest safety. (SEE TABLE 1 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DISCHARGE LIGHT)

A newly developed technology for headlamp system design utilizing reflectors of a continuous complex surface, results in headlamp performance and design flexibility previously unachievable. Beam pattern homogeneity, gradients and intensity are significantly improved and at the same time. The physical parameters of the lens can now include vertical and horizontal angles up to 3 times current limits. Current standards can easily be met with light emmitting surfaces of 50 mm in height and 135 mm in width. Larger dimensions would permit corresponding increases in performance. The results of these developments are outlined in this paper.