Lincoln MKX Illuminates Road Safety

Lincoln will be incorporating groundbreaking headlights in its all-new MKX crossover by this time next year. Said headlights swivel left and right as the vehicle changes direction. The addition of the new headlights is designed to provide clearer visibility at the same time to serve a good warning to pedestrians and other drivers on the road.

Lincoln MKX, a luxury crossover SUV, is the first Canada-made Lincoln since 1936. It shares the CD3 platform with the Ford Edge, Fusion, Mazda CX-7, CX-9, Mazda6, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr. MKX is also among the first three vehicles of Ford to use the 3.5 L Duratec 35 V6 engine. Compared to Lincoln Aviator parts, MKX made use of a unibody construction for a crossover SUV. The Aviator, its predecessor, uses a truck-based body on frame SUV.

"The idea is to bring the light to the road," said Mahendra Dassanayake, staff technical specialist, "providing the driver with as much information about what's ahead as possible." Dassanayake added, "It swings the beam into the turning lane faster than the car can get there. So it gives the driver the ability to see farther during a turn."

Adaptive headlights have already been incorporated to some models of Land Rover and Jaguar. This time, Ford decided to share the technology to Lincoln MKX. These headlights provide greater illumination even when turning. When cornering, the headlamps can illuminate the road up to 36 feet longer than traditional headlights. Also, the new auto part increases the area of light on the road. "The way the optics in this system work together has not been seen before in the exterior lighting world," said Dassanayake. "Besides being a beautifully designed light, the system helps drivers to take corners and curves more safely -- and consume less energy while doing so."

According to experts, the secret behind adaptive headlights lies on its sensors, computeried controller, and its systems of motors. Sensors deliver information from the steering wheels to the wheels and finally to the controller. Its computerized controller determines the direction of the headlights point and the vehicle's acceleration. The headlights can be further manipulated to point to the right aim.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 42 percent of all crashes and 58 percent of fatal crashes in the United States happen at night or during other degraded visibility conditions. This is one of the great reasons why clear visibility is a paramount consideration.

The all-new Lincoln MKX is scheduled to reach dealer showrooms this month.

Pamela Hewitt is marketing consultant of a successful auto body shop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This 39 year old is also a prolific writer, contributing automotive related articles to various publications. She is also an offroad enthusiast.