Cloudy headlights can compromise a driver’s vision, putting motorists and their passengers at risk of accident and injury. Though it’s easy to overlook headlights when performing routine vehicle maintenance, drivers should know that, as headlights age, they become discolored and develop a hazy or yellowed appearance due to exposure to the sunlight, pollution, ozone and chemicals used in car washes.

As headlights become increasingly hazy, they emit less light and glare increases significantly.

“Driving with headlights that have become clouded over time leaves drivers vulnerable to risky driving conditions,” said Ann-Marie Hines, senior marketing manager of Philips Automtoive. “These dim headlights function improperly for drivers, limiting the amount of light on the road, and actually dramatically increase the glare that other drivers see.”

Fortunately, ensuring optimal headlight performance can be relatively simple and dramatically improve visibility, ensuring the safety of drivers and their passengers.

* Clean headlights before driving in inclement weather. Drivers know to clean their windshields before hitting the road in snowstorms, but few drivers exercise the same caution with their headlights.

Salt from snowy roads or debris blown about from seasonal winds can accumulate on headlight lenses, decreasing their effectiveness and light output as a result. So before hitting the road in inclement weather, be sure to remove any dirt or film from headlight lenses that might have built up over time.

* Address headlight issues before they appear. Though headlights will inevitably wear down over time, drivers can still take preventative measures to improve the performance of their headlights so their visibility is not compromised.

The Philips Headlight Restoration Kit includes a pre-treatment that provides long-lasting UV protection for headlight lenses. Thanks to the kit, which also includes a cleaner/polish and restorer/protector, drivers can restore a headlight lens in as little as 30 minutes.

Drivers hesitant to perform their own restoration can calm their nerves by taking advantage of a short how-to video that shows motorists how to restore headlight lens clarity in a matter of minutes. The video, which can be found at www.philipsautolighting.com/headlightkit, can help drivers restore their headlights to “like new” quality while increasing visibility and reducing glare.

* Replace headlight bulbs. Much like light bulbs used in a home, headlight bulbs tend to wear down over time. Humidity, electrical resistance, filament fatigue and general usage combine to reduce the light output of headlight bulbs, which experts recommend should be replaced every two years.

When replacing headlight bulbs, drivers can upgrade existing bulbs with a new generation of high performance light bulbs that mark a dramatic improvement over the traditional halogen bulbs which are standard on many vehicles.

Philips Upgrade Headlight Bulbs are designed to put substantially more light on the road while creating a better beam pattern that is much longer than that produced by standard halogen bulbs.

Available in a variety of brands, these uniquely designed bulbs are even tailored to meet specific driver’s needs, ensuring commuters, soccer moms and sports enthusiasts won’t fall victim to poor visibility no matter where their travels take them.

* Routinely clean your vehicle’s glass and mirrors. Dirty and aging headlight lenses are not the only thing that can compromise a driver’s vision on the road. Debris and film buildup on windshield glass and on rear- and side-view mirrors can reduce vision, especially for drivers who smoke inside their vehicles.

Make cleaning the glass and mirrors inside and outside of your vehicle part of your routine vehicle maintenance. Such cleaning won’t take very long, but it will significantly improve visibility. When cleaning side-view mirrors, be sure to properly adjust them to eliminate blind spots. More information is available at www.philips.com/automotive.