Volkswagen 2001 Passat, Manual

Page: 39 / 64

39
The Electrics
More light means more safety
The Passat, model year 2001, uses the BI-xenon
headlight system. The system's improved
luminous efficiency provides higher active
driving safety, because hazards can now be
recognised sooner. The wider range and increased brightness of the
light beam enable the driver to recognise
hazards and reduce speed earlier. Provided the
driver reacts in time, he will be able to stop the
vehicle ahead of the hazard and thereby avoid a
collision.
St
o
p
pin
g
dis
tan
ce 28m
St
o
pp
in
g
dis
tan
ce 2
8
m
without xenon headlight
with xenon headlight
Vehicle speeds:
Car:
50 kph
Bicycle: 25 kph
a) represents the time gain
provided by BI-xenon.
In this example,
exactly 1 s is gained.
Without xenon headlights, the driver does not
see the cyclist until much later.
With xenon headlights, the driver sees the cyclist
earlier and still has enough time to reduce speed.
A
251_019
251_021 251_020