High Beam Assist
SécuritéAverage price
300€ - 900€
The High Beam Assist, also known as High Beam Control, is an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) designed to optimize nighttime lighting and improve safety. Using a camera usually located at the top of the windshield, near the interior rearview mirror, the system continuously analyzes traffic conditions ahead of the vehicle. It detects the headlights of oncoming cars as well as the taillights of vehicles ahead. When the road is clear, the system automatically activates the high beams to provide maximum visibility for the driver. As soon as another light source is identified, it instantly switches back to low beams to avoid dazzling other road users. This automated management not only increases comfort by relieving the driver of this repetitive task, but above all ensures that the high beams are used as often as possible, more effectively illuminating the road, verges, and road signs. The most advanced versions, such as matrix LED systems, can even modulate the light beam to selectively shadow other vehicles while maintaining high beams on the rest of the environment.
Benefits
- ✓Increased safety thanks to maximum visibility when driving at night.
- ✓Improved driving comfort by automating the switch between high and low beams.
- ✓Optimized use of high beams, guaranteeing the best possible lighting in all circumstances.
- ✓Reduction of driver stress and fatigue, who no longer has to worry about dazzling other road users.
Learn more
What is the High Beam Assist?
Night driving presents a challenge for many motorists due to reduced visibility. To meet this need for safety and comfort, manufacturers have developed the High Beam Assist. This is an intelligent driver assistance system that automatically manages the activation and deactivation of the high beams (commonly known as full headlights). Its main objective is simple yet crucial: to provide the best possible lighting without ever dazzling other drivers. By eliminating the need for the driver to intervene manually, this system allows for full concentration on the road, thereby reducing fatigue and the risk of accidents.
How does this technology work?
The brain of the High Beam Assist is a multifunction camera, usually located behind the interior rearview mirror. This camera films the road and image analysis software processes the information in real time.
Vehicle Detection:
The system is programmed to recognize the characteristic light sources of other road users: the white or red headlights of oncoming vehicles and the taillights of vehicles you are following.
Automatic Activation:
If the camera detects no vehicles and the lighting conditions are low (nighttime, tunnel), the system automatically engages the high beams to maximize lighting range.
Instant Deactivation:
As soon as a vehicle is detected within the camera's field of view, the system immediately switches back to low beams (dipped headlights) to prevent any glare. Once the vehicle has passed or is no longer in the field of view, the high beams are reactivated.
This cycle repeats continuously, offering a smooth and rapid transition that dynamically adapts to traffic.
Advanced systems: Matrix lighting (Matrix LED)
Beyond the standard High Beam Assist, which operates on a binary mode (on/off), much more sophisticated technologies exist. Matrix lighting systems, known by names such as Matrix LED (Audi), Multibeam LED (Mercedes), or Adaptive LED (BMW), take the concept even further. These headlights are composed of multiple light segments (diodes) that can be controlled individually. Instead of completely shutting off the high beams, the system will only turn off the segments of the light beam likely to dazzle another driver. It thus creates a dynamic "shadow tunnel" around other vehicles, while continuing to illuminate the rest of the road with high beams. This technology offers the pinnacle of nighttime visibility without any compromise for others.
What are the benefits of the High Beam Assist?
Integrating this technology into your vehicle brings tangible daily benefits:
Active safety:
By using the high beams as much as possible, the driver sees further and wider. Obstacles, pedestrians, animals, or sharp bends are anticipated much earlier, leaving more time to react.
Major driving comfort:
No more fussing with the headlight stalk on winding country roads. The driver can keep both hands on the steering wheel and attention on the trajectory, which considerably reduces mental load and fatigue.
Respect for other road users:
The system is more reactive than a human and prevents oversights. It guarantees never to dazzle another driver, an action that is not only unpleasant but also dangerous.
Once reserved for premium segments, the High Beam Assist is rapidly democratizing. Today, it is found as standard or optional equipment on many models from mainstream brands such as Peugeot, Renault, or Volkswagen, often included in "Safety" or "Visibility" packs. It is a modest investment that radically transforms the nighttime driving experience, making it safer and more serene for everyone.
Finitions équipées
24 finition(s) proposent cet équipement
Volkswagen Volkswagen ID.4
Max (1st generation) (2021-2023)
Škoda Škoda Kamiq
Style (1st generation phase 2 / facelifted) (2024-2026)
Škoda Škoda Octavia
Selection (Facelifted Octavia IV) (2024-2026)
Škoda Škoda Superb
Laurin & Klement (Superb IV B9) (2024-2026)
Associated equipment
Automatic headlight activation
Automatic headlight activation is a driver assistance system designed to improve safety and driver comfort. Using a light sensor, usually located on the upper part of the windshield near the rearview mirror, the vehicle detects variations in ambient light. When the light level drops below a predefined threshold, such as at dusk, when entering a tunnel, in an underground parking lot, or during heavy weather, the system automatically commands the activation of the low beam headlights and tail lights. Conversely, when the light level becomes sufficient again, the lights turn off by themselves. This automation frees the driver from any manual intervention, allowing them to focus fully on the road. In addition to ensuring optimal visibility under all circumstances, this device prevents potentially dangerous oversights and avoids fines related to a lack of regulatory lighting. Often coupled with automatic windshield wipers, it is now standard equipment on the majority of new vehicles, actively contributing to active and passive safety.
Night Vision Assist
Night Vision Assist is an advanced Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) designed to dramatically improve driver perception in low-light or total darkness conditions. Relying on thermal imaging technology, the system uses an infrared camera, typically housed in the vehicle's grille, to detect thermal signatures emitted by living beings (pedestrians, cyclists, animals) and other heat-emitting objects. Unlike traditional headlights with limited range, Night Vision Assist can identify potential hazards up to 300 meters ahead, well beyond the light beam. The grayscale thermal image is transmitted in real time to a digital instrument cluster screen or the central display. The system does not merely display the image; it actively analyzes the scene to identify human or animal shapes. When a collision risk is detected, the system alerts the driver via visual signals (for example, by framing the heat source in red) and audible warnings. On the most sophisticated models, it can even be coupled with the emergency braking system or a matrix lighting system that projects a light flash onto the identified hazard, thus proactively enhancing active safety.
Matrix LED Headlights
Matrix LED headlights represent a major technological breakthrough in automotive lighting and active safety. Unlike traditional or even standard Full LED headlights, this technology uses a matrix of dozens, or even hundreds, of individually controlled light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The system works in tandem with a camera, usually located behind the interior rearview mirror, which constantly scans the road. When it detects a vehicle (approaching from the opposite direction or traveling ahead in the same direction), the system's processor analyzes its position and trajectory in real time. It then selectively and ultra-fast switches off the specific LED segments that would otherwise directly illuminate that vehicle. This creates a sort of moving 'shadow tunnel' around other road users, preventing them from being dazzled. Meanwhile, the rest of the road, particularly the roadside and the area far ahead, remains perfectly illuminated by the high beams. The driver thus benefits from maximum visibility, equivalent to that of high beams, without ever having to manually deactivate them, significantly improving safety and nighttime driving comfort.
Lane Keeping Assist
Lane Keeping Assist, often referred to by the acronym LKA, is an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) designed to prevent unintentional lane departures. Using a camera, typically located behind the rearview mirror, the system continuously detects road markings (solid or dashed lines). If the vehicle begins to drift and approaches a line without the turn signal being activated, the system actively intervenes. Unlike a simple Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system, which only provides an audible or vibrating alert, Lane Keeping Assist applies a slight counter-steering torque to the steering wheel to smoothly guide the vehicle back toward the center of its lane. Some more advanced systems may also use selective braking on the opposite wheels to correct the trajectory. This feature, which is primarily active at speeds above 60-65 km/h, is a valuable aid on highways and expressways, reducing the risks associated with distraction or drowsiness. However, it is not an autonomous driving system; the driver must keep their hands on the steering wheel and remain in control of the vehicle at all times.