Interpreting data and drawing conclusions

Overview of research plan

To conduct research on the impact of modern headlights on the environment, a survey will be sent out to several peers and family members to confirm that headlights are indeed becoming brighter on a subjective level, and what they believe is the largest contributor to the appearance of brighter headlights. The second question is to define the key contributing factors to take into consideration for secondary research.

For secondary research, the original confirmation will be supported by an objective perspective, taking into account the evolution of headlights starting from the beginning of car manufacturing. After gathering data from the survey, the different factors will be split into categories to be studied, following the Ford F150, the Jeep Wrangler, the Toyota Corolla, and the Honda Accord through three benchmark years, being 1980, 2000, and 2025. These models were chosen due to how common they are through the years chosen, making for an accurate representation of a typical car.

Summary of findings from primary research

After conducting the interviews, the most common complaints from the people that believed that modern headlights are becoming brighter to a problematic extent, were the height of newer cars and the switch to LED headlights. Two of the participants did add that while lift kits are a noted contributor to the height difference with older traffic, the stock heights for many models are drastically taller than they were in the 1980s. One participant noted that there is a population in the car community that changes their headlights due to aesthetics, however they may forget to angle them correctly afterwards.

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Conclusions from summary of findings

Using the data collected and with the information known so far, two primary conclusions can be made. Modern headlights are becoming brighter as LED headlights grow in popularity over halogens, and that the other contributing factors are either made in the factory with certain aesthetics becoming more popular, (i.e., larger cars, LEDs over halogens for less energy consumption, general preference for white light over warm tones,) or through car modifications. A solution for this could be regulations placed on the characteristics of headlights for both factories and the general public to follow.