The Philips Lighting Safety Campaign, launched by Lumileds LLC, is a public service aimed at encouraging service technicians and vehicle owners to change headlight bulbs in pairs, whenever they need to replace a bulb due to damage, failure or when one of the bulbs starts to dim. Headlight bulbs tend to deteriorate and lose effectiveness after a period of two to three years. Typically, motorists only replace the bulb that has burned out or is failing. This is not advisable because replacing just one failed bulb can result in an unbalanced or unpredictable headlight beam and potentially present a safety risk.

From the driver’s perspective, the road ahead will not be properly lit and the driver will not get the full benefit of the vehicle’s headlights as the carmaker originally intended. From the oncoming driver’s perspective, an uneven headlamp beam can create an equally risky safety issue.

The call to replace important auto parts in pairs is not a new concept. Automotive service professionals, technicians and driving safety advocates recommend that tires, brakes, shocks and wiper blades should be replaced in pairs to make sure the vehicle is properly balanced and functioning safely. Lighting is no different. Philips new safety campaign, “Change in pairs” is built around the overall theme: “Don’t compromise on safety, change in pairs. Two new headlamps are safer than one.”

Why replace light bulbs when they get old? According to Ann-Marie Hines, senior marketing manager, Lumileds LLC, the answer is simple. “The filament in a headlight ages with use, time and exposure to the elements,” said Hines. “As a result it becomes fragile and starts to deteriorate, and this causes the light output to diminish. At the end of a typical service life, perhaps 2-3 years, headlight bulbs will likely be projecting a much shorter and less powerful beam light, than when they were new. From a driver’s point of view, this is a critical safety concern.”