VAUXHALL is to introduce pioneering “see round corners” headlight technology in the new Vectra and new Signum next year.

Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) combines swivelling bi-xenon headlights that turn at a 90 degree angle for intersections and narrow corners.

Vauxhall is the first car manufacturer to make this new lighting technology available in midsize cars. The AFL system has been developed jointly by Vauxhall and Hella.

“The system offers a significant improvement in road safety and driving comfort,” says Vauxhall managing director Kevin Wale.

The aim was to make driving in the dark and in bad weather conditions easier and, above all, safer. According to the latest figures from Germany's Federal Statistics Bureau, more than 40 per cent of all automobile accidents resulting in death occur at night, despite the fact that there is up to 80 per cent less traffic on the road than during the day.

Amendments to ECE regulations to allow for the introduction of AFL technology are expected at the beginning of 2003.