HOUSTON – A new study found that many car headlights aren't working as well as they should.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety suggests it may not be the driver's eyesight but their headlights that doesn't allow people to see as well at night.
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The research shines a light on more than 30 midsized car models.
The Toyota Prius is the only model tested to receive a good rating. Of the rest, about a third were rated acceptable, a third marginal and another third poor.
The Prius V earned the top spot for its ability to illuminate a straight roadway enough to see a pedestrian or any obstacle up to 387 feet away, giving a vehicle traveling up to 70 mph time to stop.
Among the poorest performing cars, the BMW-3 series they were only able to light up to 128 feet ahead.
The organization based their study on how well automobiles project light down the road, rather than the intensity of the bulb at the source.
According to the study, nearly half of all traffic deaths happen at night or during dawn and dusk when visibility is poor.
Toyota officials declined to comment to the Associated Press, and BMW did not immediately reply to NBC News' request for comment