Poor lighting presents a high safety risk. This can be seen from the fact that the majority of serious road accidents happen at night – even though there are five times fewer vehicles on the roads than during the day. In many cases, these accidents are due to lack of illumination or disturbing glare due to poor automotive lamps.

In 2006, the initiative "Sicheres Autolicht" – Safe Autumotive Lighting – was established by the Electric Lamps Division of the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (ZVEI) to promote quality automotive lighting and thus greater safety on the roads.

The initiative seeks to help raise the quality of automotive lighting with impartial information and the bundled professional knowledge of its lighting experts. The groups it addresses include wholesalers and retailers, auto service centres and end consumers. One focus of its work is public information – because better light = more safety!