With autumn’s naturally longer hours of darkness, you’ll rely on your headlights more to see your way safely on your commute. Every year, poor lighting accounts for an estimated 2.8 million collisions, and fatality rates run three times higher at night. Here’s how to prep for the season ahead:

• Clean the lenses regularly. Snow, slush and accumulated road grime can reduce the light cast by your headlights by as much as 90 percent. Whenever you squeegee your windows during a fill-up, take a few seconds to wash and wipe your headlights, too. You’ll see more on the road, and other drivers will see you better as well.

• Opt for high-output replacement bulbs. Unless you drive a newer, upscale vehicle with high-intensity-discharge (HID) xenon headlights, your car probably has halogen bulbs. Halogens last longer and burn brighter than incandescents in oldfashioned sealed-beam headlights. Most modern halogen bulbs last 500 hours, and some long-life versions last 1,200 hours—about 10 years of average use.  When you do replace the bulbs, consider high-output ones. High-performance brands such as GE Nighthawk and Sylvania Silverstar Ultra produce over 30 percent more light compared to conventional halogens.  Replace headlight bulbs in pairs—even when one still shines—to balance the beams’ brightness, left and right.

• Forget about HID upgrading kits. The high initial current required by HID headlights, combined with other optical quirks, make converting halogen headlights to HIDs problematic for all but the savviest technicians. “You might wind up blinding oncoming drivers,” says Jeff Erion of the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council.  “In our survey of aftermarket HID kits, we didn’t find one that fully complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Some claim that they do, but they don’t.”

If you really want the bright, blue-white light produced by HID headlights, then get them on your next car.