DENVER -- The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute recently released a study showing that approximately 2,300 pedestrians are killed in the United States annually because of drivers' inability to see at night. In Colorado the state patrol says thousands of crashes involve pedestrians and animals the driver can't see.

Call 7 Investigator Theresa Marchetta tested 10 vehicles at Bandimere Speedway. Distances were marked on the ground in the pit area to measure how well drivers spotted possible hazards at night.

Chris Lechman from Tapps Garage used a headlight aligner to check the headlights on the vehicles. Lechman says a headlight aligner is no longer standard equipment at most garages but he thinks it should be. It shows the strength and direction of the beam.

“What we're looking at is the pattern that the headlight sprays on here," Lechman explained. "At night, you've got to have your headlights aimed just right or you're not going to get that proper distance and you're not going to have that proper time to react."

Lechman found several vehicles with headlight problems.

"Your reaction time and your ability to stop for something on the road is going to be reduced because you're driving at a higher rate of speed. With your low beams on at night you have about the length of a football field to see and safely avoid something at highway speeds," Lechman said. "Stop as soon as you have a clear view of what the object is."

To test volunteers' reaction time at low speeds, a tire was placed some distance away. The "safe" zone was 115 feet away from the tire, meaning the driver would have a chance to safely avoid the tire if he saw it by then.

Several of the drivers couldn't see the tire until they were well-past that "safe" mark.

Dave Castor didn't stop his Saab until he was 69 feet away from the tire. “I definitely couldn't tell it was a tire," Castor said. “That's kind of shocking. I would have had to swerve around it. I don't think at highway speeds you could stop that quick."

Lechman aligned the headlights and Castor tried again with better results.

"The headlights were adjusted and it made all the distance; it almost seems like it's twice the distance," said Castor.

Adam Federspill stopped his Honda Accord at the 90-foot mark. He said, "If I would have been doing highway speeds I would've had to do an emergency maneuver (to avoid the tire) or possibly wrecked."

But the headlights on Jay Burkett's high-profile truck picked up the tire immediately. "I could see it perfectly fine," Burkett said.

The drivers' vision was also tested using a child. Six-year old Andrew stood about 300 feet away. Most drivers easily spotted Andrew at more than 115 feet but all admitted that was too close for comfort, especially at highway speeds.

While traffic laws spell out the height requirements for headlights, there's no law that says they have to work well.

According to Road and Travel Magazine's Web site, "A person's reaction distance at 60 MPH would be somewhere between 67.5 and 135 feet; add braking distance to that and the total is over 300 feet. Put this all together, and on low beams, if something is in your path anywhere within up to 300 feet (the length of a football field), you can't stop in time to miss it. If you cannot steer around it, you're doomed; this is called out-driving your headlights." Click here for more information: www.roadandtravel.com

Here's what you can do right now to make sure your headlights are keeping you safe:

1. Keep them clean. Clean headlights prevent glare caused by dust and dirt.

2. Make sure they're aimed properly. Ask your repair shop to check the aim the next time you get an oil change.

3. Check for chips, scratches or condensation that dim your lights.

Nighttime driving tips from AAA Colorado and the National Safety Council:

1. Reduce your speed and increase your following distance at night.

2. Keep your windshield (inside and out) and your lights (both head and tail) clean.

3. Have your headlights properly aimed. Badly aimed headlights blind other drivers and reduce your ability to see the road.

4. Try to primarily drive on well-lit roads. Keep your speed lower on dark roads to avoid overdriving your headlights.

5. When following another vehicle, keep your headlights on low beams so you don't blind the driver ahead of you. If oncoming vehicles fail to lower their headlight beams, avoid glare from light by focusing on the right edge of the road as a steering guide.

6. If cars behind you are following too closely or if glare from their headlights is bothering you, find a safe place to pull over and allow them to pass you.

7. If you wear glasses, ask your eye-care provider about special anti-glare coating. Have a yearly eye exam to evaluate for conditions that can affect nighttime driving.

8. When driving at night make frequent stops for breaks. If you become tired enough that it affects you ability to drive safely, find a safe and well-lit place to stop and rest.

9. Don't drink and drive. Not only does alcohol severely impair your driving ability, it also acts as a depressant. Just one drink can induce fatigue.

10. Avoid smoking when you drive. Smoke's nicotine and carbon monoxide hamper night vision.

11. Drive with your headlights on. Lights will not help you see better in early twilight, but they'll make it easier for other drivers to see you. Being seen is as important as seeing.

12. If you have car trouble, pull off the road as far as possible. Warn approaching traffic at once by setting up reflecting triangles near your vehicle and 300 feet behind it. Turn on flashers and the dome light. Stay off the roadway and get passengers away from the area.