Vision Experts: Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology Joins Motor Vehicle Lighting Council as Affiliate Member

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Sept. 22 -- The Motor Vehicle Lighting Council (MVLC) announced today that the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology (DIO) has joined the automotive safety group as an affiliate member. Dr. Phillip Hessburg, president of the DIO, will represent the organization in MVLC activities.

The addition of the DIO, a not-for-profit organization devoted to education and research in the field of ophthalmology and aid to the visually impaired, will further strengthen the council by bringing medical expertise to MVLC's efforts to enhance driver and pedestrian safety by improving lighting and visibility for all drivers.

"We are thrilled that Dr. Hessburg and his organization have joined the council," said Joe Borruso, chairman of MVLC and president and CEO of Hella North America, Inc. "The DIO's expertise related to vision and driving will ensure that we can address vehicle lighting safety from all angles. It also underscores our commitment to working with a variety of organizations, including the Society of Automotive Engineers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to enhance driving visibility."

"The Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology is honored to play a role in the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council," said Hessburg. "We realize that the markedly higher rate of motor vehicle tragedies at night over daylight hours can be significantly reduced by advances in lighting technology."

Located in Grosse Pointe Park, Mich., the DIO is a charitable organization founded in 1972 devoted to eye and vision related issues. The DIO sponsors The Eye and The Auto World Congress -- an event started in 2001 and held every other year. This event brings together medical, automotive, academic, government, aging citizens groups and socioeconomic experts to focus on the relationship between vision and the safe operation of vehicles. In addition, the DIO hosts the prestigious Eyes on Design car show annual fundraiser, which showcases automotive design and designers and pays tribute to vehicles from the past, present and future.

According to Borruso, other MVLC affiliate members include three of the nation's top auto and lighting research organizations: the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Transportation Lighting Alliance (TLA) and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). Other affiliate members include DENSO Corp., GE Lighting, OSRAM Sylvania and Philips Automotive Lighting. Primary members of MVLC are Automotive Lighting Corp.; Decoma International Corp.; Guide Corp.; Hella Lighting Corp.; II Stanley Co., Inc.; North American Lighting, Inc.; Valeo Sylvania and Visteon Corp.

About MVLC

The Motor Vehicle Lighting Council is a coalition of the leading global automotive lighting and component manufacturers and related education and research institutions committed to bringing new lighting advancements to market in order to increase vehicle performance and vehicle and pedestrian safety.

MVLC's members represent a market segment valued at approximately $2.2 billion and produce nearly 100 percent of the headlamps used for vehicles manufactured and sold in North America.

The Council -- a product line group of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) -- supports ongoing research initiatives to improve the understanding of headlight glare and to educate the motoring public on lighting issues and emerging technologies. For more information, visit http://www.mvlc.info/ .