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When it comes to vehicle safety, most consumers focus on features such as autonomous emergency braking and advanced airbags, while proper visibility is an equally important consideration .

According to The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), approximately half of traffic deaths occur either in the dark, or at dusk/dawn. As a result, IIHS toughened the criteria to include new headlight evaluations for its 2017 Top Safety Pick+ award. The winners were announced in December.

Related: The 38 safest new cars on the road

Surprisingly, only seven 2017 models were equipped with "good" rated headlights (the highest rating): the Volvo XC60, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Santa Fe, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Prius V, Chevrolet Volt and Honda Ridgeline.

The new headlight tests measure light projection distance and glare as the vehicle travels in a straight line and through turns. The IIHS also considered whether vehicles tested had advanced headlight technology such as high-beam assist, which detects the presence of other vehicles to automatically switch between high and low beams.

"The field of contenders is smaller this year because so few vehicles have headlights that do their job well, but it's not as small as we expected when we decided to raise the bar for the awards," says Adrian Lund, IIHS president.

Forty-four models earned a Top Safety Pick this year, and an additional 38 models that earned the "plus" badge.

Since 2015, IIHS has required vehicles tested to have automatic braking technology to be eligible for an award. Auto makers have agreed to make automatic braking standard on all models by 2022.

Now, improving headlight technology may be the next area of focus for safety technology. In the meantime, here are our favourite deals featuring IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winners with top-rated headlights:

Volvo

2017 Volvo XC60

Standard safety features on the 2017 XC60 include Volvo’s WHIPS whiplash injury protection system, a hot-formed boron steel reinforced passenger compartment and Volvo City Safety which includes automatic braking.

Powertrain options include a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine capable of 240 horsepower, and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder which combines turbocharging and supercharging and is capable of 302 horsepower.

Cash purchasers can now take advantage of a $6,000 manufacturer incentive on the 2017 XC60 (as compared to zero in October) while finance and lease customers are eligible for a $4,000 incentive (as compared to $1,000 in October). Financing for up to 72 months and leasing for 48 months are both available at 2.9 per cent.

2017 Volvo XC60 T6 Drive-E All Wheel Drive Premier

  • MSRP: $50,800
  • Manufacturer incentive: $6,000
  • Estimated dealer discount: $1,250
  • Freight, PDI, government fees: $2,510
  • Cash purchase price before tax: $46,060
  • Finance for 60 months at 2.9 per cent interest for $973 per month including tax (includes a $4,000 incentive and assumes zero down payment)
  • Lease for 48 months at 2.9 per cent interest for $826 per month including tax (includes a $4,000 incentive, assumes a 20,000 annual kilometre allowance and zero down payment)

Hyundai

2017 Hyundai Santa Fe

Standard safety features on the 2017 Santa Fe Sport include enhanced stability control with traction control, blind-spot detection system and seven airbags including side-curtain and driver’s knee airbags.

Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection and adaptive cruise control are available as optional equipment.

Powertrain choices include a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine capable of 185 horsepower and a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine capable of 240 horsepower.

Cash purchasers can now take advantage of a $3,000 incentive on the 2017 Santa Fe Sport (as compared to $2,500 in November), while finance customers are eligible for a $1,819 rebate and lease customers qualify for a $1,500 rebate.

2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Limited 2.0T All Wheel Drive

  • MSRP: $41,299
  • Manufacturer incentive: $3,000
  • Estimated dealer discount: $1,000
  • Freight, PDI, government fees: $2,035
  • Cash purchase price before tax: $39,334
  • Finance for 60 months at zero per cent interest for $763 per month including tax (includes a $1,819 incentive and assumes zero down payment)
  • Lease for 48 months at 2.99 per cent interest for $617 per month including tax (includes a $1,500 incentive, assumes a 20,000 annual kilometre allowance and zero down payment)

Subaru

2017 Subaru Legacy

Standard safety features on the 2017 Legacy include an advanced ring-shaped reinforcement frame, break-away engine which absorbs impact and drops below the passenger cabin during head-on collisions, and Vehicle Dynamics Control which uses multiple sensors to automatically adjust all-wheel drive torque distribution, brakes and engine output.

With the optional Technology package, the 2017 Legacy also includes EyeSight driver assist which uses two cameras to monitor activity on the road ahead, high-beam assist and reverse auto braking.

Power options include a 2.5-litre four-cylinder boxer engine capable of 175 horsepower and a 3.6-litre six-cylinder boxer engine capable of 256 horsepower.

Cash purchase, finance and lease customers can now take advantage of a $500 holiday bonus on the 2017 Legacy (as compared to zero in October). Financing for 60 months and leasing for 48 months are both available at 1.9 per cent (as compared to 2.9 per cent in November).

2017 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Limited with Technology Package CVT

  • MSRP: $32,895
  • Manufacturer incentive: $500
  • Estimated dealer discount: $1,000
  • Freight, PDI, government fees: $1,966
  • Cash purchase price before tax: $33,361
  • Finance for 60 months at 1.9 per cent interest for $659 per month including tax (includes a $500 holiday incentive and assumes zero down payment)
  • Lease for 48 months at 1.9 per cent interest for $495 per month including tax (includes a $500 holiday incentive, assumes a 20,000 annual kilometre allowance and zero down payment)

Toyota

2016 Toyota Prius V

While the primary focus of this article is on 2017 models, the 2016 Prius V is especially attractive as it also received “good” headlight ratings by the IIHS when equipped with the optional Technology Package, and currently features a $1,000 after-tax incentive for cash purchasers and a $250 incentive for lease customers.

Additional safety features on the 2016 Prius V with Technology Package include lane departure alert, pre collision system, automatic high beams and a dynamic radar cruise control, all of which are standard on the 2017 Prius V.

Power to the Prius V is provided by a 1.8-litre four-cylinder hybrid synergy drive engine coupled to an electric engine, which produce 136 combined horsepower and achieve a combined fuel rating of 5.6 litres per 100 kilometres in mixed driving.

2016 Toyota Prius V Technology Package CVT

  • MSRP: $34,550
  • Manufacturer incentive: $1,000 (applied after tax)
  • Estimated dealer discount: $1,200
  • Freight, PDI, government fees: $1,830
  • Cash purchase price before tax: $34,180
  • Finance for 60 months at 0.49 per cent interest for $671 per month including tax (assumes zero down payment)
  • Lease for 48 months at 0.49 per cent interest for $468 per month including tax (includes a $250 incentive, assumes a 20,000 annual kilometre allowance and zero down payment)

Andrew Tai is CEO of Unhaggle.

Manufacturer incentives and pricing calculations are based on Ontario customers and subject to availability of inventory. Dealer discounts shown are estimates for illustrative purposes only, may vary by region and are given at the discretion of individual dealers. Please note that while every effort is made to ensure the information above is accurate at the time of publication, pricing, incentives and discounts are subject to change or discontinuation at any time. Consult your local dealership for details.