Do driverless vehicles really need to function in complete darkness? After all, human-piloted cars do just fine with headlights and streetlights. But the abilities of LiDAR—particularly the ability for cars with the technology to do just fine in low-light conditions—is another proof point that driverless vehicles will be safer than those driven by humans. Imagine never worrying about a deer or moose lurking up ahead, out of the range of your headlights, and drivers with poor night vision will never be afraid to drive at night again. Not to mention the increased mobility the technology poses to passengers who are elderly, handicapped, or otherwise unable to drive or even uninterested in driving themselves.

Further: the ability of a vehicle to function perfectly well in complete darkness speaks to its ability to function perfectly well (all on its own and without human intervention) in daylight hours, too.