Nothing hammers home the dangers of night-driving like a near miss. Lars Svelander, a professional driver, was returning home to Sweden from Norway, where he taught driving safety classes. It was a dark November night. Lars was behind the wheel in a BMW fitted with rally-style auxiliary lights on his front bumper. Suddenly a deer leaped from the side of the road right into his path. He braked and swerved in a desperate attempt to avoid hitting the deer and ended up off the side of the road. Had there been oncoming traffic or anything on the side of the road, he knew he would have paid a severe price for not spotting the deer in time.

The limited visibility provided by his lights gave him almost no time to react – even though he was a professionally trained driver, using the best auxiliary lights on the market. Lars decided to do something about it. He spent the rest of the drive replaying the scene in his mind, trying to think what could have avoided that situation. By the time he reached home, the idea of a wide beam driving light took root in his head. And Rayzer was born.

 

 

Lars Svelander has made driving his life. In the late 80s, he was racing go-carts, and he went on to become a professional Formula GM-Lotus race car driver from 1990 to 1993. During that time, he competed with the likes of Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard and Kenny Bräck. He kept his focus on driving when he established a driving safety school, where he continues to spread his expertise by teaching students advanced driving safety techniques today. Lars’ passion for making the roads safer and more enjoyable was the seed for the creation of Rayzer.

Sweden has had an obsession with on-road safety — and with good reason. Many Swedish roads run through dense forests and are not lit by street lights. A great number of nocturnal animals inhabit these forests, including deer, elk and moose. When they dart into the road, the results can be fatal for animal and driver. That's to say nothing of Sweden's long winter nights. Night driving conditions can account for 17 hours a day in the south of Sweden with extreme northern areas submersed in constant darkness for most of the winter. Add to this Sweden's reputation for sleek contemporary design and you can see Rayzer is a Swedish natural.  

 

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