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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday March 17 2020, @03:34PM   Printer-friendly
from the shine-a-bright-light-on-the-subject dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

It might be stating the obvious, but your car's headlights are a safety device, and not all headlights are created equal. For a while, carmakers have been fitting powerful LED headlights to their high-end offerings, but more often than not, their cheaper cars—and particularly cheaper trim levels—get saddled with much-weaker illumination. But sometimes a commuter wants to see more of where they're going when the sun goes down. Eventually, they go looking for a solution, starting with their local automotive parts store. But stuffing aftermarket LED headlight bulbs into OEM housings designed for conventional halogen units results in dangerous glare for oncoming drivers. While LEDs can deliver more intense light at a higher end of the spectrum, most aftermarket units also create a hazardous condition.

The major brick-and-mortar auto parts stores know this, which is why they tend to shy away from aftermarket H11 LED bulbs, other than ones clearly marked for use in fog lamps or "for off-road use only." It's a different world online, with off-brand H11 LED bulb listings on Amazon, eBay, and Walmart websites failing to carry the same prominent warnings.

You can get pulled over for non-spec headlamps, and for a good reason. In addition to issuing a citation, the law enforcement officer may have the legal right to force you to remove the bulbs. More ominously, once the officer has pulled you over, you risk a vehicle search. With all that in mind, it would be wise to keep a set of securely packaged OEM bulbs in the glovebox or trunk if you are running aftermarket LEDs.

Although Consumer Reports tests new vehicle headlamps, it hasn't tackled the topic of LED replacement bulbs, despite Consumer Reports' extensive resources. A comprehensive Consumer Reports aftermarket LED replacement bulb test would go a long way to bring clarity to the market. Consumer Reports' testing of conventional replacement bulbs found that while aftermarket units can improve headlight brightness, there's much more to it than that. "Distance and how far a headlight illuminates is governed more by the reflector (behind the bulb) or the lens (ahead of the bulbs). While you can change the bulb, you are not changing the distance, i.e., not necessarily improving safety."

-- submitted from IRC


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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday March 17 2020, @03:46PM (8 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 17 2020, @03:46PM (#972278) Journal

    Cops see those bright lights. Cops are responsible for enforcing those DOT laws. Cops who fail to write summons for illegal lighting are either stupid, or lazy, or both.

    It wouldn't even take a lot of tickets to pretty much stop the illegal lighting. One, two, maybe three tickets in a typical county. Word gets around. "No, you don't want those lights! Deputy Dawg nailed my cousin a few weeks ago for $180 because those lights are too bright. You can't focus them properly anyway. Cousin Bubba said they lit up the sides of the road fine, but left the road dark."

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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @04:11PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @04:11PM (#972302)

    Pretty much, but in many cases, the problem isn't the brightness of the lights, but them being improperly aimed. If they're properly aimed, the brightness should be a minimal problem in most cases. Well, except when fitted on tall vehicles and being behind somebody in a short one.

  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @04:16PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @04:16PM (#972305)

    I drive a car (not SUV/truck). Glare (from modified/poorly-aimed lights) is a problem with approaching cars, but it's gone in a few seconds once they pass on the opposite lane. More annoying to me are bright lights behind me, up high--they may be there for minutes, since we are all going the same way. The new "dimming" mirrors don't help--they don't seem to work nearly as well as the old flip-for-dim mirrors.

    Unfortunately, all the cops around here drive SUVs so they are up in the air--and the cops don't see nearly as many badly aimed headlights as I do from car-height.

  • (Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @04:45PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @04:45PM (#972319)

    It wouldn't even take a lot of tickets to pretty much stop the illegal lighting.

    It would save a lot of paperwork if we just shoot them...

    • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @05:36PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @05:36PM (#972349)

      Drivers or lights?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @05:47PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @05:47PM (#972361)

        Either/both, whichever opportunity presents itself.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by shortscreen on Tuesday March 17 2020, @06:09PM (2 children)

    by shortscreen (2252) on Tuesday March 17 2020, @06:09PM (#972377) Journal

    I don't think cops should be out writing tickets based on their subjective notion of something being too bright or improperly aimed. There should be a clear standard, as there is with exhaust noise in some states, eg. a certain number of decibels at a certain distance.

    At the very least, garages could check lighting parameters when vehicles come in for the state inspection sticker. (I hate going in for the state inspection, but as long as it exists it might as well serve some purpose...)

    • (Score: 2) by captain normal on Tuesday March 17 2020, @07:10PM (1 child)

      by captain normal (2205) on Tuesday March 17 2020, @07:10PM (#972414)

      Some states require a safety inspection every one or two years before issuing a current registration sticker. When I was a youngster (high school years) in Texas (a long time ago) You had to display a current safety sticker on the windshield. Now here in California the only requirement is a valid insurance policy and a biannual smog inspection. Then you can drive any POS junker on the road.

      --
      When life isn't going right, go left.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @11:37PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @11:37PM (#972547)

        Interesting that California is so lax. Here, the primary purpose of state vehicle inspection is to make sure the check engine light is off (via OBD2).

        Secondarily, they do check headlight aim, horn volume and brake status.