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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
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @04:44PM (2 children)
Green LED laser pointers are, in fact, blinding. With enough of their retinas burned off, they eventually won't be able to drive.
Seriously, there will always be assholes. These folks are the milder version of the asshats "rolling coal". Cops aren't going to feel it is worth their time. Besides, most cops are fellow travelers (assholes). The only thing we have is social shaming, but these folks are assholes, so this is unlikely to be effective except in the very rare case of the guy who didn't realize he was being an asshole.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by DannyB on Tuesday March 17 2020, @05:46PM (1 child)
There once were these million candle power hand held spotlights that were brighter than car headlights. Just briefly shine one of those at them, then put it back under the seat. Don't get caught.
If municipalities saw the revenue potential of writing tickets for aftermarket lights, that might put a stop to this. Especially if subsequent ticket prices escalated significantly. And vehicles got impounded. Owners required to show proof of fix to court. Etc. That might stop this real fast.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 3, Informative) by dry on Wednesday March 18 2020, @01:10AM
For the ones tailgating, adjusting your mirrors just right works quite well.