Re: [ST] HID Lighting - Digest #117

[Blake Sobiloff <sobiloff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sanford, John wrote:

> Personally, I DETEST the new lighting systems.  Mind you, I have never
> driven a car with HID lighting, but I have been BLINDED numerous times by
> them.

It sounds like you dislike the antiquated Department of Transportation 
regulations regarding headlight beam patterns for US vehicles, not HID 
technology. (Well, HID is bringing to light -- pardon the pun -- the 
inadequacies of our current lighting specs.)

In particular, DOT regulations don't allow for the distinct vertical 
cut-offs that are possible via the European (E Code) regulations. DOT 
regulations actually require a significant amount of light be shot above 
the headlight's horizontal plane, ostensibly to illuminate overhead 
signs. What lights the signs also ends up blinding oncoming drivers, and 
the better lighting systems being developed exacerbate the problem.

Also, many (most?) two-track vehicles in Europe have headlight leveling 
systems (manual or automatic) to adjust the height of the headlight 
beams depending on the load you're carrying. I'm not a fan of 
globalization, but the Europeans are way ahead of us Americans when it 
comes to safe lighting. (Silly single light laws for motorcycles aside...)

- -- 
Blake "Dawgbert" Sobiloff <sobiloff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Burlingame, CA, USA


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