IMHO, I see no reason to have those bright lights for your running lights.
I can see them as driving lights, etc, to be turned on and of when traffic comes along, but then, people would abuse that too.
Back when I had my roll bar on my big foot style truck, I had a set of KC high lighters for people with those bright lights.
Had a set pointed toward the rear too.

 

DOT seriously needs to re-visit headlight standards, some of today's headlights are about like 2 welder arcs coming at you................get the glare off a rain covered highway, and it's even worse.
It's OK, I can see...............the hell with the rest of ya'

 

There are limitations on what one can have for power on headlights. Federal Motor Vehicle Standards 108 (?) lists them.

Oregon ODOT specifically refers to adopting Federal Standards. Used to be, may still be, that headlight packaging that did not have "DOT Approved" or similar marked on the packaging was illegal for use in Oregon. Off Road lighting, (KC's for example) are illegal for use on any public roadway in Or., and if a vehicle is equipped with them, they are supposed to be covered while on any Public Roadway in Oregon.

 

Funds were in part what I was referring to, but Oregon had a State Law mandating the package labeling for items sold in Oregon. You could be prosecuted criminally as well as be held civilly liable for the use of any non approved product.
If they were not DOT approved, the Consumer Affairs Division of the State AG's office was fairly aggressive at going after anyone the Feds didn't. (Now, it appears it has to be a politically charged issue that will get votes before they go looking into it.) There were also laws for counterfeit or false labeling, which for some time was a big problem. You could run into a car on the highway that had headlights brighter than the carbon arc search lights of WW2 or turn, brake and tail lights brighter than the emergency light bar on the roof of our patrol cars.

 

I know I get annoyed by the bright lights and would like to retaliate with some too, maybe one of those big search lights from the airport would do..lol

 

My father always liked to tell the story of how, when he was a young man, he always got so very tired of people failing to dim and blinding him. He and his brother decided to adjust the drivers side headlight so that the high beam would point directly at the driver of an approaching car on a two lane road. Well, one night a car was coming at them and it seemed as if the lights were pretty bright, so - yep, dad hit the high beams. The car made a U Turn in behind them and a big red light started flashing. As they came to a stop, that cars high beams did come on and dad could see the error of his ways. He said the Oregon State Trooper was kind enough to let him go with a stiff admonishment and warning.

 

I find it amazing what is DOT approved these days regarding lighting, like Dave mentioned the lights coming at you are like welding arcs. They need to come out with an auto darkening lens for your windshield to compensate .

 

That would probably be the HID's probably with the focused lenses. There have been many times I would like to take target practice on those suckers at night. Oregon State went after some of the "blue" HID's and really bright Blue Halogens as Oregon has a law that prohibits all but emergency vehicles from displaying blue lights. Since the headlights were DOT approved, they got shot down and could no longer issue tickets for them.

 

If they are aimed right, they don't. They are a lot easier on the eyes than those new-fangled Xenon lights.

 

Well, if mfgs continue to equip their vehicles with these ridiculous, dangerous lights, it should be LAW that these systems are installed OEM, and retro-fitted to older vehicles "upgraded" to use the G-damn things, by LAW...............I'm tired of having to grip the wheel and pray while I am temporarily blinded by some clueless moron with these damn things.

Again, the attitude seems to be.......... "I can see just fine!............eff the rest of you!"

I suggest whoever is in charge at the DOT of these standards, needs to drive the McKenzie hwy on a dark, rainy night..............They might get a education.

 

I know for a fact that there are trucks driving around in my area that are using off road bulbs in the theirs and the cops must know it too but never pull anyone over for it, same as tinted glass windows now guys are putting on the vehicles the cops don't say anything about it but if you drove these vehicles down in southern Ontario it wouldn't be long before you were pulled over.

 

What gets me is driving up on an emergency scene at night and each of the police cruisers have a million lumens of LED lights on top. Maybe it is my eyes but it absolutely blinds me. They (we FD) really need a day/night switch on these things. I have been around since the days of the single rotating red light on top and never had the trouble until lately.