HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGED INTO MY EYES.

[gfh77665]

I wrote to NHTSA regarding the SELFISH, ARROGANT drivers that OFFEND oncoming drivers with their HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE lights. Apparently, many others FED UP with these OFFENDERS and have done the same! Here is NHTSA's response:



CASE ESCALATION: Thank you for your October 1 letter about your concerns regarding glare from headlamps.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a safety standard for lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. The purpose of this standard is to reduce crashes and injuries by providing adequate illumination of the roadway and by enhancing the visibility of motor vehicles on public roads. For headlamps, FMVSS No. 108 contains intensity requirements, both minimums and maximums, to balance seeing-distance needs while limiting glare to other drivers.

High intensity discharge (HID) headlamps are required to meet these intensity requirements. Before we can prohibit a design like HID headlamps, we need data showing the design poses an unreasonable safety risk. There is no such data now for HID headlamps, but we are trying to see if we can generate more data about these lamps. The agency has forced numerous recalls of HID conversions kits, which cause increased glare in headlamps not designed for them and are sold to motorists who desire the appearance of HID headlamps, and continues to monitor this safety issue.

The agency has completed several research projects focusing on glare and its causes. These research reports are available by doing a search on the keyword "glare" on our website, www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

NHTSA also submitted a preliminary report to congress on glare in February 2007. Based on the results of our research, the agency plans to gather better data upon which to base decisions regarding the safety consequences of glare. This would allow the agency to properly evaluate
potential regulatory actions.


Here is a link to the GLARE ISSUE: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/glare.html

In the mean time, I will continue to FIGHT BACK, and shine my brights directly at drivers of oncoming cars with HID, and shine my brights directly at HID drivers who pass me, after their HID's were in my rear view mirror! I am FED UP!

 

[Drew99GT]

I hope you carry a firearm with you, because I've had a guy turn around and follow me for flashing my high beams to alert them of their bright lights.

 

[Trav]

Quote:
In the mean time, I will continue to FIGHT BACK, and shine my brights directly at drivers of oncoming cars with HID, and shine my brights directly at HID drivers who pass me, after their HID's were in my rear view mirror! I am FED UP!


That's not fighting back that's just asking for some serious road rage,then you can be a real victim.

 

[Jakegday]

meh, like drew said. carry a firearm and you should be fine.

 

[SLCraig]

Give me a break....
HID lights are stock on my car, there is nothing I can do about it.

If you want to get mad, find out which cars do not come with HID stock and only high beam those people who have retrofitted their cars with fake plug and play kits, without proper housings.

I hate when people flash me in my Maxima, there ain't a thing I can do about it, and the light output is nice on the road.

 

[nthach]

Factory HIDs=good
PROPERLY retrofitted HIDs using OEM Bosch/Hella/Valeo/Denso/Stanley projectors=good
Aftermarket kits from China using rebased bulbs in OEM halogen housings=BAD
Installing different color temp bulbs into OEM HID gear=depends. If they are quality(read: Hella/Philips/Osram bulbs), then yes. If they are ricer bulbs, then no.

 

[xBa380]

I use aftermarket HID's in my projector housings and in the past three years, may have been flashed two times (due to heavy load in the backseat usually). I lowered my beam when installed with the brighter lights so I did not blind people.

I have driven in front of my car and they look no worse than halogen bulbs, which mind you, the new halogen bulbs in my girlfriends 2010 Mazda 3 (stock) are much more bothersome than mine are. And the thousands of people with wacked out aiming on their old cars which blind me much worse then any HID lamp has. I actually find the HID bulbs easier to deal with in color than the halogen beams, coming at me.

Now, those with 6000+K bulb color are annoying. Mine are 4300K, pure white.

Just give it up.

 

[rpn453]

I do the same thing with lights that offend me, but most HIDs are tolerable now. They seemed worse a few years ago. Maybe I'm used to them.

 

[HTSS_TR]

My Honda S2000 projector HID does not produce as much glare as standard Halogen in my MB E430, I can see the road signs with the low beam in my E430 better than S2000. I never had anyone flashing high beam when I drive the S2000 at night.

 

[Cutehumor]

the OP, should be prepared for road rage...don't get killed over this issue..

 

[Scienceman]

+1

 

[sciphi]

What about the cars with factory HID?

Tell you what, I'll spring for some HIR1 high beam bulbs so when you flash my properly aimed HIR2 halogen low beams I can blind you with 4700 properly aimed lumens worth of high beams. I'm sure I'll blind you far worse with those bulbs than 6000 lumens of plug and play HID retrofit scattering gosh knows where. There, that's a nice little game of chicken late at night on a two-lane road we're having. Or tell it to Officer Friendly when karma decides to be a bear. "I crashed because he saw a deer, but I was too busy blinding him for having a factory HID headlight installation."

 

[tinmanSC]

Shining your bright lights at people is likely to cause more crashes and frustration than it would ever save. I really don't get this HID hatred issue, they have been around for a long time, (the early ones were a pain, some of the aftermarket ones are over the top, too). But the new ones look just fine. They are brighter, but honestly, I don't see what all your ranting is about. It's the new headlight system; it's not going away. Most manufacturers are moving toward it. Driving in a car with them is so nice. My buddy's new Acura has them, they are amazing. I think you are in for a long and frustrating road if you want to rage against these new lights. Good luck. I won't be in your corner.

 

[J. A. Rizzo]

High Intensity Discharge might also refer to the use of caps to emphasize words inside pointless, lame-brained vitriol posted anonymously on the Internet.

Do not feed the trolls.

 

[gathermewool]

My subaru HIDs are motor-adjustable, meant for varying loads in the hatchback. I lower them while at inclined stop lights and while in traffic so that the beam is as close to as only a few feet in front of my bumper. I'm sure no one cares...except the guy stuck in front of me in traffic.

The biggest OEM offender I've seen are Caddies, Escalades in particular.

 

[Jim 5]

I also hate HID's especially in Japanese cars for north america. German cars for example, to meet the European standards, have to have self-levellers to stop glare to oncoming traffic due to bumps etc. Many Japanese cars with HIDs and projectors don't have this feature.

 

[gathermewool]

I wouldn't lump ALL Japanese cars into the same group. I've noticed that every make seems to have worser offenders than others, and the worst by far has been Cadillac, IMO. I've got tinted rear windos and a dimming rear-view, but I still slow down and let most Caddie trucks pass.

 

[Michael_P]

Ahhhhh...... reminds me of my young & foolish days when I owned a 1976 C-20 4x4 Chevy. I would drive on country roads with the brights on, then when someone would shine their brights back I would light up the six KC highlighters mounted on the bed mounted roll bar. That was 25+ years ago. Man was I dumb for thinking that was cool. Though my friends who rode with me would all high five each other after such an event. I have since long out grew the need to have the brightest lights on the road.

 

[chevrofreak]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
What about the cars with factory HID?

Tell you what, I'll spring for some HIR1 high beam bulbs so when you flash my properly aimed HIR2 halogen low beams I can blind you with 4700 properly aimed lumens worth of high beams. I'm sure I'll blind you far worse with those bulbs than 6000 lumens of plug and play HID retrofit scattering gosh knows where. There, that's a nice little game of chicken late at night on a two-lane road we're having. Or tell it to Officer Friendly when karma decides to be a bear. "I crashed because he saw a deer, but I was too busy blinding him for having a factory HID headlight installation."


This is what I intend to do as well. 9011 HIR lamps with direct battery power. If that isn't enough, I may put some 100W halogen driving lights out front, too.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: Michael_P
Ahhhhh...... reminds me of my young & foolish days when I owned a 1976 C-20 4x4 Chevy. I would drive on country roads with the brights on, then when someone would shine their brights back I would light up the six KC highlighters mounted on the bed mounted roll bar. That was 25+ years ago. Man was I dumb for thinking that was cool. Though my friends who rode with me would all high five each other after such an event. I have since long out grew the need to have the brightest lights on the road.



Must have been back when high-fiving was still cool, huh!

Just kidding. High fiving is still pretty rad.