Richard Quint of Lake Stevens writes: I get tired of people blinding me with headlights that are more appropriate as landing lights on aircraft at 200 mph than on cars driving down the road at highway speeds or less.
Are there no longer requirements or standards regarding headlights? I’ve looked up the law and can’t find anything other than they have to be properly adjusted.
Some motorcycles, too, have three headlights with 100-watt bulbs in each light. Is any of this legal? If not, why is there no enforcement?
Trooper Keith Leary of the State Patrol responds: Yes, there are still standards for vehicle lighting. The State Patrol is concerned about illegal headlights for some of the reasons you indicated in your email and our officers take enforcement action whenever appropriate under the law and based on the situation.
In 2010, state troopers stopped 106,556 vehicles for lighting violations, which resulted in 23,207 citations or written warnings.
Headlights are addressed in state law at http://tinyurl.com/VehicleLighting. Also, the state has adopted Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and those set by the Society of Automotive Engineers for after-market vehicle lighting. These may be found in the Washington Administrative Code 204-10 at http://tinyurl.com/EquipmentStandards.
These standards outline the characteristics of headlights, including their color (which must be white) and intensity.
Please note that some of the newer HID, or high-definition, headlights burn hotter than a regular bulb and emit a bluish tint, but are still considered white as tested under the federal standard.
If the light is certified as meeting the requirements under federal law, it’s indicated on the bulb itself with a state Department of Transportation label.
If after-market lights are approved, they still must be installed according to requirements set forth in state law.
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