Police getting irritated by HID lighting!

[gfh77665]

5AM. Leaving work off night shift. Come to intersection at I-10. Police cruiser stopped in left lane first at light, as I approach the light in right lane. I casually glance at the police car, and a guy in a pickup pulls out of convenience store parking lot and turns in behind the cop. The cop painfully winces as the blue HID lights blind him in his rearview mirror, and looks extremely irritated as his cruiser interior is filled with the harsh blue HID light.

About a week later, I ask a County Sheriff I know does he "notice the HID lights" on the road, and does it really matter. He tells me seeing "anything out of the ordinary" gets their attention. This would include such as loud exhaust system, or way oversized tires and suspension, or extreme lowriding, or HID LIGHTING!

Cops are getting blinded too, and they ain't real happy!

 

[river_rat]

I hate 'em too. Be OK if they aimed them out of the oncoming lane.

 

[Artem]

My girlfriend bought be an HID kit in 8k and 55w

After a few days of driving around and getting the high beam flashes from oncoming cars, i quickly sold the kit and bought a "normal" output and light color... 5k and 35w (the factory harness spec)

The light color is white with a hint of blue and since the wattage doesn't excess what the headlights were designed for, i no longer blind people and haven't gotten a flash in years.

Its these 10 and 12k hids that shine EXTREME blue or even purple that really [censored] me off myself. Its just TOO blue.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Wish they did the same here. It's alright to install off-road HIDs on regular headlights (not even projector type ones) and blind everybody left, right and center. But it's not okay to tint your windows with heat control film in a county where summer temperatures hit 60 C/140 F regularly.

 

[cchase]

I get irritated with the overly bright strobes on police cars

 

[CharlieJ]

 

[gathermewool]

They're obviously not upset enough to do much about it. I see the same jerks around here every day with their [censored] cannons and improperly aimed Ebay HID kits. I see plenty of cruisers about, but hardly any one (especially these guys) ever pulled over.

 

[OriginalRocket]

Yup stay in your plain camry like the rest of the sheep. Do not stand out, do not be unique. Accept only ordinary!

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: OriginalRocket
Yup stay in your plain camry like the rest of the sheep. Do not stand out, do not be unique. Accept only ordinary!

 

[d00df00d]

HIDs are supposed to have sharp cutoffs and be aimed to keep them out of peoples' faces most of the time. If a car with HIDs is blinding you without cresting a hill, odds are its headlights were very poorly set up.

 

[Craig in Canada]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
HIDs are supposed to have sharp cutoffs and be aimed to keep them out of peoples' faces most of the time. If a car with HIDs is blinding you without cresting a hill, odds are its headlights were very poorly set up.


Or it's a [censored] HID conversion kit installed in a light body that wasn't intended for that purpose.

 

[d00df00d]

^^ Or that.

 

[cchase]

I have a hard time with factory HID's as well because the sharp cut-off results in flickering light which is distracting to my eyes at dusk.

 

[Craig in Canada]

Originally Posted By: cchase
I have a hard time with factory HID's as well because the sharp cut-off results in flickering light which is distracting to my eyes at dusk.


You'd probably be annoyed with Euro-style halogens with sharp cutoffs then too because the same flickering can occur. The difference is that "most" cars on the road don't seem to have sharp cutoff light patterns unless they have HIDs. There are a number of European exceptions, though...

 

[SteveSRT8]

It took me a long time to get used to the HID's on my car. The sharp cutoff is really distracting to me.

All our laws need to be enforced. The police are way too selective about which ones they go after.

 

[calvin1]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
All our laws need to be enforced. The police are way too selective about which ones they go after.
LOL, No fair cutting in with these new complaints! Drive right, pass left has been waiting its turn at enforcement a lot longer.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: calvin1
LOL, No fair cutting in with these new complaints! Drive right, pass left has been waiting its turn at enforcement a lot longer.

 

[Carbon]

Sharp cutoff lights look like flashing lights when the inflicting car bounces.

 

[MCompact]

In the '70s and early '80s I put E Code lamps in every one of my cars(and in 2002 my Wrangler got a set as well), so the sharp cut-offs on HID equipped cars are a non-issue to me.

 

[cbear]

Originally Posted By: cchase
I get irritated with the overly bright strobes on police cars

Actually the new LED bars destroy my night vision. I think they are starting to get dangerous with their output levels.