Silly bloody 'blue' headlights

[John Edward Miller <jem@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> For those of us in California, a warning here is in order.  Last fall I
> installed the blue ion bulbs (85w low & 100w high) in my car and I
> really liked them a lot.  However, within a month I was pulled over and
> issued a 'must fix' citation for lights that "are not white".  The
> arresting officer said that the state law specifies white light to the
> front.  So I put the old bulbs back in and trundled off the San Jose CHP
> to obtain verification for the fix, and pay the $10 fine.  I asked the
> officer that checked the lights why the Lincolns, Mercedes, and BMWs
> with the Xenon lights were allowed, and mine were not. He had no answer
> for that. 

First off, the Xenon HID lights in some recent high-end products are NOT
blue; they are bluer, but they're still largely white light.

Halogen bulbs put off white light; anything you do to make them 'bluer'
reduces their effectiveness, period.  Furthermore, blue light is poor
illumination - it's glary and causes the human eye to have trouble
focusing.   Ergo you're trading off safety for style.

So why bother?

John.

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