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From: hasiuk@trwspp.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: parking light law question
Message-ID: <560@trwspp.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-Aug-84 19:15:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: trwspp.560
Posted: Mon Aug 27 19:15:43 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Aug-84 09:21:30 EDT
References: <722@opus.UUCP> <1303@ihuxl.UUCP>, <811@ihuxn.UUCP>
Organization: T R W, Redondo Beach, CA
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>| and the absurd
>| headlight laws in the US. (At least it looks like they're *finally*
>| going to make it legal to have real headlights.  
>
>If by "real headlights" you mean the ultra high intensity jobs that are
>illegal in most states, then I part company with you again.  For
>on-coming traffic those lights really are a bad scene.  I have often
>wished that my car had a 50 caliber mounted in the nose to extinguish
>those kinds of lights when I have encountered them.  Problem is that
>they are so blinding that I would probably miss the lights and get the
>driver ... but that probably would not decrease the total intelligence
>level of the world much (might even raise it!) [:-)].
>
>					Rich Strebendt
>					...!ihnp4!ihuxn!res

I disagree with the point about "real" headlights being blinding.  
Have you ever looked at the
pattern that a pair of Cibie Z-beams  (a typical good headlamp) puts on a 
wall placed in front of the car?  
Its truly amazing in that above a certain, fairly low point, there is 
almost no light.  Try that with a pair of sealed beams, and you'll find that
the light pattern is much more omni-directional.  Admittedly, the
good headlights put out more light, but most of it is focused exactly
where it should be, assuming they were installed properly.  Are you really
sure that you were "blinded" by these on oncoming cars?  I've found that
many cars have a generic headlight aiming problem.  A good example is
the Celica Supra.  These things universally blind me, to the point where I
can guess one's presence by just looking in the rear-view mirror at night.

The reason that non-sealed beam quartz halogen headlamps are illegal for 
road use, is that the national highway safety board has made it that way.
They made their decision based on the recommendation of a panel of experts
made up of, you guessed it, people employed by the makers of sealed beam
headlamps.  After all, much of the US economy survives on the basis of 
disposable items (many US made cars, for example).  Even light bulbs
have special additives which makes them blow out after a certain period
of time.  Why, then, should they sell you a good reflector and a relatively
cheap disposable bulb when they can sell you the whole thing everytime
your lights burn out.  Then, to make that option affordable, they have to
make the reflector cheap.  Oh, well, I guess that's just good old 
American auto ingenuity.

Lee Hasiuk