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From: gritz@homxa.UUCP (R.SHARPLES)
Newsgroups: net.auto,net.flame
Subject: Re: Halogen headlights -- ARGH!
Message-ID: <1119@homxa.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 27-Aug-85 09:53:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: homxa.1119
Posted: Tue Aug 27 09:53:42 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Aug-85 22:06:05 EDT
References: <1343@umcp-cs.UUCP>, <305@ihlpl.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
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Xref: linus net.auto:6848 net.flame:10800

>From: res@ihlpl.UUCP (Rich Strebendt @ AT&T Information Systems - Indian Hill West; formerly)
>> Halogen headlights are obnoxious!  They serve virtually no useful
>> purpose, except for sadists who enjoy blinding other drivers!
>
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>There is no reason (other than a desire to be a public SOB) for a driver
>to equip his car with headlights that destroy the night vision of any
>driver who has the misfortune to encounter him.  There are laws
>covering the use and misuse of ordinary high beams -- there should be
>comparable laws governing the misuse of Halogen headlights.  In fact, I
>would favor the complete BANNING of these nuisances.
>

Properly aimed halogen headlights spill LESS light into the eyes of on-comming
drivers.  Halogen lights have a very sharp cut-off in their beam pattern that
allows them to brilliantly illuminate the ground in front of your car but
provide hardly any light much above the grill level of an on-comming car.
On high-beam, of course, it's a different matter.  

About the only way to tell if an on-comming car with properly aimed lights 
has halogens or regular lights is that the halogens are bright white in the
lower half of the lens and the upper half of the lens looks as if it is
in shadow. Regular lights are noticeably yellow and the entire lens is 
illuminated.  These of course are subtle differences that an IDIOT CRETIN 
such as your self would not notice.  You probably could not tell if the 
headlight blinding you was a halogen or not, best you can figure out is 
that it is misaimed.

If by chance you and your cretinous supporters are referring to halogen
DRIVING lights (accessory single beam lights that usually mount above or
below the bumper and produce "pencil" beams) you are correct that use
of these on approaching traffic is obnoxious.  I personally believe that
these should be keyed with the high beams and have a separate power switch
so they can be turned off completely.  Interestingly enough, most states
require that these NOT be keyed with the highbeams and simply have an on-off
switch.  Under this scheme people sometimes leave them on with their lowbeams,
totally inappropriate.  Obviously, state law makers share your degree of
technical knowledge and sophistication.

Russ Sharples
homxa!gritz