High-intensity blue spectrum headlights are illegal – and make it hard for me to see properly while driving at night. Why is there seemingly no policing of this dangerous practice? What are the regulations? – Scot, Burlington, Ont.Those blueish high-intensity headlights might make oncoming drivers see red – but they’re not necessarily illegal, experts say. In fact, if headlights are blinding you, it’s likely because they are not positioned properly.“We had the exact same arguments about blinding headlights when the halogen lights came out years ago, after the old bulbs where you could barely see down the highway,” says Raynald Marchand, general manager of programs at the Canada Safety Council. “If lights are blinding, it’s because they’re improperly aimed or the vehicle is heavily loaded.”The blueish light typically comes from gaseous discharge light sources (GDLS), where an electric charge passes through an ionized gas, usually xenon. They’re called high-intensity discharge (HID) lights.

Auto makers are allowed to use them.Transport Canada governs lighting on all new vehicles under Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108. “GDLS headlamps have been available to manufacturers since 1996, and are legal in Canada,” spokesman Ben Stanford wrote in an e-mail.Aftermarket lighting – making changes or additions to the lights that came from the manufacturer – is regulated by the provinces and the territories.Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation told us in an e-mail that “no more than four front headlights, driving lights, or fog lights may be lit at one time if they project a beam having an intensity of over 300 candela.”The Highway Traffic Act also says headlights have to be installed, aligned and maintained properly so as not to cause glare or dazzle oncoming drivers. If improperly installed, maintained or aligned headlights are blinding drivers, the fine is $110.“It’s an issue if lights aren’t aimed properly,” says OPP highway safety division Sergeant Kerry Schmidt.

“We get a lot of trucks with big loads and a lot of weight in the back can throw lights out of alignment.”HID lights are pricey and they were often found in high-end imports. Most manufacturers are switching to LEDs.Drivers complain that oncoming lights are more distracting on newer vehicles, but lights aren’t necessarily brighter than they used to be.“Headlights aren’t really becoming brighter because standards limit the amount of light from all headlights at the same levels,” says Michael Flannagan, an associate professor with the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute. “But blue-white colours do seem to give people more of an impression of glare – misaimed, dirty, and hazed headlights can also contribute to glare.”However, some vehicle owners try to upgrade the lighting of their vehicles to mimic the Xenon-HID lights found on higher-end cars. These aftermarket bulbs are not HID light units, may not meet provincial or state regulations, and are, in fact, illegal.

They may be brighter and more powerful, but because they have been installed in lights that are not designed for them; they cast not only a bright (tinted blue), but an uncontrolled light.Electrodes are wired to ballast containing a circuit board with several high current capacitors, transistors, and resistors. The ballast acts as the light’s control centre, igniting the light and then regulating its power flow. Winter Tires For G6These are much more complex and costly units and not duplicated by simply replacing the bulb in a standard halogen headlight. Interior Night Lighting VrayHalogen lights produce light in the 3,000 Kelvin range, HID lights in the 5,000-6,000 range.Purina Cat Food Ad SongAs the colour temperature goes up, the light goes from having a yellow tint (3,000-4,000) through clean and bright white (5,000-6,000) to having a blue tint (8,000-10,000).

At about 12,000 it becomes almost purple. Most of the “HID-look” aftermarket light bulbs, likely the offensive ones you cite, are simply more powerful halogen bulbs coated with a blue tint.Law enforcement people do not have the time or manpower to pull these vehicles over and verify whether the headlights meet standards.With a file by Richard Russell.Add us to your circlesSign up for our weekly newsletterAre blue car bulbs legal? Post Tagged: , , , , , , , Many customers get in touch with us to see which bulbs will be most suitable for their needs. A common question from customers that are looking for bulbs with styling benefits is, 'are blue car bulbs legal?' When it comes to the legality of halogen car bulbs, it is the Kelvin rating (K) that really matters. Any halogen bulb with a Kelvin rating over 4200K is not legal for road use, and should only be used off-road. This is because bulbs begin to produce a light with a slight blue tint when they reach a colour temperature of around 4200K.

Blue bulbs are used by the emergency services and therefore need to stand out on the road against other drivers. If everyone had blue-tinted headlights, the emergency vehicles might struggle to be spotted by traffic which could potentially cause many problems. The exception to this rule is the Philips WhiteVision range. At 4300K, these bulbs produce the first road legal white light. Philips WhiteVision bulbs are manufactured with specialist quartz-glass, which produces a crisp white light without the blue tint or the need for a coating on the bulb. This means that the range remains fully road legal whilst producing a white light and high colour temperature. Some manufacturers put a blue coating on the bulb to make the beam as white as possible. As long as this doesn’t push the colour temperature up past 4200K, this is road legal. If your bulb has a coating, you’ll not get as much light on the road as it compromises the light output. Take a look at this comparison of a bulb without a coating, and one with a blue coating:

On many new vehicles including Audi, BMW and Mercedes models, new Xenon HID lighting can give a very slight blue tint. These are still classed as road legal, as long they are factory-fitted HID lights and not an aftermarket HID kit. Conversion kits are not road legal. The reason why Xenon HID bulbs can be blue and still road legal is all down to legislation. As Xenon bulbs became more popular, new laws were created that were more detailed and allow for higher colour temperatures. Another reason why most Xenon HID bulbs are classed as road legal is down to their technology. Xenon bulbs contain different mixes of salts in comparison to halogen. They can achieve higher colour temperatures without the need for a blue coating, which means that you won’t have to compromise on light output. Find out more about Xenon HID bulbs later in this post. As a general rule of thumb, if you look at the light produced and it has a blue tint, the bulb may not be classed as road legal and may only be used off road.

Street legal bulbs such as the Philips WhiteVision and OSRAM Cool Blue Intense are perfect examples of bulbs that you can use on the road whilst achieving a great styling effect and crisp white light. Most maximum performance, standard and longlife halogen bulbs are road legal. If you feel unsure, just remember that you can either: You’ll be able to spot a significant difference between 4200K and higher colour temperatures such as 5000K. Bulbs around 5000K are illegal unless using off-road, and will appear to have a distinctive white light with a strong blue tint. If you’re after a Xenon HID effect, your best choice is the Philips Diamond Vision range. Because these bulbs have a Kelvin rating of 5000K they’re not legal for road use, but many people tend to buy them for styling and off-road uses such as car shows and events. Xenon HID bulbs are quite confusing, as they do produce a much higher colour temperature than halogen bulbs but are mostly classed as road legal.

Factory-fitted Xenon HIDs can produce higher Kelvin ratings than halogen bulbs and still be fully road legal. Standard HID bulbs usually run at around 4600K and produce a very bright, crisp white light. As the HID bulbs move up to around 5000K, these bulbs become even brighter and emit a slightly blue light. If this is the sort of look that you are after, and you have a vehicle that takes HID bulbs as standard, then the OSRAM Xenarc Cool Blue Intense is a fantastic choice. People that are looking for a distinctive blue light tend to purchase the Philips Xenon WhiteVision. These bulbs run at 6000K and are an ideal choice for car owners with a HID fitting, who are looking for a fully road legal blue-tinted light. These bulbs run at 6000K and offer a distinctive blue light. With so many different types of bulbs to consider and so many fittings available it is only natural that you might want a bit of advice to choose the right bulbs for you. to ask any questions and seek expert advice.