DAVID SHARP, Associated Press Writer
AP Online
03-24-2000
New Headlamps Becoming More Common
FALMOUTH, Maine (AP) -- The dazzling, bluish light produced by high-intensity discharge headlamps on expensive cars like Mercedes and BMWs are becoming more familiar on the nation's highways. And owners say the difference is like night and day.
``Once you drive with it, you'll never drive with any other kind of headlamp,'' said Phil Infiorati, general sales manager of Performance Motors in Falmouth.
But some motorists on the receiving end of the brightness are less thrilled about the new technology, and their complaints are being heard by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Over the past year, the agency has received about 100 complaints, an attention-getting number that is similar to when halogen bulbs began replacing incandescent headlamps in the early 1980s, said Tim Hurd, a spokesman for the safety agency in Washington.
What's worse, some drivers hoping to emulate the prestige of the luxury cars are installing blue-tinted bulbs that do not meet federal standards and may actually pose a safety risk, Hurd said.
``There's an awful lot of stuff for sale in these auto parts stores that is not legal,'' said Lt. Bruce Dow, director of the traffic
division for the Maine State Police in Augusta.
Discerning the difference between legal and illegal headlights is a problem for police.
There have been some cases of motorists with HID headlamps being stopped by police, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators is trying to develop simple guidelines for officers to use, said Lori Cohen, a program director in Arlington, Va.
The true high-intensity discharge headlamps are distinctive, not just for their unique color but for their price. They are a $500 to $1,200 option on new cars such as Cadillacs, Porches, Audis, Mercedes, Lexuses and BMWs, but the lights are standard on some of their most expensive models.
Unlike traditional lightbulbs, HID headlamps do not have filaments. Instead, they create light by zapping an arc between two electrodes. The arc excites xenon gas, which vaporizes metallic salts to make light.
Although HID beams travel no farther than halogen bulbs, they are wider and contain more light at the margins. The brighter white light produced by HIDs more closely mimics daylight than halogen bulbs.
Gerald Roy, owner of an insurance agency in Portland, ordered them as an option on his 1996 Mercedes 500SL. He said he considered them to be a safety improvement worth the extra money.
``If you're on the interstate at night and you're by yourself out there, you can see much better with them than normal headlights,'' Roy said. ``Would I buy them again? Oh, certainly yes.''
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cannot do anything about the complaints as long as the lighting meets federal standards, which have remained largely unchanged since the 1970s.
But in 1997, the agency required manufacturers to make it easier to aim headlights. The problem of misaimed headlights could be worse with HID lights because they seem brighter.
Chris Kersting, executive vice president of the Speciality Equipment Market Association in Los Angeles, says most of the complaints occur because HID lights are different and catch the attention of oncoming drivers.
Then the drivers get blinded, as they do when looking directly into any headlights, Kersting said. Once people get used to them, the complaints will go away, he predicted.
The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved
New Headlamps Becoming More CommonDAVID SHARP, Associated Press Writer
AP Online
03-24-2000
New Headlamps Becoming More Common
FALMOUTH, Maine (AP) -- The dazzling, bluish light produced by high-intensity discharge headlamps on expensive cars like Mercedes and BMWs are becoming more familiar on the nation's highways. And owners say the difference is like night and day.
``Once you drive with it, you'll never drive with any other kind of headlamp,'' said Phil Infiorati, general sales manager of Performance Motors in Falmouth.
But some motorists on the receiving end of the brightness are less thrilled about the new technology, and their complaints are being heard by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Over the past year, the agency has received about 100 complaints, an attention-getting number that is similar to when halogen bulbs began replacing incandescent headlamps in the early 1980s, said Tim Hurd, a spokesman for the safety agency in Washington.
What's worse, some drivers hoping to emulate the prestige of the luxury cars are installing blue-tinted bulbs that do not meet federal standards and may actually pose a safety risk, Hurd said.
``There's an awful lot of stuff for sale in these auto parts stores that is not legal,'' said Lt. Bruce Dow, director of the traffic
division for the Maine State Police in Augusta.
Discerning the difference between legal and illegal headlights is a problem for police.
There have been some cases of motorists with HID headlamps being stopped by police, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators is trying to develop simple guidelines for officers to use, said Lori Cohen, a program director in Arlington, Va.
The true high-intensity discharge headlamps are distinctive, not just for their unique color but for their price. They are a $500 to $1,200 option on new cars such as Cadillacs, Porches, Audis, Mercedes, Lexuses and BMWs, but the lights are standard on some of their most expensive models.
Unlike traditional lightbulbs, HID headlamps do not have filaments. Instead, they create light by zapping an arc between two electrodes. The arc excites xenon gas, which vaporizes metallic salts to make light.
Although HID beams travel no farther than halogen bulbs, they are wider and contain more light at the margins. The brighter white light produced by HIDs more closely mimics daylight than halogen bulbs.
Gerald Roy, owner of an insurance agency in Portland, ordered them as an option on his 1996 Mercedes 500SL. He said he considered them to be a safety improvement worth the extra money.
``If you're on the interstate at night and you're by yourself out there, you can see much better with them than normal headlights,'' Roy said. ``Would I buy them again? Oh, certainly yes.''
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cannot do anything about the complaints as long as the lighting meets federal standards, which have remained largely unchanged since the 1970s.
But in 1997, the agency required manufacturers to make it easier to aim headlights. The problem of misaimed headlights could be worse with HID lights because they seem brighter.
Chris Kersting, executive vice president of the Speciality Equipment Market Association in Los Angeles, says most of the complaints occur because HID lights are different and catch the attention of oncoming drivers.
Then the drivers get blinded, as they do when looking directly into any headlights, Kersting said. Once people get used to them, the complaints will go away, he predicted.
The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved
New Headlamps Becoming More CommonDAVID SHARP, Associated Press Writer
AP Online
03-24-2000
New Headlamps Becoming More Common
FALMOUTH, Maine (AP) -- The dazzling, bluish light produced by high-intensity discharge headlamps on expensive cars like Mercedes and BMWs are becoming more familiar on the nation's highways. And owners say the difference is like night and day.
``Once you drive with it, you'll never drive with any other kind of headlamp,'' said Phil Infiorati, general sales manager of Performance Motors in Falmouth.
But some motorists on the receiving end of the brightness are less thrilled about the new technology, and their complaints are being heard by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Over the past year, the agency has received about 100 complaints, an attention-getting number that is similar to when halogen bulbs began replacing incandescent headlamps in the early 1980s, said Tim Hurd,
a spokesman for the safety agency in Washington.
What's worse, some drivers hoping to emulate the prestige of the luxury cars are installing blue-tinted bulbs that do not meet federal standards and may actually pose
a safety risk, Hurd said.
``There's an awful lot of stuff for sale in these auto parts stores that is not legal,'' said Lt. Bruce Dow, director of the traffic division for the Maine State Police in Augusta.
Discerning the difference between legal and illegal headlights is
a problem for police.
There have been some cases of motorists with HID headlamps being stopped by police, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators is trying to develop simple guidelines for officers to use, said Lori Cohen,
a program director in Arlington, Va.
The true high-intensity discharge headlamps are distinctive, not just for their unique color but for their price. They are
a $500 to $1,200 option on new cars such as Cadillacs, Porches, Audis, Mercedes, Lexuses and BMWs, but the lights are standard on some of their most expensive models.
Unlike traditional lightbulbs, HID headlamps do not have filaments. Instead, they create light by zapping an arc between two electrodes. The arc excites xenon gas, which vaporizes metallic salts to make light.
Although HID beams travel no farther than halogen bulbs, they are wider and contain more light at the margins. The brighter white light produced by HIDs more closely mimics daylight than halogen bulbs.
Gerald Roy, owner of an insurance agency in Portland, ordered them as an option on his 1996 Mercedes 500SL. He said he considered them to be
a safety improvement worth the extra money.
``If you're on the interstate at night and you're by yourself out there, you can see much better with them than normal headlights,'' Roy said. ``Would I buy them again? Oh, certainly yes.''
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cannot do anything about the complaints as long as the lighting meets federal standards, which have remained largely unchanged since the 1970s.
But in 1997, the agency required manufacturers to make it easier to aim headlights. The problem of misaimed headlights could be worse with HID lights because they seem brighter.
Chris Kersting, executive vice president of the Speciality Equipment Market Association in Los Angeles, says most of the complaints occur because HID lights are different and catch the attention of oncoming drivers.
Then the drivers get blinded, as they do when looking directly into any headlights, Kersting said. Once people get used to them, the complaints will go away, he predicted.
The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved
New Headlamps Becoming More CommonDAVID SHARP, Associated Press Writer
AP Online
03-24-2000
New Headlamps Becoming More Common
FALMOUTH, Maine (AP) -- The dazzling, bluish light produced by high-intensity discharge headlamps on expensive cars like Mercedes and BMWs are becoming more familiar on the nation's highways. And owners say the difference is like night and day.
``Once you drive with it, you'll never drive with any other kind of headlamp,'' said Phil Infiorati, general sales manager of Performance Motors in Falmouth.
But some motorists on the receiving end of the brightness are less thrilled about the new technology, and their complaints are being heard by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Over the past year, the agency has received about 100 complaints, an attention-getting number that is similar to when halogen bulbs began replacing incandescent headlamps in the early 1980s, said Tim Hurd, a spokesman for the safety agency in Washington.
What's worse, some drivers hoping to emulate the prestige of the luxury cars are installing blue-tinted bulbs that do not meet federal standards and may actually pose a safety risk, Hurd said.
``There's an awful lot of stuff for sale in these auto parts stores that is not legal,'' said Lt. Bruce Dow, director of the traffic division for the Maine State Police in Augusta.
Discerning the difference between legal and illegal headlights is a problem for police.
There have been some cases of motorists with HID headlamps being stopped by police, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators is trying to develop simple guidelines for officers to use, said Lori Cohen, a program director in Arlington, Va.
The true high-intensity discharge headlamps are distinctive, not just for their unique color but for their price. They are a $500 to $1,200 option on new cars such as Cadillacs, Porches, Audis, Mercedes, Lexuses and BMWs, but the lights are standard on some of their most expensive models.
Unlike traditional lightbulbs, HID headlamps do not have filaments. Instead, they create light by zapping an arc between two electrodes. The arc excites xenon gas, which vaporizes metallic salts to make light.
Although HID beams travel no farther than halogen bulbs, they are wider and contain more light at the margins. The brighter white light produced by HIDs more closely mimics daylight than halogen bulbs.
Gerald Roy, owner of an insurance agency in Portland, ordered them as an option on his 1996 Mercedes 500SL. He said he considered them to be a safety improvement worth the extra money.
``If you're on the interstate at night and you're by yourself out there, you can see much better with them than normal headlights,'' Roy said. ``Would I buy them again? Oh, certainly yes.''
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cannot do anything about the complaints as long as the lighting meets federal standards, which have remained largely unchanged since the 1970s.
But in 1997, the agency required manufacturers to make it easier to aim headlights. The problem of misaimed headlights could be worse with HID lights because they seem brighter.
Chris Kersting, executive vice president of the Speciality Equipment Market Association in Los Angeles, says most of the complaints occur because HID lights are different and catch the attention of oncoming drivers.
Then the drivers get blinded, as they do when looking directly into any headlights, Kersting said. Once people get used to them, the complaints will go away, he predicted.
The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved
