TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

[taddy_lah]

TODAY newspaper forum : Letter from Allan Tan

HID headlights a road hazard
I HAVE noticed that more drivers have installed bright, highintensity discharge (HID) headlights and fog-lights on their cars. These drivers have their headlights at their brightest at night. I find these lights very unfriendly to other drivers. Such lights can temporarily blind drivers at traffic junctions. This could be dangerous, especially to drivers trying to make turns. These bright lights reflect in the rearview mirrors of other motorists. It is very uncomfortable and could cause accidents. I urge the traffic authorities to enforce the proper installation and usage of these lights.

Comments : This Allan Tan "jia pa ka eng", ought to be :whipper:

 

[jaskin]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

There's a difference you know Allan Tan, I think HIDs with reflector headlights are damn terok as their beams are reflected every where.

 

[DoggieHowser]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

Exactly jaskin.

Those factory fitted HIDs are well-designed and do not cause the glare.

Then there are those aftermarket HID kits which when fitted to reflector (not projector) headlights are a bane for night driving. Equally bad are those white bulbs (not HID).

 

[emiffy]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

It's the after-market HID conversions that are the problem. Xenons are much brighter than halogens, so no need the reflectors. Fitting Xenons into stock reflectors is the problem. Not xenons per-se.

 

[arkaneslayer]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

i think the TP should spend more time cracking down on this than speeding ...

 

[DreamDriver]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

Equally bad are those white bulbs (not HID).

Why ah? I have these and don't find them glaring when other cars that have them shine at me. They're just halogen mah.

 

[Gombat]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

Trust me they ARE glaring. Xenon, HID are COMPLETE lighting systems, it is NOT simply changing to a blue or white bulb!.. In fact by doing that it greatly affects your ability to see at night and at the same time causes "glare" problems to other road users. For Singapore/Malaysia, the best colour for Helogen lamps are Orange/yellow bulbs............yeah only the French got it right!

 

[Racebred]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

i agree with the forum writer. this kind of inconsiderate shitheads should be fined. Either they are ignorant, or they purposely do it. Many people retrofit their xenon headlights, meaning there isnt an auto leveller (auto levellers are installed together with xenons at the factory for the SAME reason. and it's so that it will not burn the other road users). Especially bad are those SUV, which if they are parallel imported, usually have dealer-retrofitted xenons. What immediately comes to mind are those faux RX300 Harriers with xenon light scattered everywhere, mounted at a level very close to your rearview mirror. They should be caned like michael fay.

many other chao ah beng kias just install their xenons and raise the beam level.

many others, which may or may not include some in this forum too, install the xenons but have never hands-on to raise the bonnet and adjust the beam angle to a considerate level. These are ignorant people, but the result is still the same.

worst are those CCB taxis who raise one of their headlamps to high beam level. While the other is still okay. so that they can have the best of both worlds. drive with high beam, yet can claim innocence that they didnt activate it. It's very evident their alignment is way off. You can see their light beams reflecting off those green overhead-hanging street signs at the expressways. usually they only reflect your light if your high beam is on. And it's not a coincedence; a disproportionately high number of taxis are like that currently. taxi again..... those bastards.

Thats why i installed a rear sunblind in my car. So that i can save my eyes from these scoundrels of the roads.

 

[ace_singapore]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

Lol, MF only received 3 strokes, those you described should get at least a dozen.

 

[DoggieHowser]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

Racebred..

Totally agree with you.

I think the cabbies usually keep the passenger side on high beam so can look out for potential fares on the side of the road...

Dirty rotten bahstids!

 

[Racebred]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

not really always the case. Some of them have the one-eye high beam on the right side..... maybe they confused the jia and toh chiu.

taxi again.... those bastards!

 

[Ascentz]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

worst are those CCB taxis who raise one of their headlamps to high beam level. While the other is still okay. so that they can have the best of both worlds. drive with high beam, yet can claim innocence that they didnt activate it. It's very evident their alignment is way off. You can see their light beams reflecting off those green overhead-hanging street signs at the expressways. usually they only reflect your light if your high beam is on. And it's not a coincedence; a disproportionately high number of taxis are like that currently. taxi again..... those bastards.

Thats why i installed a rear sunblind in my car. So that i can save my eyes from these scoundrels of the roads.

erh ... can install mirror ? to reflect back their beams ?? ... :angry:

 

[louis]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

just use the dimming function of your rear view mirror lor... i do it all the time, boh pian. whether its HID or halogen, it doesn't really matter... i find all SUV headlights blinding coz my car's a little low.

 

[taddy_lah]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

or mod your interior and exterior mirrors to those with "Automatic Anti-glare Function" ...
you'll be immune to all the headlights behind
but unfortunately, cannot see the traffic police as well in case they are behind you

 

[taddy_lah]

Re: TODAY forum - HID headlights a road hazard

HID headlamps meet safety standards

Letter from LYNN ONG
Assistant Manager, Media Relations
Land Transport Authorit

I REFER to Mr Allan Tan’s letter, “HID headlights a road hazard” (Aug 3).

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) requires every headlamp and fog lamp fitted on vehicles in Singapore to comply with internationally-recognised standards, such as those adopted in the European Union countries, Japan and the United States.

Besides conventional headlamps, LTA allows the use of headlamp bulbs that emit whiter light compared to conventional
halogen bulbs, and vehicles factory-fitted with High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps. This is because these meet the relevant safety standards and can improve visibility for the driver. HID headlamps are also more efficient in terms of energy consumption and have a longer lifespan compared to halogen lamps.

The use of HID headlamps and whiter headlamp bulbs is a technological trend in the automotive industry and we believe vehicle manufacturers will be producing more vehicles fitted with such headlamps or headlamp bulbs in the future. With the increase in the use of such headlamps, motorists would gradually get used to them.

For example, when the automotive industry switched from yellowish tungsten lighting to the whiter halogen lighting in the 1970s, many motorists were also unused to the halogen lighting initially. The installation and use of fog lamps on vehicles was allowed following the haze in Singapore in the mid-1990s. However, such lamps should only be used during adverse weather conditions or when visibility is very poor, such as during a heavy downpour and in hazy conditions.

As with other lighting systems, HID headlamps and fog lamps will not cause unwanted glare or discomfort to other road users if they are properly installed and aligned. LTA is concerned about the use of illegally-modified headlamps and fog lamps, and our enforcement officers have been taking action against vehicles with such illegal modifications. We assure readers that LTA will not hesitate to take enforcement action against offenders caught with illegally modified lamps.

Readers can visit the One.Motoring website at www.onemotoring.com.sg for more information on HID headlamps. I thank Mr Tan for his feedback and the opportunity to explain. We also welcome readers to call 1800-CALL LTA (1800-2255 582) if they have other feedback or suggestion