FEBRUARY 14, 2023
VOLUME 33
HEADLIGHTS ARE GETTING RIDICULOUS
This is exactly what happens when government agencies are no longer focused on everyday problems everyday people face. I’m going to rewind the clock a few years to the mid 1900’s in California. The state of California had one of the best Motor Vehicle Codes, if not the best, in the entire U.S. The vehicle code was common sense laws and regulations that protected the owners and operators of motor vehicles. The hotrodders were probably the most well-read because the cars they built had to comply or else faced harassment from “Johnny Law”.
One of the most regulated parts of your car was the lighting. It had to meet code, period. The reason was purely about public safety. Nonfunctioning or poorly maintained automobile lighting is dangerous, especially if traffic is normally fast paced like it is in California.
California was especially tough on forward lighting, or headlights. You had to have your headlights properly aimed by a certified auto shop prior to getting it registered. The headlights had to be within a certain distance above the ground, and aftermarket lights had to meet strict requirements. The obvious reason was to prevent blinding oncoming drivers. Offroad lighting had to be covered while operating your vehicle on public roads.
I haven’t lived in California for thirty years, so I don’t know if the vehicle code has changed or is still as strictly enforced as it once was. I can tell you that where I live now, in the Pacific Northwest, it’s pretty wide open to whatever you want.
Everybody loves trucks. I love trucks. I own two. But the lighting on my trucks is what the factory installed. I’m not about to install “killer lights” on my vehicles, I have more respect for my fellow motorists.
Back to my statement that everyone loves trucks, they make a huge portion of the autos on the road, and most are late model pickups or SUV’s. The manufacturers have been installing LED headlights for a few years now, and I swear they just keep getting brighter. The new vehicles are taller now with larger wheels. If you notice the headlights are placed much higher in the body work. Then to make it worse, there are the 5′-6″ tall guys that lift their trucks at least a foot higher than stock, plus install the brightest damn LED lights they can find. When you are facing these guys on two lane roads it’s brutal. When they are behind you at the traffic signal the interior of your car is illuminated like a tanning booth.
We have a Cadillac sports sedan, my butt is about 12 inches off the ground. When these big SUV’s and pickups are coming at you at night it’s a challenge. You have to train yourself to focus on the “fog line” on the edge of the road so your eyes absorb less of the super white LED light.
I know dang well my wife and I are not the only ones that struggle with this. Even though we are late in our years, our vision is still very good. Lately, I have heard more and more folks complain about this issue.
I don’t have much hope we are going to get any relief from this considering what our local, state and federal government are spending their resources on. When they are letting criminals run rampant on the streets, not prosecuting them, allowing homeless people to take over the cities, and China to fly spy balloons over our countryside, they probably aren’t devoting much mental time to headlights.
So, my fellow citizens, I don’t look for any help on this matter coming anytime soon. When they poison an entire area with a chemical fire, and don’t lift a finger to help the townspeople, we probably need to suck it up and buy some of those “Tactical” night driving glasses advertised on “Forensic Files” or some other off beat channel. Not that I am admitting to watching “off beat” channels.
The writing is on the wall. Buy a gun, get a concealed carry permit, because we are on our own. The government is now inept, and ineffective at keeping us safe on any level. We have been taken over by Bozos.
VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIE
steelpencil.com 