From the Chief: Aftermarket Vehicle Lighting

 A very popular trend for vehicle owners is the installation of aftermarket lighting. Certainly, the advent of low voltage and LED lighting that comes in many colors has provided tons of options to make our vehicles stand out. While these very bright products light up the roadway, making it easier to see, they can blind or confuse other drivers.

 Lighting component technology has progressed by leaps and bounds in just the last decade. As an example of just how much lighting technology has changed, I recall when I started in law enforcement that the state-of-the-art flashlights used 4 D-cell batteries, was over a foot long, and very heavy. Now the lights we carry on our belt uses two small lithium batteries and produces almost as much usable light as a single car headlight. When one of these new lights is placed side by side with my old flashlight, you can barely tell it is on! Similar advances in vehicle lighting have also occurred and we now have thousands of lumens of light compared to older headlights that seemed barely adequate to light our way.

 If you have driven anywhere at night lately, you know how bright new car headlights are. Some owners retrofit their older vehicle's headlights to improve performance. However, these HID or Xenon aftermarket lights can blind oncoming drivers if installed incorrectly. Be sure that any aftermarket products you purchase are for on-road use; many clearly state "FOR OFF ROAD USE ONLY" on the packaging. It is very important that new lights be properly installed for reliability and correctly aimed to ensure safety. When choosing new lights, look for "warm" hues as opposed to "cool" hues. Avoid the artificial lighting tints that often look purple or blue, or even yellow.

 Additionally, LED accent lighting offers numerous options for vehicle customization. These lights mount anywhere and everywhere, from under glow to wiper nozzles. Multi-color lighting that flashes, flickers, blinks, or activates on impulse certainly draws attention. While a great way to impress friends, it can be distracting, confusing, and may be illegal in certain circumstances. State law clearly prohibits flashing blue, red, and white lighting for non-emergency vehicles (TCA 55-9-402 and TCA 55-9-414). Amber flashing lights are also restricted. Non-flashing colored lights may also be unlawful in certain applications. Steady blue lights especially can confuse other motorists and open you up to accusations of impersonating an officer and are best avoided.

 Finally, LED work lights and light bars, as pictured above, are now popular must-haves for trucks, Jeeps, and other SUVs. While very cool, these powerful lights are strictly for off-road use and are more stadium light than headlight. Still, they count as a headlight when used in forward-facing applications. Once again, TCA 55-9-402 addresses the number of headlights you can operate on a vehicle, a maximum of four. Auxiliary lights, such as fog lamps, are permissible, but "not more than two (2) of the lamps shall be lighted at any one (1) time in addition to the two (2) required headlights". Typically, this means a pair of headlights and a pair of fog lights, while the high beams of a vehicle count as four lamps, even if they are only two. In any case, overdoing the front illumination is hazardous to other drivers. Even one LED light bar can be far too bright for oncoming motorists. Because it throws a wide beam, it will likely violate TCA, which states, "no auxiliary lamp shall be so aimed upon approaching another vehicle that any part of the high intensity portion of the beam...is directed beyond the left side of the motor vehicle upon which the [lamp] is mounted, nor more than one hundred feet ahead..."

 As tempting as adding extra lighting to your vehicle might be, often it can expose you to liability, subject you to enforcement actions, and decrease safety for you and others. Be aware that many commonly sold products are not legal for street use, and will state so on the packaging. While these lights may enhance the appearance or your vehicle, please do not create a dangerous situation for the sake of looks.