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RoadSmart Report | January, 2006
Changing the lighting in your vehicle
Some motorists have reported that the headlamps or auxiliary lamps of oncoming vehicles are too bright and are blinding them. If you have changed the bulbs or lenses, or added lamps to your vehicle, you may be driving a vehicle that is impairing the vision of other motorists – creating a potentially dangerous situation. Before changing or adding any forward-facing lamps, SGI asks you to consider the enclosed useful information:
- Headlamps, fog lamps and driving lamps installed by the vehicle manufacturer are designed to operate within specific standards for intensity, aim, pattern and colour. Although there are many types and designs of lamps used by vehicle manufacturers, the lamps must not exceed these standards.
- Headlamps and high- and low-beam driving lamps must emit white light. Some more expensive lamp systems appear to have a blush hue, but unlike many after-market tinted replacement bulbs, they still test and emit white light. Fog lamps may emit either amber or white light.
- It is important to maintain the correct bulbs, lenses and lamps for your specific vehicle. An incorrect bulb or lens may change both the pattern and intensity of the light. Replacing components with an incorrect bulb or lamp may make your vehicle’s headlamp system illegal and dangerous to other road users. Often this increases lamp glare and reduces the visibility of road users. Anytime bulbs are changed they must be replaced with bulbs that are equivalent in light intensity (volts and wattage) and they must match the lamp and lens assembly of the vehicle. Similarly, if a lens is changed it must match the bulb.
- Many new vehicles come from the factory equipped with low- or high-beam driving lamps or fog lamps. Low-beam driving lamps usually illuminate when the low-beam headlamps are activated. When high beam is selected, the lamps will automatically extinguish. The opposite is in effect for high-beam driving lamps. Factory installed fog lamps usually operate on a separate switch and must be selected. Fog lamp lenses are specifically designed to direct light in a specific manner to enhance visibility in adverse weather conditions. When correctly mounted and aimed, fog lamps may be illuminated on both the high and low headlamp systems to provide assistance. Both fog lamps and driving lamps must be aimed and adjusted to direct the light within parameters that are lower and to the right of the low-beam headlamp system.
- Proper aiming of all lamps is essential to gain adequate light while ensuring glare to oncoming motorists is minimal. It is imperative that all forward-facing lamps are properly aimed at all times for the safety of the vehicle operator and for other road users.
- Replacement lamps, bulbs and lenses are available that are not designed for public road use. These lamps must not be used on public roads. Lamps that are mounted above the high or low beam headlamp system cannot be illuminated when the vehicle is operated on a public road. If you are not sure whether the lamps you want to use are safe or legal, contact the vehicle manufacturer’s dealer representative.
If you decide to add auxiliary lamps to enhance your ability to see while driving, be courteous and make sure you extinguish these lamps when approaching or being approached by other road users. Remember it is the law to change the headlamps from high beam to low beam when you are 200 metres or less from an approaching vehicle or less than 100 metres from a vehicle you are following.
Contact:
Brian Kline
Manager, Vehicle Inspection
SGI
Regina
(306) 775-6189
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