• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Babcock Law Firm

Denver personal injury and accident lawyer

(303) 683-5033 FREE CONSULT 4600 S Ulster St.
Suite 800, Denver CO 80237
  • Our Firm
    • Our Mission
    • Injury Attorney Profiles
    • How Representation Works
  • Practice Areas
    • Workers’ Compensation / Work Injuries
    • Car Accidents
    • Truck Accidents
    • Motorcycle Accidents
    • Drunk Driving Accidents
    • Pedestrian Accidents
    • Slip and Falls (Premises Liability)
    • Bad Faith Insurance
    • Wrongful Death
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Resources
    • COVID-19
    • Scholarships
  • Blog
  • Contact
Denver Personal Injury Attorneys (Home) / Blog / Auto Accidents / Do High Intensity Headlights Cause Car Accidents?

Do High Intensity Headlights Cause Car Accidents?

Have you ever been driving at night when a car with bright, blinding, and slightly bluish headlights makes you squint or turn away for a few seconds until it passes? The odds are you have, and this temporary blindness can pose a serious danger for a driver and their passengers.

The headlights in question are called High Intensity Discharge (HID) Xenon Headlight Systems. HID lights are up to three times brighter than the traditional halogen bulbs found in most cars, and older drivers or drivers with a vision impairment report being dazzled and temporarily blinded by them.

Drivers can be ticketed for improper use of high beams—leaving them on or flashing them at oncoming traffic—but what about intense low beams? Although some of these blinding headlights are just as bright as high beams, they are perfectly legal, despite the fact that opponents argue that they increase the risk of an auto accident.

One factor which makes this issue difficult to resolve is both supporters and opponents of HID headlights are right. Xenon bulbs are measurably brighter and produce more glare, but they also meet federal illumination standards and fall below the government’s maximum safety level.

“Xenon headlight systems project more light than conventional halogen headlights,” says Martin Mainster, MD, who conducted research testing HID manufacturers’ claims that their lights do not pose a risk to other drivers. “Therefore, drivers of cars equipped with HID headlights benefit from increased road visibility and greater driving safety because they can see hazards earlier and have more time to respond.”

But while drivers with HID lights may benefit from improved visibility at night or during storms, it comes at a converse cost to other drivers, whose visibility is reduced.

“But for the elderly in particular, who are already handicapped by night-time driving difficulties, glare from HID headlight encounters on two-lane roads can be dangerous,” said Dr. Mainster.

Part of the problem is more and more people are going to auto parts stores and installing HID lights themselves by watching YouTube tutorials. But what these tutorials fail to do is regulate whether the lights being installed are federally approved or at an appropriate angle, causing headlights to shine too brightly or directly into the eyes of oncoming drivers.

Read more about the federal regulations on headlights, and contact a car accident attorney if you or a loved one are the victims an auto collision caused by improper or abnormally bright headlights.

Primary Sidebar

Categories

Personal Injury
Practice Areas

Car Accidents Truck Accidents Motorcycle Accidents Drunk Driving Accidents Pedestrian Accidents Workers' Comp / Work Injuries Slip & Falls (Premises Liability) Insurance Disputes Wrongful Death

Resources

Blog Contact Us Firm News

Client Testimonials Read all reviews

5-star review image
I couldnt have asked for more!
Workers Compensation  |  Longmont
Retained after worker was hit by a car at work addressing workers compensation issues and negotiating settlement.
2018-04-14
"I was recommended to this firm to handle the workers comp part of a hit and run that ..."
Bacca, Verified Customer
5-star review image
Excellent, Stress Free Experience
Workers Compensation  |  Longmont
Retained to negotiate settlement for worker who was terminated when he was injured.
2017-09-03
"I am very happy with how my case went. I went through the facts of the case once ..."
Tony, Verified Customer
5-star review image
Experience with Babcock Law firm
Workers Compensation  |  Aurora
Retained following a fall at work and settled before Respondent's Division IME.
2018-01-07
"I had the privilege of working with Stephanie Tucker. She was an excellent attorney, she kept me up-to-date ..."
Tirza, Verified Customer

Footer

Association Badges
Association Badges

Schedule your free consultation with our attorney

No cost – No commitment

(303) 683-5033
The Babcock Law Firm
Denver Workers' Compensation Lawyer and Personal Injury Attorney Mack Babcock
4600 S Ulster Street, Suite 800 Denver, CO 80237 United States

Personal Injury
Practice Areas

  • Car Accidents
  • Truck Accidents
  • Motorcycle Accidents
  • Drunk Driving Accidents
  • Pedestrian Accidents
  • Workers' Comp / Work Injuries
  • Slip & Falls (Premises Liability)
  • Insurance Disputes
  • Wrongful Death
  • Colorado Springs Workers’ Compensation

Resources

  • Blog
  • Firm News

Free eBooks

  • Colorado Workers' Comp Guide
  • Colorado Car Accident Guide

Our Firm

  • Firm Mission
  • Attorney Profiles
  • Practice Areas
  • Contact

    Facebook    Twitter    Blog

The Babcock Law Firm: Colorado Enjuris Partner Attorney
More
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal Disclaimer & Terms of Use
  • Local & Reviews
© 2023 The Babcock Law Firm. Colorado law firm for workers' compensation, car accidents & personal injury. Serving all of Colorado and the Denver metro area from our Denver law office law firm internet marketing by SEO Advantage®