pulled for yellow headlights

[rageguy]

i was going to lions gate bridge back to downtown vancouver, and i got pulled over by an unmarked 4WD that looked like a magnum for having yellow headlights. the cop told me that yellow is illegal and i am not supposed to have it. he then suggest me get blue headlights because they are legal and will look nice on my car. luckily i did not get any ticket for illegal headlights.

i read skidmark's "The Answer to ALL Questions About Lights ", and skidmark said that "For colour, the average vehicle is allowed red, yellow and white...you cannot have blue lights." based on what skidmark said, yellow for my headlight is legal.

did the law change? or was the cop that pulled me over, a newbie cop?

[Lomac]

Yellow is allowed for turn signals, not headlights. Headlights must be white.

AFAIK, France is the only country that runs yellow headlights.

[K-Dub]

Originally posted by rageguy
i was going to lions gate bridge back to downtown vancouver, and i got pulled over by an unmarked 4WD that looked like a magnum for having yellow headlights. the cop told me that yellow is illegal and i am not supposed to have it. he then suggest me get blue headlights because they are legal and will look nice on my car. luckily i did not get any ticket for illegal headlights.

i read skidmark's "The Answer to ALL Questions About Lights ", and skidmark said that "For colour, the average vehicle is allowed red, yellow and white...you cannot have blue lights." based on what skidmark said, yellow for my headlight is legal.

did the law change? or was the cop that pulled me over, a newbie cop?

i find it weird that a cop would tell you to get BLUE headlights...

[Soundy]

Why on earth would you make your headlights yellow in the first place?

Most of those "blue" lights you see aren't really blue, they're just REALLY white, and they LOOK blue compared to the redish/orangeish hue that ALL incandescent bulbs typically have.

[johny]

you can have yellow fog lights. you can't have yellow headlights

[skidmark]

France is changing to white headlights as well.

[Buster]

Yellow is better for rain, fog, etc. Less glare.
Super white and blue are the worst for glare.

Don't even get me started on the headlight rant, especially HID's.

[boxeraddict]

Ok, I want to know why the government doesn't review the MVA to reflect the potential safety benifits of yellow low-beam headlights in the rain and snow?

Buster, I'd love to hear your headlight rant... safety through vehicle design and equipment is of great interest to me, and I feel that it is a frequently overlooked topic.

[snowball]

can i have yellow bulb DRLs? they're not really headlights

[skidmark]

Originally posted by rageguy
i read skidmark's "The Answer to ALL Questions About Lights ", and skidmark said that "For colour, the average vehicle is allowed red, yellow and white...you cannot have blue lights." based on what skidmark said, yellow for my headlight is legal.

These are the general colours of lights allowed on vehicles. Note that it did not say HEADlights, just lights. As you go on, there is more explanation to clarify what colour is required or forbidden where.

As long as your headlights meet the definition of white light set out in the SAE standard referenced in my headlight post, they are legal for use in BC. They may appear to have a slight yellow or blue cast, but are not what you would consider to be a yellow or blue light.

[accordwanker]

Originally posted by Gatorade
can i have yellow bulb DRLs? they're not really headlights

Our '96 Grand Voyager (and I would expect most other Dodge minivans of the same design) simply use the bright yellow front marker/turn lights as DRLs.

[Buster]

Yellow Bulbs produce less perceptable glare, allow you to see better when you need too in adverse conditions such as rain fog and snow.
Properly aimed and stock wattage with yellow bulbs is a win for everyone.
Because HIDs change so much at different angles they attract your attention to them, they scatter more becuase of the white/blue light they emit. Only fools are truly convinced they are the best lighting option for road cars.

[Lomac]

Originally posted by Buster
Yellow Bulbs produce less perceptable glare, allow you to see better when you need too in adverse conditions such as rain fog and snow.
Properly aimed and stock wattage with yellow bulbs is a win for everyone.

I used to think that too but after studying numerous tests, as well as performing a few of our own in College, the advantage of yellow headlights is extremely minimal at best.

[rageguy]

Originally posted by Lomac
I used to think that too but after studying numerous tests, as well as performing a few of our own in College, the advantage of yellow headlights is extremely minimal at best.

while the amount of light emitted with yellow headlight is not proven to be better than hid's, i'm sure we can agree that yellow is more natural compared to white with a hint of blue from hid as observed by oncoming drivers.

since yellow is more natural, it is easier on the eyes to the oncoming driver. also, i find that people often take their eyes off the road to check out the oncoming car with white/blue lights more than a car with a yellow light. maybe there is a safety advantage to yellow headlights.

[boxeraddict]

Originally posted by Lomac
I used to think that too but after studying numerous tests, as well as performing a few of our own in College, the advantage of yellow headlights is extremely minimal at best.

What kinds of scenarios did you reproduce in your tests?

[daproblem]

wut bout yellow highbeam lights(teg)

[skidmark]

Originally posted by daproblem
wut bout yellow highbeam lights(teg)

If you mean high beam headlights, yellow is not allowed.

If you mean driving lights, yellow is not allowed.

[boxeraddict]

Originally posted by skidmark
If you mean high beam headlights, yellow is not allowed.

If you mean driving lights, yellow is not allowed.

What exactly defines driving lights? DRL's?

[G_T_I604]

Originally posted by boxeraddict
What exactly defines driving lights? DRL's?

The situation with the dodge caravan with amber lights which was brought up, those are not DRL's. They are defined as parking lights.

Perhaps yellow is outlawed as it doesn't have a :
lower beam of light which, regardless of the load on the vehicle, will reveal an object at a distance of 30 m and

I'm not sure if it does or not, just a guess.

"daytime running lamp" means a lamp used to improve the visibility of a vehicle when the vehicle is viewed from the front in daylight;

"headlamp" means a lamp, mounted on a motor vehicle, that is capable of displaying white light, the rays of which are projected forward, but does not include a spotlamp, cowl lamp, parking lamp, fog lamp, clearance lamp, auxiliary driving lamp or daytime running lamp;

Headlamps
4.05 (1) A motor vehicle must be equipped with either one or 2 headlamps mounted on each side of the front of the vehicle and capable of displaying white light.

(2) The headlamps must be mounted at a height of not less than 56 cm and not more than 1.37 m.

(3) Subsection (2) does not apply to highway construction and maintenance equipment.

(4) Despite subsection (1), a motorcycle must be equipped with at least one and not more than 2 headlamps.

(5) A motorcycle manufactured after December 31, 1974 must be equipped with a headlamp or headlamps which automatically turn on when the engine of the motorcycle is started and which remain illuminated as long as the engine is running.

(6) The headlamp on a motorcycle travelling at less than 50 km/h must reveal an object at a distance of 30 m.

(7) The headlamp on a motorcycle travelling at 50 km/h or more must reveal an object at a distance of 60 m.

(8) A motorcycle may be equipped with modulating headlamps if the headlamps comply with section 5.6 of the Technical Standards Document No. 108, Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (Canada).

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]



Multiple beam headlamps
4.06 (1) The headlamps of a motor vehicle must function so that the driver may select lamps capable of displaying

(a) an upper beam of light which, regardless of the load on the vehicle, will reveal an object at a distance of 100 m, and

(b) a lower beam of light which, regardless of the load on the vehicle, will reveal an object at a distance of 30 m and the high intensity portion of the lower beam will not strike the eye of an oncoming driver.

(2) The lighting system must include a tell-tale lamp which clearly indicates when the upper beam of light is being displayed.

(3) Subsection (2) does not apply to a motor vehicle manufactured before January 1, 1940.

(4) If an automatic dimmer switch is installed, the device must have a manual control.

(5) A person who drives or operates a motor vehicle must not illuminate the upper beam of a headlamp if another motor vehicle is within a distance of 150 m from that vehicle, unless the driver has overtaken and passed the other vehicle, so that the high intensity portion of the beam does not strike or reflect into the eye of the other driver.

(6) Whenever a motor vehicle is parked or standing on a highway, the upper beam of the motor vehicle headlamps must not be illuminated.

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]


Single beam headlamps
4.07 Despite section 4.06, a motor vehicle, including a motorcycle, may be equipped with single beam headlamps instead of multiple beam headlamps if

(a) the illuminated headlamps reveal an object at a distance of 60 m, and

(b) each headlamp is mounted and directed so that the high intensity portion of the beam is, at a distance of 8 m from the headlamp, at least 12 cm below the height of the headlamp and, at a distance of 25 m from the lamp, not higher than 1.06 m from the road surface.

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]

Daytime running lamps
4.08 A motor vehicle may be equipped with daytime running lamps, mounted on the front of the vehicle at a height of not less than 30 cm and not more than 2.11 m, that comply with the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada).

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]


Auxiliary driving lamps
4.09 (1) A motor vehicle may be equipped with 2 auxiliary driving lamps, mounted on the front of the vehicle at a height of not less than 40 cm and not more than 1.06 m, that are capable of displaying only white light.

(2) An auxiliary driving lamp must be directed so that the high intensity portion of the beam is, at a distance of 8 m from the lamp, at least 12 cm below the height of the lamp and, at a distance of 25 m from the lamp, not higher than 1.06 m from the road surface.

(3) An auxiliary driving lamp must operate so that it is illuminated only when the upper beam of a multiple beam headlamp is illuminated.

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]


Parking lamps
4.10 (1) A vehicle may be equipped with 2 parking lamps, mounted on the front of the vehicle, that are capable of displaying only white or amber light.

(2) A vehicle may be equipped with 2 parking lamps, mounted on the rear of the vehicle, that are capable of displaying only red light.

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]


Fog lamps
4.11 (1) A motor vehicle may be equipped with 2 fog lamps, mounted on the front of the vehicle below the headlamps, that are capable of displaying only white or amber light.

(2) Each fog lamp must be

(a) mounted not more than 30 cm below the headlamps, and

(b) adjusted and aimed so that, at a distance of 8 m from the lamp, the centre of the beam is at least 10 cm below the height of the fog lamp.

(3) The fog lamp wiring and switch must permit simultaneous operation of the parking lamps, tail lamps, licence plate lamp and, if required, clearance lamps.

(4) The operator of a vehicle may use fog lamps instead of headlamps when atmospheric conditions make the use of headlamps disadvantageous.

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]

[accordwanker]

Originally posted by G_T_I604
The situation with the dodge caravan with amber lights which was brought up, those are not DRL's. They are defined as parking lights.

That may be, but they FUNCTION as DRLs, according to the quoted definition:

"daytime running lamp" means a lamp used to improve the visibility of a vehicle when the vehicle is viewed from the front in daylight;

---snip---

Daytime running lamps
4.08 A motor vehicle may be equipped with daytime running lamps, mounted on the front of the vehicle at a height of not less than 30 cm and not more than 2.11 m, that comply with the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada).

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]

I find this interesting though:

Parking lamps
4.10 (1) A vehicle may be equipped with 2 parking lamps, mounted on the front of the vehicle, that are capable of displaying only white or amber light.

(2) A vehicle may be equipped with 2 parking lamps, mounted on the rear of the vehicle, that are capable of displaying only red light.

[en. B.C. Reg. 476/98, s. 2.]

Note: MAY, not MUST.

[G_T_I604]

good point.. oh man trying to understand this stuff is making me tired.

[accordwanker]

Go to bed, ya slug

[G_T_I604]

When tired I MAY go to sleep, but sleep is not required if you display white or amber light.

NIGHT!

[boxeraddict]

Originally posted by G_T_I604
When tired I MAY go to sleep, but sleep is not required if you display white or amber light.

NIGHT!

As long as the top of your ear is no less than 15 CM and no more than 25CM from the bottom edge of the pillow, you're ok. If you need to operate outside of these parameters, you will need to install an auxiliary sleeping pillow no further than 10 CM from either side of your primary pillow.

[accordwanker]

Tinted pillowcases and neon underglows on your mattress are illegal, though...