Those bright bluish-looking headlights in your rearview mirror may be from a high-end luxury car that came equipped with such lights. But they may also be a sign of an aftermarket modification that's technically illegal, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says.
Can you have blue headlights on your car?
"The California Vehicle Code specifically requires headlights to be clear and exhibit white light or amber, in the case of turn signals." "Any other color of headlight is illegal in California. Sometimes people will modify their vehicles with high-intensity lights, oftentimes that are blue in color and illegal.What's the point of blue headlights?
Those cars with blue-tinted headlights have xenon gas bulbs, which give a much brighter, more natural light, thus giving more visibility. The blue tinge tends to come when the light is not shined directly onto the viewer.Are blue headlights DOT approved?
You may think the logo means the product conforms to the Department of Transportation's standards, but there is actually no such thing as a headlight that's been approved by the DOT.Are blue HID headlights legal?
Lower intensity HID bulbs emit yellow or white light, and higher intensity HID light is blue. Any HID headlights emitting blue or purple light are in violation of the California statute.Fact Finders: Are bright blue LED headlights legal
What color headlights are legal?
Headlights can be yellow or white, with some bluer xenon HID bulbs allowed, too. Drivers should be careful that their headlights are not too blue, as this law is more strictly enforced in some localities. Headlights for off-road use are available in a wide variety of colours.Are blue headlights better than white?
As headlight technology improves, some bulbs skew towards the blue end of the spectrum (rather than yellow). Xenon HIDs, which are brighter than the old halogen bulbs, often have a blue tint. This is fine, up to a certain point, but headlights that are too blue are less effective.What vehicles have blue headlights?
On many new vehicles including Audi, BMW and Mercedes, new xenon HID lighting can give a very slight blue tint. These are still classed as road legal, as long they are factory-fitted HID lights and not an aftermarket HID kit. HID Conversion kits are not road legal.Are LED headlights blue?
Although most LED headlight and fog light conversion kits currently on the market come exclusively in white, we offer four different LED colors options (yellow, white, blue and purple).What headlights have a blue tint?
Blue headlights refer to xenon gas or high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights. Both are usually considered an enormous upgrade over halogen bulbs and LEDs.Are ice blue LED headlights legal in Texas?
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, any colored bulbs or headlamps must have the Department of Transportation or appropriate Society of Automotive Engineers stamp of compliance on them; there are currently no DOT-approved red or blue bulbs.Why do cars have blue lights?
Blue lights are reserved for emergency motor vehicles in general, such as police, fire, ambulance, State Emergency Service (except Queensland) and traffic commanders. Blue by itself is also used by airport emergency vehicles to designate a command vehicle.Are xenon lights blue?
In an xenon headlight, electric current passes through the xenon gas to create an arc between two electrodes and generate intense white or bluish light that is often brighter than LEDs. Aftermarket xenon lights are available in different shades of blue and yellow as well as white.Is 6000K white or blue?
6000K = COOL WHITEAs seen on the graph, 6000 Kelvin lighting falls between the white and BLUE side of the graph. People who choose this color are usually trying to get an exotic, more luxurious look.
