Stopped for having "blue" lights
10-11-2012, 01:12 AM
#1
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Stopped for having "blue" lights
On my way home from work yesterday morning and a dps stopped me for having h.i.d lighting. Well i already knew that putting hid bulbs in standard halogen lamps is technically illegal even tho we see it all the time. So I had purchased some aftermarket lamps with projectors and hid bulbs and have been running them since mid june or so and never had an issue till now. I even went as far as putting the new lights on the day before i got my inspection sticker to be sure i would be ok. Got my sticker and never thought twice about it.
Well while the trooper was explaining to me about the citation being a warning only i asked him about other cars that come stock with them and he says bmw cars are different cuz they send them somewhere... blah blah blah.. tuned him out since bmw's are not the only ones with h.i.d. lights anymore. I looked at the warning and says
1 headlamps glaring-not adjusted(547.305)
2 use equipment not approved (specify)(#)(547.101, 547.201) hid kit, not DOT approved
I did some research and found out that Tx does not even check for properly adjusted lights and haven't been doing so since the 90s. Also while looking for something that says how bright is to bright i found nothing other than the lights must illuminate 150ft infront of the vehical and the old 300ft rule for high beams for on coming traffic. I dont know how true it is but i caught wind that dps has a step based overtime program and troopers on overtime have to have tickets to justify it and this is one of the bogus stops that could very well be used for. Waste of time/money to me.
I dont know if he even realized my head lamp housings were not stock but its pretty easy to tell since the are black, but have all the requirements as far as the law is concerned with signal lights and what not. He said that i need to put the halogen bulbs back in. Im guessing the law on hid lights is still a gray area and is why he didnt give me an actual ticket. But what gets me really irritated is the fact that it was 7:30 in the morning and plenty of day light that headlights werent even needed. Traffic was pretty heavy and there was no way to tell from a distance what lights i had untill he was pretty close,Yet that was his reasoning for stopping me. I didnt try to argue anything in my favor as that could have made the situation worse but i did mention to him that i purposely put the lights on befor getting inspected and his reply was "well i guess they must have missed that". Kinda hard to miss that if u asked me. I will say that running them with 6000k bulbs and 55w ballasts in the low beam is just asking for extra attention not needed regardless of how they are aimed so i will be changing them to 4300k bulbs and 35w ballasts so they wont look "blue" anymore.
On a side note, a buddy from work had installed some h.i.ds on his raptor(stock lamps just hid bulbs and ballasts) and was stopped for "blue" lights about a month or 2 ago on the same road and probably the same trooper.
I guess they are attempting to stop ppl from doing that since that does have a much higher chance to blind someone but come on ppl, if the lights look bright dont look at them look at them duh. Anyone else have similar experiences?
Guess this is more of a heads up for others out there running "blue lights"
Well while the trooper was explaining to me about the citation being a warning only i asked him about other cars that come stock with them and he says bmw cars are different cuz they send them somewhere... blah blah blah.. tuned him out since bmw's are not the only ones with h.i.d. lights anymore. I looked at the warning and says
1 headlamps glaring-not adjusted(547.305)
2 use equipment not approved (specify)(#)(547.101, 547.201) hid kit, not DOT approved
I did some research and found out that Tx does not even check for properly adjusted lights and haven't been doing so since the 90s. Also while looking for something that says how bright is to bright i found nothing other than the lights must illuminate 150ft infront of the vehical and the old 300ft rule for high beams for on coming traffic. I dont know how true it is but i caught wind that dps has a step based overtime program and troopers on overtime have to have tickets to justify it and this is one of the bogus stops that could very well be used for. Waste of time/money to me.
I dont know if he even realized my head lamp housings were not stock but its pretty easy to tell since the are black, but have all the requirements as far as the law is concerned with signal lights and what not. He said that i need to put the halogen bulbs back in. Im guessing the law on hid lights is still a gray area and is why he didnt give me an actual ticket. But what gets me really irritated is the fact that it was 7:30 in the morning and plenty of day light that headlights werent even needed. Traffic was pretty heavy and there was no way to tell from a distance what lights i had untill he was pretty close,Yet that was his reasoning for stopping me. I didnt try to argue anything in my favor as that could have made the situation worse but i did mention to him that i purposely put the lights on befor getting inspected and his reply was "well i guess they must have missed that". Kinda hard to miss that if u asked me. I will say that running them with 6000k bulbs and 55w ballasts in the low beam is just asking for extra attention not needed regardless of how they are aimed so i will be changing them to 4300k bulbs and 35w ballasts so they wont look "blue" anymore.
On a side note, a buddy from work had installed some h.i.ds on his raptor(stock lamps just hid bulbs and ballasts) and was stopped for "blue" lights about a month or 2 ago on the same road and probably the same trooper.
I guess they are attempting to stop ppl from doing that since that does have a much higher chance to blind someone but come on ppl, if the lights look bright dont look at them look at them duh. Anyone else have similar experiences?
Guess this is more of a heads up for others out there running "blue lights"
10-11-2012, 01:36 AM
#3
He prob just stopped you because he needed something to do. If it's just a warning I wouldn't be all that worried about it. Strange it was during daylight but these cops now day's will look for any little thing to pull you over and check you out. Gives them a open door to check your license, insurance, warrants, dui, drugs, stolen prop etc... It's really bad here in Ca.
10-11-2012, 07:46 AM
#4
Its happened to my buddy before too but he had 10000k bulbs. I have never seen anywhere that the hids are not DOT approved. why do all the new vehicles come with them if they are illegal?? Some cops just need something to do.. Around here the cops are terrible about window tint. Been pulled over 6 times for that even if it was legal tint!
10-11-2012, 08:06 AM
#6
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Ive hurd of people getting pulled over around here for it. But knock on wood havent had any problems yet. I was taken pics of my truck in a parking lot one time cop came in wonderin was i was doin. Ask me if that was them "blue headlights" i said ya hes like o ya. Then got in is car an drove away. Idk lol
10-11-2012, 08:31 AM
#7
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Funny thing is i passed what looked like the same trooper this morning and nothing. He did try to clock me after i passed him but i wasnt speeding. Yea he prolly was just looking to try and find some "dirt" on me cuz he did run my license and took his sweet as time too. I bet ive passed him numerous times before on that same stretch of hiway too, guess yesterday was just my turn lol. I saw about 3 or 4 other fullsized trucks with similar lights as mine yesterday and today.
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10-11-2012, 08:48 AM
#8
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Same thing happened to me. i was pulled over and told to have them out by the next day. i was running 10k hids. according to another texas state trooper, the box has to have a "D.O.T Approved" marking or sticker on it and the lights cant have a blue tint to them as you stand in front of the vehicle. I think its Bs and i will be running hids shortly with the new truck.
10-11-2012, 09:03 AM
#9
I have 4300k's in my headlight and fogs. I was going into work early one morning around 2am and a Trooper pulled me over for the same reason, except he said my fog lights were too bright. Then he gave me a verbal warning and said to not turn on my fog lights unless it was foggy
I really think the stop was just because it was 2am and my truck to him fit the profile of someone leaving the bar.....
I really think the stop was just because it was 2am and my truck to him fit the profile of someone leaving the bar.....
10-11-2012, 10:38 AM
#10
I know for a fact they arent illegal in Texas for two reasons. My uncle is a DPS officer and he said there is no law against them. Secondly because Bowie County up here in Texarkana, Texas buy their own vehicles for patrol and 70% of them install aftermarket HIDs on their patrol vehicles. Sounds like that officer was being a dick to ya.