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Old 03-01-2011, 09:51 PM
JGiddy JGiddy is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,682
Default Re: Legality of HIDs

Quote:
Originally Posted by FireRanger View Post
OK, I don't have time to read this whole thread and reply to everything. So I'm just going to lay out reality. The original poster is COMPELTELY WRONG. And skimming through, I see many other people repeating completely wrong information. It is a very common misconception.

FMVSS 108 regulates OEM MANUFACTURERS (ie Ford, Chevy), and actual repair shops. FMVSS 108 are the standards by which they are required to build their products and sell their products and services.

FMVSS 108, nor any other federal standard applies to the end user (you, me, bob next door, etc). They do not apply, flat out, end of story. We as end users are regulated by individual state laws. These laws differ from state to state. Most are very poorly written. And most were written back in the days when sealed beams were the only things that existed. State motor vehicle laws are the only laws the police can cite you for. There is no mechanism by which a police officer can cite you for violating FMVSS 108. For one thing, it doesn't apply. And secondly, they have no jurisdiction over it anyway even if it did apply.

Most state laws are rather lenient and HID's do fall within the law. Most state only where your headlights must be and what color they must be. If you are one of these states, then you can put in HID's, LED's, or a damn array of candles. As long as the light is white, you are fine.

A small handfull of states are very specific and very strict. They either specify that such modifications are illegal, or their law is an adopted copy of FMVSS 108. Again, this is a very small handful of states. Oregon comes to mind as recent example on the forum. California on the other hand is a "just make them white" state.

So there you have it. That is the reality of it. Anything anyone else said in this thread that is contrary to this is incorrect. And I can assure you that the attorneys that work for the DOT and manage FMVSS 108 will agree with me 100%, in writting. I'm not trying to be an ass to the people who were wrong. Like I said, its a common misconception and commonly spread around BS.

As for people who got tickets with their HID's. There are number of reasons:
1) Its one of the few states where they do happen to be illegal.
2) They were poorly aimed, blinding oncoming traffic, which is illegal. Irrelevent that they were HID.
3) They were an illegal color (blue, purple, green, etc). Irrelevent that they were HID.
4) The police don't know the law regarding this, which believe it or not, happens a lot. Taking it to court with the law would end with you winning.

And BTW, before someone whines about how I could possibly know this, I have indeed read the laws, cover to cover. And I've read the DOT's attorney's written statements on these very matters. And I've read numerous other state's Motor Vehicle Code sections. So I'm not making this shit up. When it comes to the law, most people that know me on the forums know I know my shit.

Oh, and one last thing. The original poster that started this thread is cleared a disgruntled member with a duplicate account intentionally trying to post incorrect or defaming information (look at the post history). That should be another clue that I might know a little more than he does.
this is what I always figured and i was wrong to say theyre illegal period. it was an assumption i made based on alot of internet literature out there. theres no consistency with many laws from state to state. i just dont want hids in my OEM lenses because i hate how unfocused the wasted light energy makes the beam. i shouldnt have to aim way down just to avoid blinding people, that defeats the purpose of headlights and i don't want the unilluminated part of the road to have that much contrast to my eyes because the road right in front of me is ridiculously bright. HID output blows halogen output away no question even in halogen lenses, but putting them in lenses they weren't designed for is not going to help you see better at night, especially not at night when its snowing or raining or foggy. To see better you need to do this

Last edited by JGiddy; 03-01-2011 at 10:15 PM.
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