It's a dark winter night when you come head on with a space ship, glaring spotlights into your eyes, blinding you before they beam you up.
Oh, wait. That's not a space ship. It's some motorist who wanted to see better — much better — on the road and purchased some nifty LED bulbs.
Great for that person. Bad for everyone else on the road, including the driver ahead of him.
Those broad spectrum LED lights are supposed to be sold only for off-road use, and many stores provide that warning. And many, especially online retailers, don't, according to arstechnica.com.
Standard halogen lights deliver a 360 degree illumination, but LED light shine in a straight 180 degree plane.
The worst part is when the LED lights are not aligned properly. Then the direct blast of light blinds the driver behind the LED-equipped vehicle, as well as the oncoming driver. In a truck that looms higher on the road, it is a stab in the eyes.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
