Opinion

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Got Enough Light?

by Rolf Lockwood

I've long held that North American headlight standards are inherently dangerous because they don't allow brightness levels to match the speeds we travel. It's just too easy to over-drive your lights, meaning you don't see obstructions like stalled cars or animals or -- may all the gods forbid -- pedestrians in the way until you're past the point of being able to stop in time. Even back in the 1950s when cars and certainly trucks were much slower, this held true. In fact it was worse.