COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – While driving in the dark, many motorists have experienced being blinded by the headlights of an oncoming car.
The Ohio Revised Code and federal guidelines shed some light on what is legal when it comes to headlight brightness, as well as colors of headlamps and potential car accessories such as Christmas lights.
Ohio’s headlight standards
Ohio’s law regarding headlights requires a car’s high beams to be bright enough to reveal a person or vehicle at least 350 feet away, and a car’s low beam headlights to be bright enough to reveal at least 100 feet ahead. The law also requires drivers to turn off their high beams when approaching another vehicle.
“Whenever the driver of a vehicle approaches an oncoming vehicle, such driver shall use a distribution of light, or composite beam, so aimed that the glaring rays are not projected into the eyes of the oncoming driver,” the Ohio Revised Code states.
While a specific maximum brightness for headlights is not specified in Ohio law, the United States Department of Transportation sets federal guidelines followed by all states.
The USDOT requires the intensity of headlights to sit between 500 and 3,000 candelas. A candela is a unit of measurement for the intensity of light that’s pointed in a specific direction, with one candela roughly emitting the same brightness as one lit candle.
Federal guidelines do allow LED lights if the car came that way from its manufacturer, but they are not approved as replacement bulbs. LED lights typically emit a whiter and brighter light than other kinds of headlights. Once again, LED headlights cannot exceed the federal standard of 3,000 candelas.
The USDOT and Society of Automotive Engineers certify what headlights are legal; as long as a headlight is labeled DOT or SAE approved, they are legal in all states.
Other rules regarding headlights in Ohio law include that front-facing headlights, excluding turn signals, spot lights and auxiliary lights, must be white or amber. Cars are permitted to have one spotlight that does not light more than 100 feet in front of the vehicle. Vehicles may also have no more than three auxiliary lights mounted on its frontside.
The state law also mandates drivers have their headlights on from sunset to sunrise, as well as anytime their windshield wipers are in use.
Are Christmas lights allowed on cars?
While there is not a specific state law banning Christmas lights on cars, the type of lights and way they are distributed could violate certain sections of the Ohio Revised Code.
Vehicles cannot have “more than five lights” on the front of the car that are lit at the same time when driving on a highway. The Ohio Revised Code also prohibits flashing lights on vehicles, outside of turn signals and hazards, and excluding emergency vehicles as well as school buses.
Red and blue lights are also not allowed on cars except those used by law enforcement. To abide by the law, Christmas lights also cannot interfere with the visibility of headlights, tail lights or turn signals.
In Ohio, if an officer has “reasonable suspicion” someone has committed a crime, even a minor traffic offense, they are allowed to pull that person over. In most instances, those who violate headlight or other vehicle lighting guidelines in Ohio are guilty of a minor misdemeanor, carrying a penalty of a fine of up to $150.
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