Fuel for Thought

Blinded By The Light

I don't think anyone would disagree that the trucking industry has changed over the last few decades, and that many of the changes have put more scrutiny on drivers and trucks. Today's drivers are being held to higher safety standards as are the trucks we drive.

Our trucks are inspected regularly and must meet specific guidelines to be deemed safe and compliant, but in the last few years, a new phenomenon has become a regular sight on many trucks on the road today….. LED light bars.

These OFF-ROAD light bars are becoming an everyday sight on commercial vehicles. I can see why many drivers want them. Better night driving lighting can help you see farther ahead and alert you to potential hazards earlier than just the standard incandescent or LED headlamps, but off-road light bars are designed for off-road use for a reason. When they are used for on-highway applications, like on a CMV, they can temporarily blind other motorists around you.

These blinding light bars are not legal for highway use and yet it seems no one is enforcing the removal of them.

It is bad enough on the interstates and divided highways to see these intense lights coming at you, but on a two lane road when that truck with the supernova on its front bumper is heading the towards you, it is like staring into the Sun while trying to maintain your lane.

If you run these off-road LED lights, could you at least treat them light regular high beam headlamps and turn them off for other motorists? If not, I hope that radiating searchlight will show you the blinded motorist veering at you as we try to see our part of the road while we drive blinded by your inconsiderate placement and use of that explosion of light bearing down on us.

There is a time and place for everything. The time to use such a light on highway is when no other vehicles are around, but the proper place is actually for off road use.

 

See you down the road (If I can),

Greg