Those are illegal.
It’s easy to give your vehicle some visual flair with aftermarket headlights or housings. These can make a car look more interesting and eye-catching. However, if done wrongly it can be a problem. One Washington man was caught by surprise when his modified Chevy impala had some illegal replacement headlights.
The Impala appears to have suffered lingering damage due to a front-end collision. It was then replaced with its headlights by a pair of flashlights that were duct-taped to it. Washington State Police found the vehicle on I-90 east of Seattle around 2 AM. The flashlights’ draining batteries caused the unusually dim headlights that the responding officer observed. The man was also found to have a suspended driver’s license when police pulled him over.
The US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which automakers must follow, is extensive . One reason that the US doesn’t have vehicles with adaptive driving beam header lights is the FMVSS. These are offered on the Cadillac XT6 but they aren’t available on US-spec models. However, there is growing pressure on the government to change the rules. The FMVSS is also the reason why police stopped the car. Even the state’s motor vehicle codes refer to it.
Safety was also at risk from flashlights. The flashlights also pose a safety risk. Automakers must ensure that the headlights have sufficient brightness to adequately illuminate the road ahead. Dim flashlights should not be used. Poor lighting, especially at night can obscure potential hazards and cause accidents, especially on highways where headlights are stretched to their limits. We are hopeful that regulators will update the country’s lighting regulations, but we know that makeshift headlights will still be illegal.