Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: Are blue-white headlights legal in Hawaii? I've asked the safety check stations and people who sell them, but they don't know. I've seen them on a few cars here. High-density auto
lights often illegalAnswer: If they are installed at the factory, they are permitted. If they're purchased as an accessory, the answer is they're legal only if they meet all the standards set by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The high-intensity lights are permitted "only on the vehicles they came with," such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Buick, explained John Lovstedt, the state Department of Transportation's motor vehicle safety officer.
These lights are "unique," requiring 100,000 volts to fire up, he said. Not only do they have a special bulb, they have a special lens, as well.
The lights have to be designed for the vehicle, Lovstedt said, "because the aim is real critical with these things. The two complaints about these lights from the enforcement people are, No. 1, the brightness, and No. 2, the color."
Sometimes, you'll see a bluish tint and sometimes, a yellowish tint, he said.
"If they appear to be too bright, then that's an indication that the adjustment is off. If there is a more dominant blue, that would also indicate possibly something loose in the system," causing a fluctuation in the shading, Lovstedt said.
"So cars have to be set up in order to accommodate them. There are after-market products out there, but very few of them are certified."
In short, you're safe if the lights come with the vehicle. If they're installed later, make sure every part is DOT-approved and that the lens (the outside glass) is designed to accommodate the high-voltage lights.
The way to tell if they are certified is to look for a U.S. Department of Transportation marking, Lovstedt said.
On a broader scope, David Mau, the city's assistant motor vehicle and licensing administrator, warned that accessories sold by vehicle manufacturers are not necessarily legal in every state.
State laws differ
"So, although you may say it's an accessory from a manufacturer or a dealer, it may not necessarily meet all the safety requirements for each individual state," he said.As an example, he said some people will remove the rear bumper from some mid-size pickup trucks, replacing it with a "plastic" or "rolled" bumper for aesthetics.
"But we never got any confirmation or certification from the manufacturer that these accessory items were in fact in compliance with federal safety standards," Mau said. "So, as far as that goes, we did not allow it."
Q: My neighbor has started a business in his yard on Ewa Beach Road fixing broken-down cars. There are 20-25 cars in the yard, making our neighborhood look really shoddy. Who can we call about this?
A: Call William Deering, chief of the city Building Division's Housing Code Section, at 527-6308.
Mahalo
To the Honolulu Police Department motorcycle division. On Wednesday, Nov. 24, my radiator overheated on the H-1 viaduct. At 7:31 a.m., an officer came by to help me. At 7:36 a.m., another HPD officer came by to see if I was OK, followed by another one about 7:45 a.m. The HPD should be commended for taking care of people in traffic. -- Claudia
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com