Question: Are the sharp blue headlights that you see on some newer cars legal? They can blind you when you drive. Robert Barnes, Alta Loma
Answer: Those lights that are irritating you so are called xenon-gas-ignited, high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlights, Robert. And yes, they are brighter than conventional tungsten-halogen headlights, it is not your imagination that they look blue since their illumination comes from the blue end of the color spectrum, and most importantly they are also absolutely legal as long as they are aimed properly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has spent over five years studying whether HID headlights truly are a danger to other motorists and has thus far only been able to determine that while the glare from HID headlights annoys other drivers, it does not disable them.
Q: I spent the day standing in a long line to get into Orange County traffic school. For years, one company has had a monopoly on Orange County traffic school and they won't allow people to attend Internet traffic school. Why is this? Who makes the decision, and who do I contact to urge them to change this? Aaron Dishon
A: Internet traffic schools exist because of one line in the Vehicle Code book that says courts may "at their discretion" offer an alternative to a DMV classroom-based traffic school class. That means that each county may decide if they would like to offer the home-study option to those who receive a traffic citation. Orange County is one of the few counties in the state that requires nearly everyone (with very few exceptions) who receives a citation in their county to attend a classroom- based traffic school in their district, because the county receives a portion of the revenue.
In order for this situation to change, Orange County would have to be convinced to give up that revenue, Aaron.
Cool reader comment: I enjoyed your column on air bags; however don't forget that some cars had a "passive restraint system" after 1989. My 1993 T-Bird featured those annoying shoulder belts that attached to the doors and automatically applied when you closed the door and turned the key. Ron Higgs
Q: When are they going to rename Highway 30 to Highway 210? Dolph Mason
A: The section between the 215 and 10 freeways is still signed as California 30, but Caltrans is working on adding California 210 shields along the older section of the route.
Also from Dolph Mason: Referring to the column on the background of car names and funny acronyms that drivers have come up with, Mason sent me the following: Fiat stands for "Fix it again, Tony."
Michelle Groh-Gordy is the owner of InterActive! Traffic School Online at www.trafficinteractive.com , and writes a syndicated weekly column on driving for the publications of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
