How bright is too bright for car headlights in SC? Can you be fined? What the law says

Let’s say it’s dark — like midnight dark — and suddenly a car comes toward you with the brightest headlights you’ve ever seen and they’ve got their high beams on. Is that against South Carolina law?

Yes it is, Captain Sonny Collins of the South Carolina Patrol said.

In fact, you could be fined. If you’re caught, you face a fine of $150, possibly more, and two points on your license.

S.C. law says you must dim your headlights at a minimum of 500 feet from oncoming traffic.

That’s 100 feet more than the distance from home plate to the power-alley fence at the Atlanta Braves’ SunTrust Field.

The situation is compounded these days because new cars and trucks often have LED lights, which besides lasting longer and being energy efficient, are also brighter. In some cases, the light they emit mimics daylight, The New York Times reported in 2008 when LED headlights started to become popular to automakers.

What else does SC law say about headlights?

You’ve got to have two, one on each side of the vehicle unless you’re driving a motorcycle. All of you folks driving down the road with a burned out or broken headlight? Scofflaws. No state allows that and you face a $50 penalty.

Headlights must be bright enough to see 200 feet in front of you. To carry on with our baseball field comparison that’s more than three times the distance from home plate to the pitcher’s mound.

South Carolina requires that headlights be turned on from 30 minutes after the sun sets until 30 minutes before sunrise. No lights at night? You could be pulled and fined.

Also, turn on your headlights if your windshield wipers are on. If you can’t see other drivers, think fog, turn on your lights. Won’t necessarily help you see but they will be able to see you.

Auxiliary lamps, spot lamps or any other lamp on the front of a vehicle cannot have beams greater than 300 candlepower — a typical house lamp has 140 candlepower — and you can’t have more than four.

State Farm Insurance recommends these steps to avoid headlight glare:

Slow down, don’t look directly at oncoming lights. Look to the right side of the road. Keep your windshield clean.