Reader Robert Elms of University Place is concerned about the bright headlights he sees on area roads.

“What in the world has caused this flood of extra-bright headlights the past few years?” Elms wrote. “I’m forever flipping my mirror to keep from being blinded. I don’t believe either that these are cars with out-of adjustment headlights.

“What affects me is all models, all makes,” he wrote. “The entire inside of my vehicle is totally flooded with bright halogen light. Is this really necessary?”

Answer: Necessary? Maybe not. Legal? That’s hard to say.

Washington has adopted Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for vehicle lighting, reflective devices and related equipment. Those standards are detailed in 75 pages of federal code, complete with charts, diagrams and enough gray text to fill a newspaper.

Bottom line: Factory-installed lights must meet these federal requirements to be legal on Washington roads. Lights installed after you buy a vehicle also must meet the standards, and they must be installed according to other standards spelled out in state law.

Sgt. Freddy Williams of the Washington State Patrol said lights approved for use on public roads will be labeled as being approved by the federal Department of Transportation.

But there are lights on the market that don’t meet those standards (they’re considered off-road lights). Williams recommended contacting the manufacturer if you’re not sure if your lights are street-legal.

Williams has noticed bright headlights, but said the brightness per se may not be the problem. He said the lights on raised pickup trucks “just seem to hit my van right at about the mirrors.”

Sometimes headlights can be improperly installed at the factory. That was the case for a 1989 Ford Crown Victoria that Williams drove.

“After being told by several officers my headlights were too bright, I took it to the dealership and had them re-adjust them to a lower setting,” Williams said. “It didn’t affect my visibility and I didn’t have so many drivers flashing their headlights at me.”

Got a question about traffic congestion, construction, spending or other transportation issues? Send it to traffic@thenewstribune.com. Include your name, hometown and daytime telephone number. We’ll answer as many as we can.