On Wed, 24 Dec 2003, Robert Keezer wrote:

> That's right! I second this emotion. The reason the tailight has a lower
> wattage than the brake light is to prevent glare , and contrast between the
> brake and tail lights for other motorists..  The high voltage craze has
> spilled over to the tailights , and I  think it's a mistake.

Well, considering I've never seen a Vanagon with a bumper that wasn't
smashed, maybe there's a reason for this.

I agree that some new cars have ridiculously bright tail lights, though.
The amber turn signals on some new cars are awful, too -- some of them, I
swear, are brighter than brake lights.

David Brodbeck, N8SRE
'82 Volkswagen Diesel Westfalia
'94 Honda Civic Si -- For Sale
'86 Volvo 240DL wagon