SAE DOT Driving Lights
SAE LED driving lights, also known as auxiliary high beams, are street-legal lights that meet established output requirements established by SAE and DOT. Adding SAE driving lights is the easiest way to add road-legal output to your vehicle, without having to replace factory equipment. With a focused and directed beam of light, they illuminate far down the road, providing an extra "punch" to your factory high beam. They're also great for off-road applications, as they provide extra distance visibility to illuminate the path ahead.
Diode Dynamics manufactures a number of LED driving lights, in both lightbar and LED pod or LED worklight form factors. These lights utilize advanced technology such as TIR optics to focus and control the light into the required beam pattern for on-road use. Diode Dynamics also offers a variety of mounting solutions so you can mount your SAE driving lights directly to your vehicle, with many bolt-on kits available. Click here to find SAE Driving Kits for your vehicle.
Lights which are called SAE or DOT driving lights must meet specific standards for light output, which are defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers in a standard technical document called J581. This calls for an intense, focused beam pattern, in white color, that does not exceed 75,000 candela. For this reason, you'll find that our highest-power lights with driving beam patterns, such as the SS5, cannot be legally used on-road as SAE driving lights - they are too bright! However, 75,000 candela is still more intense than your factory high beam, so you'll find that this is enough to make a big difference on the road.
You may also see these lights referred to as DOT Driving Lights. This is because the United States Department of Transportation has codified the SAE performance requirements into law, in FMVSS 108. This essentially makes the SAE technical performance standards into a legal requirement. DOT also allows commercial vehicles to use auxiliary high beams at any time, in combination with factory-installed headlights (49 CFR § 393.24).
Commercial vehicles can use SAE driving lights in all 50 states, but what about regular cars and trucks? Most states have laws that allow the use of SAE driving lights, or auxiliary high beams, when used with your factory high beams. Just like high beams, they cannot be used around other drivers on the road. But if your state does allow them, they're the perfect way to add a huge boost of light when there's a dark road ahead.
One important requirement is how you mount your SAE Driving Lights. You must install them as a pair. This is why you'll find some "SAE Driving Lightbars" with a dark section in the middle. In this way, they are considered to be a pair of lights, rather than one single lightbar. You must also ensure they're mounted at the correct height. In general, it's best to mount them as high as possible, for visibility. But legally, they usually cannot be mounted higher than 42 inches off the road.
Make sure to check your state regulations for use of LED driving lights or auxiliary high beams, especially if you're planning a road trip. If they're OK to use in your area, adding a set of DOT LED pods or lightbars is the perfect way to add output to your vehicle.
