People who use electronic media today, such as YouTube, TickTock, or Instagram, have a lot they don’t know about car modifications. If you have been wondering what the blue dots on tail lights are and whether they are legal today, this article is for you.
Blue dots on tail lights are red lights with blue inserts with a diameter of less than an inch installed on the rear of a vehicle. The dots are illegal in most states. However, you can install them in a state with a vehicle age exception.
Blue dots on tail lights are part of car lighting technology that existed before LEDs, halos, HIDs, and angel eyes. The dots appear as a multifaceted blue lens in the tail light’s center. These dots create blue light in the center of the red brake light giving it a purplish appearance.
What Is The Origin Of Blue Dots On Tail Lights?
The dots on tail lights became popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Some schools of thought have it that people started using these dots earlier than that. Some cars had a Lynx Eye blue dot tail light accessory in the 1930s.
High-end cars of that time, like Cadillacs and Packards, were factory equipped with blue dots. Nowadays, the modification is common in antique car models and motorcycles with small round tail lights.
What Was The Purpose Of Installing Blue Dots On Tail Lights?
There’s no apparent reason people would install blue dots on their tail lights. However, here are some ideas shared on various car forums.
Making Brake Lights Brighter
Back then, brake lights weren’t that powerful. Adding the blue dots would make the lights brighter. There’s some truth in this school of thought since blue light is brighter. Blue dots give tail lights with internal parabolic reflectors a more vivid magenta color when seen from behind.
However, the presence of the blue dots on tail lights without a reflector inside would be less pronounced. So, adding them would be worthless.
Give Emergency Workers The Right Of Way
Another school of thought is that doctors and emergency workers used to install blue dots on their car tail lights to get a right of way. The police would tell from the purplish light that it’s a doctor or emergency worker responding to a call for help.
Police would let them pass without chasing them to give them tickets. Hot-rodders realized this and started adding blue dots on their tail lights too. To avoid the police from chasing them when speeding.
Increasing Visibility For People With Color Blindness
Red and green is the most challenging color combination for people with color blindness. The colors appear the same. Adding blue dots on tail lights would increase visibility for people with red/green color blindness.
Improving Visibility Of Red Light During Fog
There’s a theory that adding blue dots on tail lights improves the visibility of red color during fog. However, this doesn’t sound farfetched, given that emergency cars have red or blue flashlights. Ironically, the blue dots were smaller than the tail lights limiting their relevance.
The red light seems farther away than it actually is. However, blue light seems closer. So, a combination of red and blue lights gives a better idea of where the light actually is. No wonder emergency vehicles also use red and blue lights simultaneously.
Blue Dots Were Cool
People would add blue dots on tail lights in the 1950s because it was cool. Having them on your tail lights would give your vehicle a high-end appearance. Even car manufacturers started adding blue dots on the tail lights of their models.
The blue dots gave the tail lights an attractive purplish-magenta look. Other color combinations weren’t as impressive. During the day, the blue dots look like a cut gem with plain surfaces that gives the tail lights a luxury appeal.
Distinguishing High-End Cars
Apart from making cars look cool, blue dots on tail lights were for distinguishing high-end cars from lesser models. Companies like Cadillac would install the blue dots as standard equipment on models like the 32 to 34 Packard V-12.
Are Blue Dots On Tail Lights Legal?
Installing blue dots on your tail lights is illegal in many jurisdictions today. Only red is allowed for use with amber turn signal light for use on rear-end lights. However, in some states, you can use blue dots as long as you comply with the vehicle age exemption.
For example, in Washington State, blue dots were illegal, but the law changed to allow older cars to have them. You can install blue dots on your tail lights if your car is 40 years or older. But the dot must have a diameter of less than an inch.
In Illinois, a SAN-supported bill was signed to allow people with antique vehicles to install blue dots on their tail lights. The bill recognized that the dots don’t have any detrimental impact on safety. Investing in this modification allows car enthusiasts to enjoy the glory days of the hot rod era.
Other states where you can install blue dots on your tail lights include:
- Georgia
- Montana
- Missouri
- Minnesota
- Rhode Island
How Can I Install Blue Dots On Tail Lights If It’s Legal In The State?
Blue dots used to be made of glass in the olden days. However, they are made of plastic like other tail light lenses today. Small round tail lights are more suitable for installing blue dots. Here’s a simple process to install the dots on your tail lights:
- Drill a hole of less than an inch in the tail light directly over the bulb
- Superglue the dot in place on the light
- Or hold the blue dot to the lens using a chrome bezel
Blue dots on tail lights are usually found on antique vehicles today. Although they are illegal in most jurisdictions, you can install them on your antique vehicle if it matches the state’s vehicle age restriction.
