It was a clear, cool evening driving home from Thanksgiving dinner. We turned off of 320th onto Military Road, and as we rounded a bend near the church, a car coming from the opposite direction looked like it was going to hit us.

Mrs. A shouted and I winced. The car whoosed by, not necessarily in our lane, but with headlights so bright we were sure it was coming right at us. This is not the first time this has happened.

If you drive around anywhere at night these days, you have almost certainly encountered the same thing.

Even during the day, some cars are now equipped with headlamps so bright that they can leave black spots before your eyes after they pass, and also to the point that some people believe have become truly hazardous.

In a recent article from the New York Times, emails to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration about High Intensity Discharge headlights were mostly negative.

"I feel like I just stared at an arc welder and cannot see,'' said one, and "I am 48 years old with 20-20 vision and these new lights give me a headache." said another.

Since 1996, when European regulations first allowed H.I.D.'s to be installed, 4 million to 4.5 million cars have been equipped with them, and another 1.5 million will be added in the next year.

In 2004 one-tenth of all cars would come with H.I.D.'s. and as the baby boom generation turns 50, more of them will likely opt for brighter headlights.

Currently, Audi, BMW, Honda, Isuzu, Mercedes, Mitsubishi ,Nissan, Porsche, Renault, Toyota, and Volkswagen all sell models with the newer lighting, with some new car manufacturers making them available as an option costing $500 or more.

Though there is a mindset among owners of cars and SUVs equipped with HID lamps that they feel safer because they can see better, it is a false hope when you consider that the odds also increase that you may be hit by someone who is blinded by those lights and loses control of their vehicle.

In a report issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in September that was compiled by researchers at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute they concluded, "Headlamp glare is quite probably related to increased risks for drivers because of the abundant published evidence that glare reduces visibility and because research is beginning to establish the role of visibility in safety."

Misaimed headlamps or high-mounted fog lamps with high wattage bulbs (also known as auxiliary forward lighting) are believed to be significant contributors to the problem. But the proliferation of factory installed HID type lamps make up the lion's share of glare inducing incidents.

The new lighting is legal, however, and High Intensity Discharge bulbs meet the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's standard.

The agency's requirements pick approximately 17 points in the beam cast by headlights and specifies a minimum or maximum illumination. The spots are defined by how far they are located above or below center, and to the left or right.

The rules are designed for American roads, of which many are unlighted, with overhead highway signs that have reflective coatings. In Europe, standards require less light pointing up, because more overhead signs are illuminated there.

By Federal regulation. H.I.D.'s illuminate a bigger area, but in width mostly, as they cannot shine farther forward.

If you are not sure what sort of headlamps you have on your car, it's relatively easy to find out.

The outer lens of a headlamp is required to be marked with the light source used. If your car is equipped with a Xenon system, the markings "D1S", "D1R", "D2S" or "D2R" should be displayed on the lens.

The letters "DOT" should also appear on the lens to indicate compliance to the U.S. Department of Transportation regulations. If the product is labeled with the disclaimer "for off-road use only," it is not legal for highway use.

Because of the high number of other issues the DOT has to contend with (SUV Rollovers, air bag and tire safety) it's not likely that there will be a solution to the problem of parity among cars as to which headlight systems should be legal.

So what can motorists do in the meantime?

First, slow down. Keep in mind that if you have the brighter headlights you may be making it more difficult for oncoming drivers, especially around inside curves where your lights will contact cars in the opposite lane. If you do not have the brighter lamps, and you see an oncoming car that is equipped with them, try to keep your eyes moving and away from the glare.

By focusing on the white lines on the side of the road, while maintaining your peripheral vision, you'll avoid the temporary blinding of the lights and also be more likely to spot pedestrians.

Be sure your own headlights are aimed correctly. Take your car to a mechanic to have your lamps inspected and/or aligned. It's not expensive to have done and could avert trouble.

Keep your windshield clean.

Dirty glass diffuses light and increases glare. Be sure to do the inside glass as well. If your car has fog lamps, don't use them unless it's foggy.

Resist the urge to flash your hi-beams, even though that car's lights may seem too bright, it won't be helpful to make it hard for that driver to see as well.

If your rear view mirror has the day/night function, use it and if you're in the market for new car, look for a self-dimming mirror option. The mirrors are designed to automatically become darker as they detect brighter lights from behind you.

Lastly, have your eyes checked. As we age, our vision acuity drops off precipitously after age forty.