Lamps On/Off at Impact

Lamp illumination may be of interest in night time crashes as well as functionality questions. For example, determining whether a signal lamp or brake lamp was on or off at impact may be of interest. When a lamp is on, the filament is very hot. On impact, this hot filament deforms, and is known as “hot shock”. If the lamp is off, the filament may simply break, and is known as “cold shock”. Traditional style bulbs with filaments are less common now, and are being replaced by HID, LED, and laser lighting, which show no indications of being on/off at impact.