Yellow headlights were introduced in France long before World War II, so that local troops could easily tell the difference between their own people's cars and those of the enemy.
Apparently, no one thought that those little yellow dots in the distance would be very accurate targets for the enemy.
Despite this failure, the French stubbornly maintained this traffic measure even after the war. Officially because the yellow light was less blinding to oncoming traffic than the white light, but at the same time less intense and therefore less illuminating under normal night conditions.
Not surprisingly, in an increasingly open Europe, foreigners are increasingly complaining about driving at night in France and finding it dangerous because of the insufficient lighting of local cars. So in 1994 the European Commission decided, as part of the homogenisation of the markets, to allow only bright headlights.
Our Volkswagens for the French market were also equipped with yellow headlights, which were allowed throughout Europe until 1994. Because of their distinctive appearance and the advantages of quieter lighting, yellow headlights have also become a trend in our Volkswagen, where reduced light output is accepted.
Useful information from Paruzzi magazine and from our YouTube channel :
Look for more technical articles on the page Paruzzi Magazine