BATON ROUGE — The Senate gave final passage Thursday to a House bill that would ban drivers from installing high-intensity lights on their vehicles and another that would allow video screens on the front passenger side of vehicles.

traffic-night.jpgTimes-Picayune archiveHigh-intensity lights will not be legal in Louisiana if Gov. Bobby Jindal signs the bill passed by the Senate on Thursday.

The Senate voted 37-0 for House Bill 583 by Rep. Tom Willmott, R-Kenner, to ban high-intensity lights that were not part of the vehicle when it left the manufacturer.

Senators also approved 36-0 House Bill 243 by Rep. Helena Moreno, D-New Orleans, to allow car dealers to sell vehicles with the front-seat video screens.

Both bills go to Gov. Bobby Jindal for his signature or veto. Jindal can also let the bills become law without signing them.

Moreno’s bill was criticized by some opponents for being a driver distraction and having a negative impact on road safety. During debate on the bill, Moreno said that the “split-view screen” cannot be seen by the driver, only the passenger.

Moreno said the bill is needed to allow vehicles with the screens to be sold in Louisiana. She said Mercedes-Benz has the screen but those models cannot be sold in Louisiana because of existing law. Other vehicles are expected to have the screens in the future, she said.

Sen. Joe McPherson, D-Woodworth, who handled Moreno’s bill before the Senate, said the screens are installed in such a way that the driver can see only the portion of the device that shows a mapping system, while the other side of the screen can show a DVD or movie that can be seen only by the front-seat passenger.

Backers of the bill said that 38 other states have allowed the sale of vehicles with

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