Why Do Race Cars Have An X On Headlights? Here's Why They're Taped

If you see an "X" made of tape over the headlights of an older race car, it's not meant to be a fashion statement – although it can look pretty cool. Instead, the tape has an allegedly useful reason for being there. While motorcycle riders may put an X on their headlights to indicate they're ready to race, classic car enthusiasts use the tape to be safer while taking part in races. 

Modern cars have bright headlights made of durable plastic, but older cars had headlights made of glass – one of many forgotten classic car features. Glass headlights may have a desirable retro look, but the material creates an extra unwanted variable on the track. In the case of a collision, glass shards from the headlights could end up all over the track, causing a potential safety hazard. To combat this, drivers will use sturdy tape to create an "X" shape over each headlight. This way, the glass can supposedly resist impact and potentially remain intact in a crash. It's the same concept behind the myth of taping up windows ahead of a storm to make them stronger.

The "X" made of tape on older vehicles' headlights likely will not do much if a crash occurs. While it's meant to hold the headlight in place and keep glass from scattering on the track, research doesn't support the practice of taping glass — and headlights are probably no different. 

The Hurricane Research Division went so far as to call taping up glass "a waste of effort, time, and tape." Why? Taping a window doesn't give it any extra strength or added reinforcement, especially when faced with something intense like hurricane winds or fast-moving projectiles. In this same sense, taping an "X" on a glass headlight would likely do nothing to protect against a run-in with another vehicle careening down the track. 

Flash CEO Leslie Chap-Henderson told Fox that the practice could even be deadly during a storm: "Putting tape or other sticky substances on glass can make the glass itself larger. So when it breaks, it makes the shards larger and it can injure and, in some documented cases, has caused fatalities." Despite this, classic car owners can't seem to get over taping up their headlights, whether it's in hopes of making the track safer or because it just looks cool.