Blinded by glaring headlights, road safety takes a fatal turn Premium

Struggling to negotiate a rain-ravaged, rickety, ill-maintained road, the last thing a motorist would want is a blinding headlight coming right at him. But this is exactly what has amplified the risks of city commute, as an avalanche of vehicles with high-beam, glaring headlights invades the roads with no real regulation in sight.

Struggling to negotiate a rain-ravaged, rickety, ill-maintained road, the last thing a motorist would want is a blinding headlight coming right at him. But this is exactly what has amplified the risks of city commute, as an avalanche of vehicles with high-beam, glaring headlights invades the roads with no real regulation in sight.

Clearly, such headlights increase the risk of a crash at night, as articulated recently by the Additional Director General of Police (Traffic and Road Safety) Alok Kumar. Mounting road accidents have now pushed him to launch a State-wide special drive from this month. Drivers found violating rules will be booked under section 177 of the Indian Motor Vehicles Act.

The maximum permissible headlight for low beams is 55W and 60W for high beams. Typically, low beams are mandated within city limits while high beams are to be used on highways with no streetlights and poor visibility. But the easy availability of a wide range of LED headlights exceeding well over 100W has played havoc on the roads, with law enforcers often caught napping.

On highways, the blinding glare from an oncoming vehicle can be disastrous at night if the safety standards are not strictly adhered to. This could get riskier during monsoons. But in the city, the multiplicity of narrow, single lane roads and reckless driving increases the danger manifold. While heavy vehicles are found using these high beams, the trend has spread to the mass market with two-wheelers and auto rickshaws sporting such lights.

White LED tail lights and even disco brake lights, seen on many vehicles, could prove extremely dangerous, says a concerned motorcyclist. LED upgrades on reflector headlamps scatter the light, blinding every road-user in the vicinity, he points out.

A magisterial notification had banned the use of high beams in Bengaluru City, reminds M.A. Saleem, Director General of Police, who was associated with traffic and road safety for years. He says, “High beams are required on highways where you have to see for a longer distance, and the distance between vehicles is longer. But they are a nuisance on city roads, particularly on single lane ones where the glare blinds the opposite vehicles.”

Standards are prescribed for each and every part of the vehicle, he points out. “Specifications for the headlights and tail lights are clearly provided by the Central Government, and all manufacturers have to follow that. Tampering is the issue.” Section 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act mandates a penalty of ₹500 for the first offence and up to ₹1,000 for subsequent offences.