MVD acts tough on misuse of high-beam lights

Lux metres to be used to expose vehicles

An intensive enforcement drive against misuse of high-beam lights and ornamental illuminations in private and taxi vehicles is under way in Kozhikode district as part of efforts to check the rising number of road accidents.

Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) officials will carry out the drive using lux meters, covering major stretches of the national and State highways.

MVD enforcement squad members said the misuse of illegally fitted high-beam lights contributed to road accidents at night. They said a section of drivers, mainly taxi cab operators, remained ignorant of the sensible use of high-beam headlights.

“The practice of dimming high-beam headlights for the convenience of vehicles from the opposite direction is hardly a habit for many drivers. A few ignorant persons are also using bright lights on seeing vehicles from the opposite direction as a measure to alert them for the wrong reasons,” said a Regional Transport Officer now part of the State-wide inspections. He pointed out that some were even found using highly irritating bright lights to annoy fellow motorists and get dominance on the road.

Citing official records, MVD enforcement squad members said the highest number of such violations was frequently reported in Kozhikode district, despite awareness campaigns and legal actions. Since 2019, we have been conducting aggressive checking, and Kozhikode has been found leading in the number of cases, they pointed out.

In 2019, the total number of cases registered during the special drive against misuse of high-beam lights was 217 in Kozhikode district. The following year also recorded 225 cases in the district. Last year, nearly 250 vehicle owners were caught for the offence in two separate special drives. According to MVD sources, an average of 1,000 cases of such violations were reported every year in the State.