LIGHTING MENACE

Rising number of road accidents owing to poor visibility, especially at night and in bad weather, is a major concern in India. Therefore, the demand for enhanced road safety through highperformance automotive lighting has increased. The global automotive lighting market has been largely benefiting from the changing paradigms in government regulations and consumer focus on road safety and vehicle aesthetics. The variety and diversity of vehicles, multiplicity of driving trends, increasing demand from rising urban population and middle-income groups, expansion of global automotive manufacturers into emerging markets, along with electric, hybrid and autonomous vehicles create a very big market for automotive lighting. Globally it is poised to grow to over USD 30,107.2 million by 2023 at an estimated CAGR of 6.43%.

Automotive lighting industry, which depends on the automotive industry for its growth, is expected to benefit from the rising vehicle sales. Numerous technological advancements were observed in the automotive lighting down the years. The automotive lighting market has witnessed the advent of incandescent lamps, halogen lamps, and xenon lamps owing to the technological innovations and developments. Currently, the segment for LED lighting technology is gaining widespread popularity worldwide.

In India, the government has formulated various regulations regarding sufficient installation of lighting equipment in passenger vehicles. New regulations are still in the process of being laid down to improve the safety of vehicle in bad weather. The regulations regarding energyefficient vehicles support the installation of LED lights. Still the halogen lamps are chosen for their durability and lower cost. The high cost of LED-based lighting is limiting its adoption, despite its several advantages.

Unregulated lighting modifications and installations after the vehicle purchase for enhanced aesthetics and brilliance on dark roads, have become a big menace mainly in suburban and rural long-distance roads and highways. Drivers from the opposite direction have to grope in the dazzling light and meet with accidents. The Central Motor Vehicle Regulations (CMVR), set out by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), should have more stringent provisions to end the lighting menace.

Similarly, the ‘Installation requirements of lighting and light-signalling devices for vehicle having more than three-wheels, trailer and semi-trailer excluding agricultural tractor’ should be enforced to avoid the more frequent lighting-related road accidents in the country.

Bhargav TS

Executive Editor s.bhargav@nextgenpublishing.net