Crackdown on overbright vehicle headlamps
Vehicle headlamps and high beams will be subject to Traffic Police scrutiny once regulations to standardise vehicle lights come into effect. A new act on vehicle rules and regulations is being drafted. A proposal to standardise high beams on vehicles was made by the Motor Traffic Department of the Ministry of Transport.
Bright vehicle lights are considered a road hazard if they affect the vision of other drivers. Nightt-ime road accidents, especially those at junctions and roundabouts, are largely caused by high beam lights blinding drivers of oncoming vehicles, say Traffic Administration Officers of the Road Safety Department of Police.
Over-bright vehicle head lamps are not allowed on the streets, said Senior Superintendent of Police, K. Arasaratnam, Director, Traffic Administration and Road Safety. He told the Sunday Times that the Traffic Police will be on the alert for cars with headlights that are brighter than the standard limit.
Road users shared their views about headlights and high beams with the Sunday Times.
Vehicle user Kevin de Silva of Malabe said the new crystal high beams were “annoying, because they darken a whole area in front of you, and you have to pull over or slow down in order to avoid collisions.”
A Kirulapone-based motorist said the new high beams gave her a “headache”. She said the government should enforce new regulations because the number of vehicles using overbright high beams lamps had increased.
Harshana Jayasuriya of Kelaniya said high beam lamps were “very distracting”, but added that motorists use high voltage lamps because street lighting is inadequate or roads are rough and rutted.
According to consultant eye surgeon Dr. Damayanthi Samarasinghe, road accidents that occur in the early hours are often caused by the sudden dazzling of eyes by high beam lamps on coming vehicles. White and yellow high beam lamps do not usually hurt the eye, but flashes of blue-ish light were not good for the eye and distracted driver of oncoming vehicles.
Dr. Samarasinghe advised motorists to use night-vision glasses when driving at night as precautionary measure.