A matter of light and death

Though using high beam in city limits is prohibited, monitoring the offence is difficult as many drivers are ignorant about it, leading to avoidable accidents

Kunal Shrivastava, who works with a Gurugram-based MNC, had a narrow escape on Delhi-Gurugram Expressway last Monday. He was driving when the flashlights of an onrushing car blinded him for a split second. It took him five seconds to regain vision, and in that nowhere moment, he nearly crashed onto the divider.

Using high beam is prohibited in city limits, but due to a lack of awareness and absence of technology to stringently monitor the violation, drivers go scot-free, putting the lives of others at considerable risk .

According to Delhi traffic police, in January and February, they had fined 82 drivers for using high beam. The prosecution figure was 427 in 2020, 3,427 in 2019 and 5,710 in year 2018. While 2020 was a washout year for most activities, these numbers show a declining trend and even by those standards, an abysmally low prosecution rate this year.

“Using high beam is an offence punishable under Motor Vehicles Act. We fine car drivers for ₹500 for first offence and ₹1,500 for second and subsequent offences. Traffic policemen deployed at various junctions keep check on violation and educate drivers if they are unaware of traffic violations like high beam,” said a traffic police officer.

Accident prone

The officer added that high beam lights including modified ones can temporarily blind drivers, especially elders, coming from the opposite direction and might cause accidents.

Rohit Baluja, head of the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), said that Central Motor Vehicles rule clearly defines the deflection of lights but most drivers don’t abide by it. The driver should always use a low beam and police should carry a drive to enforce the rule strictly, he asserts.

“Under the new Motor Vehicles rule, any modification to the vehicle is to be fined by the transport department but it never happened. Any type of modification should follow Automotive Industry Standard [AIS] and Bureau of India Standards [BIS]. Motorists using chunky headlamps should be fined heavily and vehicles should be impounded,” said Mr. Baluja.

Need for technology

He added that large numbers of road accidents are happing due to this violation, especially at night. The reason for road accidents due to high beam never gets mentioned in any police FIR or accident report. Hit and run cases are the most common road accidents caused due to high beam. The enforcement authorities should come up with the latest technology to fine drivers involved in high beam violation, besides creating an awareness drive,” said Mr. Baluja.

Another driver Gaurav Singh said that expensive cars come with projector headlights for more brightness, which often creates trouble for two-wheeler drivers like him.

“I can bet upon that 90% of the drivers will be unaware of the rule regarding the prohibition of high beam within city limits. Car drivers use intense bright headlamp in narrow lanes in areas like Karol Bagh, Kirti Nagar and other internal roads. Only self awareness is the way out,” said Mr. Singh.

Not just the high-beaming cars coming in from the opposite direction, but those from behind too can make life difficult. The illumination reflects into the eyes of the person driving the vehicle in front through rearview mirrors or side view mirrors, said Mukesh Rana, a cab driver.