Imagine this – it’s a lovely balmy night and you’re driving down a Nagpur road humming a tune. Suddenly, flashing lights blind you. For a moment, you feel disoriented and almost lose control of your car.
Nagpur: Imagine this – it’s a lovely balmy night and you’re driving down a city road humming a tune. Suddenly, flashing lights blind you. For a moment, you feel disoriented and almost lose control of your car.
Switch to reality. This is a common reality.
The use of high-beam headlights has emerged as a challenge for motorists in the city owing to which, The night driving has become a real nightmare. Prolonged metro and road construction has already taken its toll on the width of roads on many stretches. As if the uneven potholed roads and reckless drivers were not bad enough, there is this tribe of motorists who drive around with their vehicles’ headlights on full beam and modified xenon lamps.
The high-beam headlights pose inconvenience to both two-wheeler and four-wheeler drivers as they cause momentary blindness leading to loss of co-ordination.
Many elderly people in Nagpur avoid driving in nights because these lights, which have blinding effect on other motorists. The rear view mirror is completely lit up with high beam lights of vehicle coming from the behind. Similarly, the high beam lights can also take toll on drivers coming from opposite direction.
The motorcycle riders driving on the wrong side of the road and using high-beam headlights pose a grave danger to others on the road. The use of xenon headlamps, which are easily available in the market, has become common among youngsters in the city, this has added woes in this stern condition.
The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (amended in 2011), states that headlights on vehicles should be between 35-50 watts, their misuse in the city at night has become a nuisance for motorists. Not using the dipper at night has compounded their woes.
Special drive against modified headlights: DCP Traffic
When Nagpur Today took matter to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Vikram Sali discussed that many people are not even aware of the proper use of high beam lights.
“We’ve been receiving complaints in this regards. The driving becomes particularly very risky owing to use of such high-beam lights within city limits. The drivers can easily lose focus and crash into another vehicles. Due to the presence of street lights, motorists should switch to low-beam headlights or use dippers when another vehicle is approaching from the opposite side within the city,” he said and, added that, “Special drive against modified headlights will be executed soon.”
.. Shubham Nagdeve
