Govt proposes low-beam-only automatic headlamps for new two-wheelers

The changes have reportedly been proposed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which has also proposed reducing headlamp intensity in cars to reduce glare from vehicle headlamps.

The Union government is considering mandating that automatic headlamps in new two-wheelers operate only in passing-beam (low-beam) mode from April next year, according to report in The Times of India stated.

 

The changes have reportedly been proposed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), which has also proposed reducing headlamp intensity in cars to reduce glare from vehicle headlamps.

 

The ministry has reportedly proposed these changes through draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules. The reported measures are aimed at reducing the risks posed by high-beam headlamps in urban areas, which can temporarily impair the vision of oncoming riders and increase the chances of accidents.

  

Currently, the Automatic Headlamp On (AHO) system can switch between low- and high-beam lights, depending on the vehicle settings. The MoRTH has proposed the amendments after efforts to persuade drivers and make them aware of the need to use low-beam mode have not yielded the desired results, the TOI report stated.

 

For high-intensity headlamps, the ministry has reportedly proposed reducing the maximum permissible intensity for two-wheelers to 100,000 candela (cd), from 150,000 cd.

 

Candela is the official base unit of luminous intensity.

 

For four-wheelers, the reported proposal reduces the maximum permissible intensity to 150,000 cd, from 225,000 cd.

 

The provisions also include the mandatory use of genuine reflective tapes on buses and other heavy vehicles to improve their visibility at night and during bad weather.

 

This comes as several studies have found that white light from headlamps and front fog lamps with higher colour temperatures can cause significant glare, resulting in discomfort and reduced visibility for other road users.

 

The ministry has proposed restricting the maximum permissible colour temperature to 6,500 Kelvin (K) to address this issue, the report claimed.