Unchecked prohibited dazzling lights on vehicles can result in slow vehicular traffic & accidents

More is need for Public Services to behave & deliver Smartly than is need to make a City physically look Smart
‘Dazzling or Blinding’ lights should be removed also by RTO even after passing / registration of vehicles
To make a city Look Smart it is Smart Public Servant that matters more than Financial inputs

DAYA SAGAR

J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha as per reports is said to have suggested, on 25th February last year ( 2023 ) , while addressing a high level meeting with senior officer from various departments concerned with traffic management and discipline enforcement , among other things, to conduct “causative analysis” of road accidents for working out multi-pronged strategies for road safety so as to reduce fatalities on roads due to accidents. In that context the use of prohibited lights / headlights on the vehicles particularly cities like Jammu and the drivers also not using the dipper too become a cause for accidents and slow traffic during the late evening / night hours ( particularly endangering the senior citizens and two wheelers). Hence to make the traffic flow on roads faster and make others to drive stress free ( particularly senior citizens ) during late evenings/ nights the use of dipper as a routine & no installation of prohibited dazzling lights / headlights need be enforced very very strictly. Presently the status in that regard is very disappointing.
As regards fitting of the lights/ headlights the role of Regional Transport Officers / Asstt. Regional Transport Officers is very very important since “bad’/ prohibited lights could be removed even at the time of passing / registration of vehicles and while on roads by RTO authorities but that is not atall being done to check violation of Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 Notification S.O. No. 873 (E) dated. 15.12.1997, item No. 20, of Ministry of Surface Transport ( SAFETY STANDARDS No. 15.1 [ like .4.3 Headlight – A lighting device providing an upper and/or a lower beam used for providing illumination forward of vehicle. 4.5 Meeting beam or lower beam or low beam – Beam illuminating only a specified limited part of the road, in order to reduce the dazzle for an observer approaching ahead of the vehicle. 5.2 The position of headlights on the vehicle shall be as per Rule No. 105 (3) of CMVR , THE CENTRAL MOTOR VEHICLES RULES, 1989 106. Deflection of lights (1) No lamp showing a light to the front shall be used on any motor vehicle including construction equipment vehicle (whether fitted with single or dual head lamp) unless such lamp is so constructed, fitted and maintained that the beam of light emitted therefrom- is permanently deflected downwards to such an extent that it is not capable of dazzling any person whose eye position is,- (A) at a distance of 8 metres from the front of lamp, 111. Prohibition of spot lights, etc. No spot light or search light shall be carried on the front of any vehicle except in exceptional circumstances with the prior approval of the registering authority.
But prohibited / dazzling lights have become almost regular fitment on vehicles and it could be inferred that both the traffic police as well as RTO/ MVD authorities appear taking almost no notice of so serious a violation. They can take help of CCTV Cameras also.
To make cities “smart” no doubt the need also to make them physically look smart but more is the need to make the agencies / public services behave & deliver smartly. To make cities behave and look look SMART it is not only the money but truthful governance & delivery of utilities and services by the human resources deployed that matters more.
(Continued)
(The author is Sr Journalist and social activist).