One must have noticed that recently there are many vehicles on the road, be it four- or two-wheelers which are using mercury or LED headlights. It is an eyesore and a completely blinding light for the drivers which are coming from the opposite side. It accentuates and worsens if the mercury or LED headlights are on full beam within the city. In fact, according to the Sections 112 and 177 of the Motor Vehicle Act usage of high beam headlights within the city calls for penalty which can be issued by the traffic police.
Many States and cities in India are very strict on the usage of full beam lights within the city limits. For over two decades now, Chandigarh, for example, has been issuing a penalty of Rs 2,500 for all vehicles that use full beam headlights. Why can’t Goa do the same? In fact, it is essential for Goa to do it as the state has witnessed several accidents and many fatal ones in the recent past.
Apart from rash and drunken driving, full beam headlights also can be one of the causes for leading to accidents in the State. With the mercury and LED headlights on the rise, the danger of accident lurks larger. Automobile companies should also ensure that they should not only manufacture cars and install accessories for their buyers alone but for also ensure that those who are already on road and have no mercury or LED lights in their headlamps are also safe.
Many of us may not be aware that using the high beam within city limits is illegal and blinding for the drivers coming from the opposite end. High beams are provisioned in vehicles that help illuminate a longer path of the road so that drivers have more reaction time when travelling at high speeds and this should ideally be used only when one is driving on highways. Dazzling is illegal in most Western countries too. In the United Kingdom, ironically, when it is used, it is done as a courtesy to convey that you are allowing the oncoming driver to pass through. Even in the USA and Australia, it is sometimes used only to warn oncoming drivers that there is a speed camera or a checkpoint ahead.
Like many other social problems, this issue too is a bane on the road. It is for those people who understand and are sensitive to such issues to make chauffeurs and cab drivers more aware. Such acts will surely save lots of lives on the road and also not cause inconvenience to the drivers coming from the opposite end.
Recently, the Goa government invited common citizens and organisations, which include NGOs, who are working on road safety issues for suggestions on how to improve upon the traffic systems to minimise accidents in the state. Majority of the suggestions are either on improvement of infrastructure, signs and signals or even development of a better public transport systems in the state. However, one should also look for “ease of driving” and it can begin with controlling the use of mercury and LED headlights and also by not driving in the city limits using full beam headlights.
With the tourism season about to reach its peak by next month, there will be traffic congestion and accidents are bound to increase. Ironically, according to the data revealed recently, the traffic police are operating on 50 per cent of its capacity and there is only one traffic policeman to every 2,300 vehicles in Goa. The State government, especially the Transport Department, must spend more time to find out how to bring about the ease of driving with safety for Goa.
