Special drive against high-beam headlight violations across Karnataka

"We cannot say with certainty that high-beam headlights are causing accidents because that is not recorded as a reason. However, it may be a possibility," said Alok Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (Traffic and Road Safety) in Karnataka.

Bengaluru: The state police are going to undertake a special drive against high-beam, glaring vehicle headlights from July, booking drivers under section 177 of the Indian Motor Vehicles Act. This is after the police has noted how such lights only heighten chances of a crash, especially at night.

A memo issued by Alok Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (Traffic and Road Safety), Karnataka on Tuesday noted that many vehicles, especially heavy motor vehicles such as lorries, trucks, and buses, have been observed to use "dazzling and glaring" LED headlights, affecting the vision of drivers on the opposite lane and their ability to drive safely.

"We cannot say with certainty that high-beam headlights are causing accidents because that is not recorded as a reason. However, it may be a possibility," Kumar said.

"Glaring lights could be an extraneous factor that could cause another vehicle to get into a crash, especially two-wheelers in the night," Alok Kumar told DH, noting how several public complaints have also been raised regarding this issue.

Therefore, he directed all the unit officers, which includes the Superintendents of Police across all districts, Police Commissioners, and the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bengaluru city to ensure that strict action is taken against vehicles who are found to be using glaring headlights that violate the Central Motor Vehicles Rules.

Under section 177 of the IMV, such drivers can be fined Rs 500 for the first offence and up to Rs 1,000 for subsequent offences.