[7heaven]

Dear fellow Team-bhpians, when I wanted to share this information, came across this thread which already had discussed about this issue. So a rejoinder.

I saw this news in the news paper on 10th of May and was feeling sad for those 9 innocent lives lost for no mistake of theirs. The mini van they were travelling in, got a flat around 1.30 a.m. and had stopped to change the spare wheel when a coal laden truck came from behind and smashed it.

Usually these private mini vans have proper working tail lamps and brake lights with working hazard lights. But alas we do not know what went wrong for the truck driver to have hit it like this in the dead of the night. Maybe the driver dozed off.

In over 30 years of my driving experience, numerous times I have driven on highways at night and every time encountered this menace of trucks, buses, tractors with loaded trailers speeding ahead of me without any tail light, brake light, indicators, reflectors, number plate lights etc. When I over take them I find they have a minimum of 2/4 head lights all in the upper beam blinding the opposite traffic to the maximum.

When we approach such vehicles at night times at greater speed and when the opposite traffic blinds our eyes, at times even if the tail lamps are working we tend to miss its presence completely and if it is raining it is even more worse. When the tail lights of these vehicles don't work some at least have the reflectors which help us but only when we hit the high beam and we miss them at times in low beam. What with all the dirt and dark colored tarp covering the goods there is absolutely no clue for us to establish the presence of the vehicle in front of us until we come quite close to it.

If our speed is say around 80 kmph, we may safely tackle this problem, but if we tend to go above 100 kmph plus speed the risk of missing the vehicles in front increases. It becomes worse in two lane roads where there are no dividers or reflective markers. And often the vehicles in the opposite direction doesn't dip their beams even when requested multiple times.

Innocent lives are lost day in and day out across our country because of these trucks and vehicle owners who earn in lakhs every month but won't bother to spend few hundreds or thousands for the up keep of their tail lights, brake lights turn indicators, hazard / warning reflective stickers etc. Its high time the issue is tackled by the concerned authorities.

I suggest some NGO's / Rotary / Lions clubs to take this as a national project, approach the local authorities and create a pool of electricians and after stocking ample number of accessories must converge on all city entry and exit points near the toll gates and check all (commercial) vehicles for working of these tail lamps, break lights and turn indicators and if found not working, first charge a penalty of Rs.5000/- and then rectify them then and there with the help of these electricians and collect the appropriate charges and service charges from these drivers.

If not a simple rule like hefty penalty from a cut off date will be levied for trucks and other commercial vehicles found with faulty tail lamps, brake lights, turn indicators, reflective stickers etc. might work to some extent and after which the above scheme can be implemented.

Request the opinion of fellow members to permanently solve this menace from our roads and save precious lives.

[sgiitk]

@7heaven; after being a Rotarian for over 15 years (now ex), and a past President you can forget Rotary and Lions doing anything. But for Polio eradication (a roaring success) Rotary was more of a Roti club. I hear Lions are also doing well in the sight project. Most of them seem to be too busy politicking and socializing. I do not know you have seen them, I am even seeing buses with no rear lighting provisions left, all metaled over.

[7heaven]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@7heaven; after being a Rotarian for over 15 years (now ex), and a past President you can forget Rotary and Lions doing anything. But for Polio eradication (a roaring success) Rotary was more of a Roti club. I hear Lions are also doing well in the sight project. Most of them seem to be too busy politicking and socializing. I do not know you have seen them, I am even seeing buses with no rear lighting provisions left, all metaled over.

Sir, thanks for your feedback, Yes I understand about the Rotary and Lions, was only suggesting organisations like them who have a national presence can execute such projects easily. But this trend has to change and proper working tail lamp units have to be made by first the manufacturer's themselves, like Tata's and Ashok Leyland etc. Trying to figure out, Who will bell the cat?

[sgiitk]

@7heaven; You may be surprised to learn that there is another organisation which may be able to help out. This is the 'Freemasons'. They are secretive (yes), but do have a solid social commitment. However, instead of trying to go national try and start at the local or regional level.

[WAM-4]

The worst of the lot are trucks with single functioning headlamp! Extremely dangerous as they can be easily, and fatally sometimes, mistaken for a two wheeler or a three wheeler!!

[sgiitk]

Why can they not keep some fluorescent tape. In case of a failure at least put a cross to warn oncoming traffic, till you replace the bulb. Will not be too tough to enforce.

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by 7heaven

.... When the tail lights of these vehicles don't work some at least have the reflectors which help us but only when we hit the high beam and we miss them at times in low beam.

What with all the dirt and dark colored tarp covering the goods there is absolutely no clue for us to establish the presence of the vehicle in front of us until we come quite close to it.

.... because of these trucks and vehicle owners who earn in lakhs every month but won't bother to spend few hundreds or thousands for the up keep of their tail lights, brake lights turn indicators, hazard / warning reflective stickers etc. Its high time the issue is tackled by the concerned authorities.

Quite right. There are plenty of such cars (and two wheelers, too) who don't want to spend a few bucks to replace dead bulbs.....

Your post made me recollect a drive by RTO authorities here to start fixing reflective stickers on all trucks, trailers etc. but the drive soon petered out. Unless and otherwise there is fear of breaking law, compliance levels will be low. The other way is to improve the conscience of the drivers, which seems to be a pipe dream.

One thing strikes me - a third stop lamp was made in cars some time back. Why can't a high mounted tail lamp be made mandatory on all trucks / buses. This light should be independent of lighting circuit as well as the brakes i.e. always on by direct connection to the battery, which will go on as soon as the vehicle is started.

[Ameya Janvekar]

On a similar but slightly different topic :

Have observed many times that in cars equipped with illuminated speedo consoles ( Optritron type ), the driver does not switch on his lights - parking or main beam also - at night also. If the vehicle is of a darker shade, it becomes very difficult to spot especially in the rear view mirror.

Wish these people would remember that illuminated gauges do not excuse them from switching on their lights not for themselves but for other fellow road users.

[Moto$apien]

Originally Posted by jaspal singh

Yes these tractor-trolleys are even a bigger nuisance. The primary use of tractors is in agriculture,

tractors are supposed to be used in farming and not for transportation purpose.

Originally Posted by jaspal singh

There is already legislation, which states that a vehicle must have its lights(headlights, tail lights, brake, hazard lights etc), in working condition at any point of time.

Bumping a really old thread, but saw a weird use of Tractor - trolley near my home yesterday.

There is this defunct house being demolished to make way for a new building by the owners. After some hours of laborers manually removing the outside bricks, a tractor was deployed to use its trolley as a battering ram!

The operator reversed the tractor with speed to tear down the walls bit by bit. The trolley did not appear to be any different, from the ones we see on the roads and yet was able to bring down the strong walls with ease.

This shows that the tractor-trolley can actually substitute an 'earth-moving equipment' and we need to be always wary of it when we see it on highways.

If this can damage a 2 feet concrete wall, what can it do to a vehicle



I don't know if this is a practice elsewhere, but it just shows how dangerous this Tractor - trolley can be if one happens to collide with it.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by Moto$apien

If this can damage a 2 feet concrete wall, what can it do to a vehicle
.... it just shows how dangerous this Tractor - trolley can be if one happens to collide with it.

A decade back, I witnessed a tractor with a trailer being driven through a narrow residential road.

The edge of the trailer just happened to scrape against the side of a tata Safari parked in front of a house.

The Safari's door got sliced through like knife into butter, resulting in a big tear along its side and the side mirror rippedciff. It seemed just effortless for the rigid trailer to cause enormous damage at a very slow speed.