[PatchyBoy]

Guys,

Nice thread. However, I am surprised by one thing. While we have a thread discussing senible and safe practise in this forum, we also have a headlight thread to discuss adding more powerful lamps and cut outs and relays in another thread. While on the one hand we all are frustrated by oncoming vehicles driving on hibeam and blinding us, on the other hand we do not seem to have any hesitaion upgrading to 100/90 or even 130/100 headlights, fully aware that it is illegal to have anything more powerful than 60/55.

Why are these blulbs even available???

Can we BHPians swear that we will not indulge in this madness? We, I am sure, are a sizeable portion of the driving public on the road and if we unite and educate the public, over a period of time, it will make a difference.

Also, I have a couple of questions niggling me:

1. How many of us will actually make a note of and call the telephone numbers displayed on these so called IT buses and cab and report reckless driving? HI-BEAM driving is reckless, isn't it?

2. How come anyone can walk into and buy a cra/motorbike from a showroom and even buy insurance without having to produce a valid driving license?

Aren't the dealers being irresposible by delivering such high powered vehicles to people without even knowing if they can actually handle all those BHPs? Isn't it the equivalent of selling arms or drugs?

I think we are a forum of educated and responsible people and if we try we can make a difference.

Cheers,

Rajan

[RajaTaurus]

That was an excellent point brought nout by Rajan, in line with the hi-beam menace in our country... Why at all they would need such high-powered lights 'replacing' their headlights.
If they have road-sense and common-sense to go with it, they should add lights on huge four-wheel-drives going on off-roading up-mountains or down deep deserts... And these lights shall not 'replace' the normal head-lights, which are more than sufficient for normal driving.

Even I have seen many queries of 'replacing the stock lights' with higher powered lights here in many forums.
My Cedia stock lights are more than sufficient for me to drive around. And I have rarely gone on HI-BEAM, except to alert the on-coming drivers to lower their beams.
Many a times, I have stopped across the on-coming vehcile to talk to the driver and tell him how hi-beam affects the driver coming in the opposte direction. Many have just said "Sorry Saar" and few didnt bother to care...
But, I get a feeling.. Am I ???

[Thad E Ginathom]

It isn't about power, it is about correct adjustment and use.

Power is good. Power may mean seeing that pothole, or, more importantly, that child about to wander into the road.

But, from responses on this thread, it seems that correct alignment is not routine here. How many people who upgrade their headlights do any more than stick a bulb in a socket and maybe update the necessary electrics?

[sumitkalindi]

^^ agree with you sir and I would like to add,
How many people align the headlight beam???

When ever some alignment is done, It is usually focessed to hit directly on the oncoming vehicle's driver's face than the road ahead. If this is taken care of correctly then IMHO, we would never get blinded, and there would not be any need to upgrade the headlights to ridiculously high wattage bulbs for regular usage.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Somebody actually dipped after I flashed at them tonight: that's a first!

But, sadly, I mostly thought, during my evening drive in Chennai today, that we in this thread are 'preaching to the converted': I think we mostly agree about the problems, but it seems the rest out there on the street haven't a clue.

I wonder if Indian cars leave the factory with the lights properly aligned? And how we can go about checking our own.

[najeebn]

Nice to see your interest in road safety. High beams will blind the opposite driver , and driving always in low beam is prone to accidents. So finally the driver need to switch between High - Low beams effectively. Just think about a system which does it automatically by observing the road conditions. One startup in India is already doing that.

About Smart Pundits :: Intelligent and innovative systems for the automotive industry

what do you guys think about this product and feasibility of this product in Indian market.

[RajaTaurus]

This SHC seems to be a good apparatus to help control use of hi-beams. The problem is not that people forget to use low-beams when there is onward traffic. People 'think and believe' that using hi-beam when there is on-coming traffic improves visibility. They think that ones hi-beam counters the other's hi-beam and so, you can see better. (What a weird theory.. but ask any cab driver and he will endorse this...)

Its more to education and creating awareness to the use of low-beams rather than advanced gadgets or rules/ regulations to regulate use of hi-beams.

Yes, use of low-beams in free-ways where there is no cars in front or on coming traffic and no street lights can be dangerous, but in India it very rarely happens... Except on few highways between cities where we haev two-way roads with dividers..

[Thad E Ginathom]

I could never understand why UK motorways didn't have high dividers so that main beam could be utilised, as long as no-one is in front, without dazzling on-coming traffic.

Maybe because they have to consider what happens when people drive into them, I guess.

[kvish]

I might be slightly off topic, but is there a problem with Santro's headlamps? meaning, is it inadequate?. I see most of santro wale driving on high beam all the time.

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by kvish

I might be slightly off topic, but is there a problem with Santro's headlamps? meaning, is it inadequate?. I see most of santro wale driving on high beam all the time.

What I have observed is that Santro headlights produce more glare than those of any other car. It is a big pain to see a Santro coming towards you at night. Does the car come fitted with higher wattage bulbs?

[Ford_madhan]

Santro is coming with stock 60/55 only. I think the problem is because of the big reflectors of Santro.

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

HI-BEAM ON. All along..

Thanks for this thread. First of all, I think we need to start driving with low beams. I've seen a few BHPians talking about upgrading to OSRAM Nightbreakers and Philips XtremeVision etc. and a couple times I've seen a photo of their console showing high beam on.

Hell, if enthusiasts can't commit to low beams, how can we expect others to learn?

Perhaps a related question should be part of the registration process to filter out the sane ones.

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by MaheshY1

Hell, if enthusiasts can't commit to low beams, how can we expect others to learn?

+1 for that.
If very powerful lights are required to drive, day time driving is much better way to drive.
I always find the 60/55 stock bulbs I have sufficient to drive even in the darkest of the darkest paths, even on new moon midnights.
Within city, I rarely find a need to drive in Hi-beam. In City, which has full of street lights, the headlights themselves do not contribute to the complete vision. The headlights mostly should only serve to identify the vehicles easily (through the low beam lights).
Of course, I frequently face criticism from my relatives for driving with "weak" bulbs.

I have a neighbour who found his 100/90 lamps & the fog lamps (which he always keep it on during his drive) pretty insufficient, so he installed 2 additional bulbs. Now he drives with 6 bulbs.

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Originally Posted by Ram

But here at home in India, I've seen people whose cars have rear fog lights switch them on, as if it were another Diwali light.

Ram

Some of the taxi drivers in Gangtok have even wired the rear fog lamps (especially in Wagon R) to their Brake Lamps. It lights on when they Brake. They probably need a Low Mounted Stop Light.

By the way the high beam usage pattern is almost same everywhere I guess. I have my hellas pointed up for that reason and when they dont give up i flash it and the high beam for a fraction of a second and that usually gets the point across. If not I continue with my low beams taking care not to look into their oncoming high beam which can dazzle. People fighting a high beam with a high beam and extra lights is plain stupidy, jeopardizing their own safety as well.

[Tanveer_2558]

Originally Posted by kvish

I might be slightly off topic, but is there a problem with Santro's headlamps? meaning, is it inadequate?. I see most of santro wale driving on high beam all the time.

For some reason i have too noticed the same here in Mumbai, Santro's which are used as taxis here and ALWAYS on high beam!

Also the volvo buses on Mumbai - Pune expressway won't think twice before Tailgaiting you with their high beams in the night even if your driving above 100 kph.