[darklord]

Unfortunately, the article is only in Malayalam. Highlights:

• Legal limits of dual-filament halogen bulbs are 60/55 w for high/low beams.
• For HID, it is 35 w.
• Yellow fog lamps require RTO's permission; to be covered when not in use.

http://www.mathrubhumi.com/online/ma...3-05-25/kerala

[ramzsys]

I hope this gets replicated throughout India.

A 130/100 for a 130/100 makes the whole road blind.

[Steeroid]

Here's the tender for the equipment:

http://www.keralamvd.gov.in/images/m...2013/tdlux.pdf

Hope they implement this consistently, as this is a huge safety hazard on the roads at night. The biggest culprits are trucks and buses/mini-buses from outside the state who regularly use more than one pair of headlamps. However it is not the lack of equipment which is the issue with enforcement - its the maintenance.

[darklord]

Add to it the chronic staff shortage in MVD. An article from last year:

Interestingly, only a thirty percent increase has been effected in the staff pattern since 1983 when there were just nine lakh vehicles in the state. The state today has over 67 lakh vehicles, but the number of enforcement officials is even below 500.

Besides a joint transport commissioner and four deputy transport commissioners, the Department has 19 regional transport commissioners, 69 joint road transport officers, 148 motor vehicle inspectors and 330 assistant motor vehicle inspectors.

The patrolling of enforcement squads has also become namesake in all districts for want of sufficient staff.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/mvd-faces...97-60-116.html

[motionfreak]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

I hope this gets replicated throughout India.

A 130/100 for a 130/100 makes the whole road blind.

nope they don't, if the level and focus is correctly adjusted, the low beam will not blind the oncoming traffic.

When on the high beam, even a small 25w headlight from TVS scooty can blind you. single LED 2AA battery torch can blind you if you look directly into it.

Cars like Swift desperately need bulb upgrade. what should the owners of such cars do? follow a stupid law or risk the lives of their children?

What the RTo should be checking are
1. High beam usage in city with lit up streats.
2. instead of LUX they should measure the Kelvin (ie, in layman terms,the colour like purple HIDs)


One thing that irritates me the most, next to the use of high beams in city, is the rear fog light. in monsoons, heavy winters, I can understand. but in the month of April/May ,in cities like Mumbai... Shoot on sight

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by motionfreak

....if the level and focus is correctly adjusted...

This is the most important aspect of this whole issue : correct focussing of the headlight.

I have been blinded many times by wrongly adjusted low-beam headlights (Tata Ace, two-wheelers which have headlights focused on the tree-tops ). This can be set right only by better driver-awareness and empathy for fellow-road-users.

[alpha1]

First of all: the municipal corporation should be sued by the public if there are no WORKING street lights on the streets.

All these things (like headlights, horns, vehicles etc) come later.

[rajeev k]

This is a nice move and is yo be implemented with an iron grip as with every ongoing day the number of only-highbeam-come-what may, tribe is increasing and keral roads are full of such idiots. Some buses and trucks have four to six 130+ W headlamps which, is always in the high beam position, is very very dangerous indeed.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by motionfreak

When on the high beam, even a small 25w headlight from TVS scooty can blind you.

True. Most of the new bikes and scooters with high beam on blinds me in the night. And most don't bother to dip their beam either. Unfortunately they don't say anything about ticketing high beam users.

[sukhoi30]

Question : Why does anyone need high power lights on the roads?
I have found that the factory fitted and RTO approved lights are enough for most driving conditions. Probably people who fit them have some kind of night blindness.
I have a friend who drives only during day time as he is literally night blinded. Well, no one checks for this when giving out licenses, Isn't it?

[naveen.raju]

+100 to alpha. Ask the corporation to fit street lights and you wont have any issues. I agree that this is a good move but proper street lighting is essential. My cousin was involved in a accident due to improper street lighting but thankfully escaped with few stitches. And this happened on the NH where it's pitch black and one cant even see people crossing the road. I was amazed by the way govt has laid the roads in Malaysia. Entire city is under lights and I remember that my taxi driver didnt switch on the headlights (apart from park lights) all the way from the airport to the city, a decent 70+ kms. This is what we want and I'm sure cars out here will use proper lights (apart from private buses/trucks )

Dept out here in Cochin is more interested to cause hardships to motorists while the govt/corporation do nothing for the common man.

[vnabhi]

While this seems to be a good move, there are hidden dangers:-

1. Driving on low beams on highways is risky, because you cannot see black animals crossing the road. I dipped my lights once to take care of a two-wheeler approaching my car from the front, and almost hit a black bull crossing the road!
2. Driving on low beams will make you miss road signages.
3. Lack of street lights on city roads can make us go into deep pot-holes, especially in the rainy season.
4. Lack of enforcement for trucks and buses means only car owners will suffer.

It would make sense if more stress is given on dipping the lamps when an opposite vehicle is approaching. This would be more effective in curtailing accidents.

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

I was amazed by the way govt has laid the roads in Malaysia. Entire city is under lights and I remember that my taxi driver didnt switch on the headlights (apart from park lights) all the way from the airport to the city, a decent 70+ kms. This is what we want and I'm sure cars out here will use proper lights (apart from private buses/trucks )

Dept out here in Cochin is more interested to cause hardships to motorists while the govt/corporation do nothing for the common man.

If we had the where with all to provide bright lights for the whole city, we wouldn't have been having power cuts to start with

[mukundmenon]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Dept out here in Cochin is more interested to cause hardships to motorists while the govt/corporation do nothing for the common man.

Meanwhile in Trivandrum the scene seems to be better with the newly laid 2 lane roads from Med Colg- Pattom- Kowdiar-Museum- East fort route. Good Sodium vapour lamps provide illumination all the way and one can ride with just the park lamps through this route. Don't know if power cuts affects these lamps too . For that i've got 4 Philips Rallye lamps in standby

[pjbiju]

The rules only specify the wattage of the bulbs (60/55), right? Is there any rule stating how much light should be the maximum output? What about bulbs like Philips Extreme, Osram nightbreakers etc. that have 60/55 wattage but are upto 80% (or more) brighter than regular bulbs? So in such cases how can they impose a fine?