Nelaturi

Indiscriminate use of high beams during night driving is another major concern. How many of the road users realize the dangers?

When NOT to use high beams & WHY :

1. When you are driving behind another vehicle, your beam reflects of the mirrors and blinds the driver.

2. When you see on-coming traffic... very dangerous as the other driver cannot see anything apart from your high intensity beams, that are burning into his/her retina.

Note: After passing such a high-beam vehicle, it takes a few moments (maybe milli-seconds, but thats enough) for the eys to adjust back to normal night light. If there is, say, a stationery vehicle on his/her side of the road ahead, or some kind of barrier, ditch, people crossing etc., it will be too late to react. Could lead to major accident and/or deaths.

3. On well lit city roads, let alone high beam, you can even turn off normal beam and drive with the parking lights on.(Mumbai drivers do this).... may not be possible in Bangalore where road lighting is abysmal.

Accidents happen and lives are lost because of the ignorance and careless attitude of drivers, road contractors who leave debris in the middle of roads, unmarked and unclear road dividers and clueless pedestrians who cross anywhere without checking out the traffic. High beams is another major cause.

Highway driving is a nightmare, with all these huge trucks, volvo busses and what not barrelling down the highways with all their head-lights, side lights and in full glory of high beam nirvana.....

Development without discipline is a HIGHWAY TO DISASTER.

junaid

These are the basics of driving during night but unfortunately mostly drivers never follow these things....

harsh001

Well Nelaturi...Few from my side...The use of high-beam headlights when there isn't oncoming traffic can extend the time that you have to react to hazards. Never use your high beams because the high beams of the oncoming car stay on. This will only increase the chances of a head-on crash.

Nelaturi

Sure Junaid, We are discussing basics that are not followed in India.

Harsh, I had a narrow escape when I was not using high beam recently. There was a huge pile of debris left by the contractor right in the middle of the fast track.... You are right, in India, high beam is needed so long as you are disciplined enough to turn it down when u see on-coming traffic or someone in front of you.

Dhanush

Excellent Nelaturi. Your article is thought provoking.
Hope our foolish indisciplined drivers will follow the rules.

streetwisw

Good point to bring up about headlights. In some countries you get a fine for causing undue dazzle. Motorists can drive in peace if streeetlights are maintained or there are cats eyes on the road. However, there are some who enjoy blinding the person in front to show off their bright ligths. It is just a lack of concern, education and enforcement, I do believe that can change.

road runner

They don’t this intentionally actually they don’t know what the exact way of using headlights is. Menas the lack of knowledge of traffic rules.

anupam

never. they will continue with their own driving style.

hemant

Safe driving in India has almost become an elusive dream for the commuters on the Indian roads. The unsafe driving conditions in India have made Indian highways accident-prone and the driving public a constant target of road rage in India. People have forgotten the basic driving manners as the road safety in India takes a back seat. The situation is not good and it needs to get better in order to sustain the impetus of an increasingly fast developing Indian economy.

varun

A few years back it was necessary for all vehicles to have a opaque circle painted in the middle of the glass in front, apparently to reduce the intensity of the glare caused by hi-beam. For whatever reason, the rule was dropped. I think it might be a good idea to bring it back.

dhoomk2

I am not able to understand yet why people drive with high beams lights in the middle of a well lit city. And these are the apparently 'educated' city folks!!

Clearly we don’t have civic sense and common road manners.

sudhishu

How about a circuit that switches left head light to high-beam mode and right head light to low-height orientation. The left-side head lamp's reflector can be designed such a way that the beam is reflected to a lower height towards the middle of the vehicle and high beam portion slightly flared out with a left orientation. This is necessary because trucks and other vehicles carelessly park occupying the left side of the road. This can be achieved even by masking the lens of the light. But it may not be acceptable because it could deface the vehicle.

The right side lamp's reflector should not spread the beam too much to the right side in short distance. The beam could be longer but, flared very less toward the upper-side.

A square shaped reflector with proper angle and bulb position can achieve this.

Just thought about this. Who'll bell the cat?

( Between - last year, one of my relative aged 40, died in an accident where the driver of the Maruti van he traveled, didn't see the truck parked on the left side *on* the road. The driver told that he was blinded by the powerful high beam of a vehicle coming towards him and by the time he saw the truck, it was too late. The victim was sitting on the right side of the van, next to the driver. Rest you can imagine. He got two children and his wife recently provided with a job on compassionate grounds. But they lost him for ever. )

rider

The opaque circle is probably not needed anymore given that most cars come with halogen lamps these days and halogen bulbs typically have a black head providing the same advantages as the opaque circle.

rider

Major complains regarding headlights:

- Some people switch on fog lights. Probably with an purpose to show car features they have paid for.

- Sometimes people use neon white lights in their car headlights and its sharp light is not only irritating but also dangerous to looming vehicular traffic.

Drivers feel great pleasure in driving with lights on high beam shining into your mirror at main roads. The glare is agonizing and causes an enormously dangerous driving situation.

hemant

The flashiest of cars with the most educated people will sport a High beam and an array of fog lamps, which seem to have just one purpose - Blind the other fellow out of his senses till he/she bangs into something.

hampKaushik

My thoughts exactly. I drive both a motorcycle and a car and found it very dangerous in either ride when high beams are turned on behind or in oncoming traffic. Driving in the city I have never found any need of having my high beams on as either there are street lights and/or going at normal speed we don't need to look that far ahead. Even on highways at night, do I seldom have use of them - if there are cars in front, they'll light up the road ahead of you; oncoming traffic also also lights up the road in front you (of course, if they have normal beam on). If there is no traffic at all on a dark unlit highway, you probably need to keep high beam on. The moment another car is seen these can be switched off though.
However, the main question remains: how could drivers be made more aware about the dangers of high beam headlights?

sarfarosh

Besides the dangers of high beams, there are so many other important aspects of safe driving that need to be highlighted.

Our licensing system is so bad. Anyone can get a license. There is no formal training required. And with the new money out there, people have become very impatient. Try and educate someone and you invite free trouble.

Drivers/Riders are an impatient lot. They don't want to listen. Look at the TV ads of all the bike companies. They only show SPEED, A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN and nothing else.

The government has to engage these manufacturers to do some sensible advertising so that people can get educated from those ads. There is so much to do but our politicians and authorities are busy with communal issues and have not time left for important work be it in road safety or other areas.