Government to Implement Stricter Vehicle Lighting Regulations
NEW DELHI: The Indian Ministry of Road Transport has proposed new regulations aimed at improving vehicle lighting standards to enhance road safety. Under the draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, automatic headlamps in two-wheelers will operate solely in low beam mode. Additionally, heavy vehicles like buses must use genuine reflective tapes to boost visibility during nighttime and adverse weather conditions. These changes are set to take effect in April next year.
The proposed regulations also include restrictions on high-intensity headlamps across all vehicle categories to reduce glare that can impair the vision of other road users. Currently, the Automatic Headlamp On (AHO) system allows both low and high beam modes, but the new rule will ensure that when the automatic system is engaged, only low beam is activated. This change will apply only to new two-wheelers, not existing models.
To further address glare issues, the maximum permissible intensity for two-wheelers will be reduced from 150,000 candela to 100,000 candela. For four-wheelers, the limit will decrease from 225,000 candela to 150,000 candela. The amendments also stipulate that the maximum colour temperature of headlamps be capped at 6,500 Kelvin to mitigate glare from white light. Additionally, the mounting height for main-beam headlamps will align with that of passing-beam headlamps.
These measures aim to tackle a significant cause of night-time road accidents in India, where high beam usage in urban areas can temporarily blind oncoming drivers. The new system will include an audio alert to discourage unnecessary high-beam use in cities. If a driver manually switches to high beam while in urban conditions, the vehicle will prompt a return to low beam. However, this alert will be speed-sensitive, allowing drivers on highways traveling above 60 km/h to use high beams without receiving a warning.
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