When driving in low light or at night, the high beam of oncoming vehicles is the biggest danger we all face. To prevent the destructive effects of driving while keeping the high beam of the headlamp on, the Kerala Motor Vehicle Department has launched a unique drive called ‘Operation Focus’. In this drive, all types of vehicles ranging from a scooter to heavy commercial vehicles will be monitored. The drive will run from 7pm to 10pm until 12 April.
‘Operation Focus’, launched by the Kerala Motor Vehicle Department, is a 10-day drive where criminals who drive their vehicles with high beams will be punished. In addition, there are about a dozen violations listed by the department under this drive, including the use of unauthorized colored lights, the absence of illumination around the rear license plate, the lack of parking lights and the excessive use of unauthorized auxiliary lighting.
Read more: 10 DC Design Cars and What They Look Like in the Real World: Mahindra XUV500 from Maruti Swift
Unauthorized headlamps will be removed
If anyone is found to be violating the rules, the offender will be asked to remove the unauthorized lights and must confirm their removal by presenting the vehicle to the RTO before a certain date. If the offender fails to do so, RTO officials can take necessary action, including revocation of the registration certificate.
Commenting on the launch of ‘Operation Focus’, Additional Transport Commissioner Promoz Shankar PS said that the use of extra number of lights has become a serious problem in recent times, which will be reduced through this drive. He added that most road accidents, especially fatalities, occur at night. Unauthorized auxiliary lighting or extra light from high beams partially blinds or confuses drivers coming from the opposite direction. Negligence of driving with high beams has increased the number of road accidents in the last five years.
Adding to his view on the concern caused by accidents due to excessive lighting, Samson Matthews, director of the National Transportation Planning and Research Center (NTPRC), said effective measures must be taken to reduce the number of accidents by 25 percent by 2025. Even the Contract Carriage Operators Association (CCOA) has expressed its opposition to the use of unauthorized lights, saying that any changes to the car’s original electrical wiring and battery connection should be discouraged to avoid road accidents.
Also Read: Upcoming 2022 Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza Rendered