Now Reading: Auto lighting rules tightened, low-beam made mandatory for bikes
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Auto lighting rules tightened, low-beam made mandatory for bikes
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules that will restrict automatic headlamps on new two-wheelers to low-beam mode only. The draft rules also…
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules that will restrict automatic headlamps on new two-wheelers to low-beam mode only. The draft rules also cap high-beam intensity at 1 lakh candela for two-wheelers and 1.5 lakh candela for four-wheelers, down from current limits. Colour temperature is capped at 6,500 Kelvin, and buses and heavy vehicles must use genuine reflective tape. The changes are expected to take effect from April 2025.
The proposed audio alert system will warn drivers who manually switch to high beam in urban areas, but will not activate above 60 kmph on highways. Officials said existing awareness campaigns to promote low-beam use have not yielded desired results. The rules apply only to new vehicles and not existing models on road. The draft amendments target glare that causes visual discomfort and temporary blindness for oncoming motorists, a factor linked to night-time crashes.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All sources report the same proposed lighting rule changes identically, with no disagreement. Both lead with the two-wheeler low-beam mandate, then treat glare reduction, colour temperature caps, audio alerts, and reflective tape for heavy vehicles in near-identical order and wording. One source (The Times of India) adds the line 'drivers using headlamps on high beam in urban areas…can temporarily blind motorists,' which frames the rules as a response to a known crash cause. The other (The Economic Times) omits that framing and leads instead with the technical restriction. Neither source questions the effectiveness or implementation timeline (April 2025). The uniform straight-reporting coverage suggests the ministry's press release was adopted wholesale. A careful reader should note that no opposition or industry reaction is reported, and the April 2025 effective date is the key next step to watch.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
