March 29, 2022
Md Nadimul Haque’s Zero Hour mention on strictly implementing ban on white LED headlamps on vehicles
Sir, the World Head Injury Awareness Day was observed around a week ago, on 20th March. With road
accidents recognised as one of the leading causes for head injuries, the fact that India occupies the first position in road accidents, as admitted by the Transport Minister himself, is fear-inducing. As per a recent World Bank report, India accounts for 11 per cent of the global deaths from road accidents. Contributing to these worrying figures is the rampant use of white LED headlights in two-wheeler and fourwheeler vehicles. Many of us see it as a fashion trend and use these white lights. This poses a serious problem as the chances of vehicle crashes increase when a vehicle approaching from the opposite side uses white LED headlights, which tends to be blinding. It may be noted that such
headlamps are in contravention of the Motor Vehicles Act, which penalises vehicle modifications. Some States even have rules prohibiting white LED headlamps. Despite these measures, such lamps continue to be used all across the country, leading to road accidents causing grievous injury and sometimes death. Sir, in 2018, India lost 0.77 per cent of its GDP due to these grievous road accidents. Studies show that the implementation of the Motor Vehicles
Act and the Central Motor Vehicles Rules has been negligent. In 2020, India had pledged to reduce the number of road accidents by 50 per cent by the year 2030. Hence, the fact that fatality from road accidents has not decreased is concerning. Therefore, there is need to frame legislation which bans use of white headlamps and ensures its strict implementation once it is framed. Sir, my last point is, our hon. Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, in Bengal, follows the motto “Safe Drive, Save Life”. It is best to replicate this throughout the country. I urge the Government to take this into consideration and take strict action to ensure the safety on our roads. Thank you.
