High beam flashing in the rearview mirror is associated with making way for a vehicle but when it is overused it becomes a nuisance for drivers.
The problem is exacerbated when car lights are modified to install brighter headlamps as a result of which the high beams become harmful for the eyes and cause road accidents.
Rawalpindi has seen an upsurge in the installation of high-intensity discharge lamps (HID lights) which has gone unchecked and added to the troubles of drivers navigating through the city’s dense traffic.
An irate Asher Ali, already stressed with being stuck in traffic, remarked, “not only are HID lights harsh on the eyes but they keep increasing despite being illegal.”
Residents of Islamabad’s twin are united in their dislike for such modifications. Nasir Mahmood, an elderly driver, while talking to The Express Tribune, said, “This trend is popular among younger drivers and causes severe issues for us especially at night.” Mahmood’s concerns are valid given that a traffic police survey concluded that flashing bright headlamps was a leading cause of accidents at night.
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Apart from vehicle collisions, HID lights, which retail anywhere from between Rs 3,000 to 15,000 and are easily available at any auto parts store in the city, are detrimental for the eyes as well.
Dr Ahsan Kazmi, an eye specialist at a government hospital in the city, informed that such bright lights make the eyes ache and can even render the driver blind for a few seconds. “For drivers who wear contact lenses or spectacles, these bright lights are even more hazardous,” he said.
Kazmi further informed that daily exposure to such light for long periods of time could damage eyesight completely. “I have seen cases where continuous exposure even for a short time led to colour blindness,” he added.
Despite the bulbs’ severe drawbacks, the traffic police have failed to curb their sales or get vehicles with bright headlamps off the streets.
Kashif Soroush, a spokesman for the city’s traffic police, said that the police launch a full-fledged campaign against the usage of such bulbs every two to three months and issues heavy fines.
“Challans do not hinder the usage of the lights and we cannot take off the lights as doing so would require a car mechanic,” he conceded. Soroush informed that the police let drivers go on the promise that they would remove the lights. “But such promises are never fulfilled and the city continues to have a humongous number of cars with HID headlamps,” he told The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2021.
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