January 30, 2019:

After the Supreme Court ruled that any kind of modification on the cars, SUVs and two-wheelers is illegal, the owners of modified vehicles have protested against the ruling.

Motor Vehicle Department (MVD), Kerala will soon start a crackdown on vehicles fitted with aftermarket High-Intensity Discharge (HIDs) lamps.

The MVD gave the deadline till 31st Jan to remove any HIDs from the vehicles. The crackdown will begin from 1st Feb in the state.

Kerala sees one of the highest numbers of modifications in India. However, the traffic commissioner had issued the warning against the use of HIDs much before the Supreme Court ruling.

As per the transport commissioner K Padmakumar, the registration certificates of such modified vehicles will be cancelled and the driver’s driving license will be suspended.

HID headlamps are extremely bright and they can temporarily blind people. Many of these aftermarket HID lamps are not set properly and they throw beam directly into the eyes of the driver of opposite side vehicles.

This can lead to accidents. Many manufacturers offer HID lamps in the vehicles but such lamps are properly set-up and get projector lamps to ensure that they do not throw powerful beams in the eyes of oncoming vehicles.

Last year, the MVD decided to buy lux meters to measure the intensity of the headlamps of the cars. Such lux meters measure the intensity scientifically and accurately. The MVD had distributed the light-meters to as many as 14 districts of the state and the policemen went through proper training with the lux meter devices.

The device works by generating electricity proportionate to the intensity of light falling on them. This is how it gives an accurate reading in lumens.

It should be noted that the police are planning to catch drivers at night and check their vehicles by using lux meters. The drive is expected to affect a large number of people who have modified the headlamps to see better at night.

Aftermarket auxiliary lamps mounted above the bonnet are also illegal in India.

Any aftermarket lamp installed should be below the bonnet and should be covered when the vehicle is on public roads. Such aftermarket lamps are meant for only off-roading use and are illegal to use on the public roads.

With the Supreme Court ruling, we can expect many of such drives in the future in Kerala and other states.

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