Two-wheelers will get ‘Automatic Headlamp On’ from 2017

Two-wheelers in India will now have headlamps that will be on full time. As per a new government notification from April 2017, all two-wheeler manufacturers will need to offer Automatic Headlamp On (AHO) feature in their products.

From April 2017, two-wheelers in India will need to have a headlight that will turn on as soon as the engine is turned on. This is similar to daytime running lights (DRL) found in most cars these days.

Currently a few premium motorcycles are offering this feature in their bikes. This is a welcome move which is sure to have a positive effect in reducing the number of accidents.

In India, usually riders do not switch on the headlamps unless it is impossible to see the road. Riders do not realize that their own visibility to oncoming traffic or pedestrians gets hampered, especially during twilight and bad weather.

Once this system is fitted in two-wheelers, riders won’t have a switch to turn the headlight off as it would be automatic. Earlier, the Supreme Court-appointed committee on road safety had also pushed the proposal considering the fact that AHO has been found beneficial in reducing crashes involving two-wheelers in many parts of the world. This has been a feature in two-wheelers sold in European countries since 2003.

Two-wheelers as a single category of vehicles accounted for the highest number of fatal road crashes (32,524) in 2014.

Another 1,27,452 people were of instances where people on road (including riders) suffered injuries. Experts on automobile safety said AHO has improved visibility of and for two-wheelers during day and at dawn and dusk. Visibility can be enhanced by optimising the lamp’s colour, luminosity and intensity.

Source: ETAuto