Tamil Nadu   

Affixing bull's eye on headlights now mandatory

V.S. Palaniappan

TN Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 amended

Coimbatore: Affixing bull's eye on headlights has been made mandatory. The State Government has issued an order amending rule 405 of the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicle Rules (TNMVR) 1989 introducing a sub-rule C insisting on affixing bull's eye on the centre portion of the headlights.

The rule 106 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) insisted only on deflection of lights i.e., dim and bright (low beam and high beam).

As per the rule, the vehicle driver was expected to use high and low beam, especially when a vehicle approaches from the opposite direction. The drivers seldom complied with the rule. Most of them failed to give deflection of lights to prevent dazzling headlights causing accidents. Accident statistics invariably indicated that dazzling headlights as the main reason for many head-on collisions especially on the highways.

With very poor compliance levels, the amendment to the TNMVR comes as a breather for the enforcing agencies to insist on bulls' eye. With the amendment making bull's eye mandatory, the law enforcing agencies such as police and transport department are equipped with a legal provision to book motorists for not having painted their headlights with a black spot in the centre portion. Hitherto, cases for dazzling lights were booked only based on the power of bulb, absence of deflective glass on the headlight and the failure of the driver to use low and high beams.

To prevent accidents

With a bulls' eye on the headlight, even if the motorist failed to give deflection of light, the dazzling effect of the headlights would be very minimal thus reducing the accident rate, especially on the highways, officers pointed out.

The G.O. Ms No. 1170 of the Home (Tr V) Department on December 6, 2006 stated "the Governor of Tamil Nadu hereby makes the following amendment to Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 in exercise of powers conferred under section 138 of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 (Central Act 59 of 1988).

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