National Safety Council issues lights warning

Pat Costello, Chief Executive of the National Safety Council has identified the problem of badly adjusted headlamps on vehicles as a serious road safety risk. “Headlamps with faulty beams are dangerous as they limit a driver’s range of vision and may dazzle oncoming traffic even when dipped. In situations where one headlamp is broken crashes have happened because vehicles with such defects were mistaken for a motorcyclist,” he revealed.

Commenting on the extent of the problem Costello added, “While the National Car Test is helping to greatly reduce the incidence of faulty lights in vehicles there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that even relatively new vehicles are experiencing faulty lighting problems which need to be urgently addressed as they pose a risk to road safety especially in bad weather conditions.”

“To be effective headlamps, stop lights, indicators, number plate lighting and reflectors should be kept clean and in good working order at all times. So I would ask drivers, to park their vehicle away from traffic and ask a friend to observe each light as you activate it. If you discover lighting on the vehicle is defective, repair the problem without delay before bringing in onto the road again,” he said.

During 2003 when the new penalty points system is fully implemented six offences will cover the contravention of certain provisions of the Lighting of Vehicles Regulations (1963). This means that drivers of vehicles not equipped with working lights as set out by the regulations, for example front and rear lights and indicators, face the risk of incurring three penalty points and possibly a fine if found guilty in court.

Alternatively on payment of a fixed charge, one penalty point will apply. Any driver accumulating 12 penalty points at any time within a three year period will be automatically disqualified from driving for six months.
In good driving conditions the headlamps on the average car enable the driver to see for about 100 metres on an unlit road and for about 30 metres on dipped headlamps. Rear red lamps are necessary to warn following traffic. Enhanced red lamps should only be used in dense fog, falling snow or heavy rain conditions and never during ordinary visibility when they tend to blind traffic approaching from the rear.

Concluding Mr. Costello warned against tailgating and at night not to drive on the tail lights of the car in front. “It gives a false sense of security and may lull you into driving too close or too fast or both.”