The hidden dangers of 'upgrading' car lights to super bright

High risk of accident

Although the incident happened a long time ago, every time Mr. Nguyen Duc H. in Dien Truong commune, Dien Chau district is mentioned, he is still shocked, along with anger and indignation. The story is that on a day at the end of 2018, Mr. H. was returning from a year-end party at his relatives' house in Quynh Luu district. Although he asked for permission to turn left, from afar a passenger bus going in the opposite direction shined its high-power headlights straight into his face. So, in just a moment of being blinded, although he had crossed the road, he plunged into the field, both he and the car fell over.

After the incident, he had to stay in the hospital for nearly a month for treatment due to multiple injuries, not to mention having to wear a cast on his hand. Mr. H. asserted, “Not only me, but anyone who drives in the opposite direction of such vehicles will be blinded, have difficulty observing, and cannot even see the road ahead, but will only drive on inertia and will find it difficult to avoid accidents.”

Cars with modified headlights have bright lights that make it difficult for oncoming drivers to see (photo above). Some types of "modified" headlights on the market today (photo below). Photo courtesy

Similarly, Mr. Dang Tho Tr, residing in Vinh City, a taxi driver, said that "upgrading" car lights, especially for cars, makes drivers going in the opposite direction feel dazzled, frustrated, and the rate of traffic accidents will be higher.

He said that on roads with median strips in the middle, it was still bearable, but on roads without median strips, if he accidentally encountered an oncoming vehicle using modified headlights, it would be very dazzling. With experience, when encountering these situations, he had to calmly apply the brakes, reduce the speed of the vehicle to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front, and at the same time hold the steering wheel firmly, not turning left or right, only then could he avoid a collision.

Indeed, the situation of vehicle owners “modifying” the headlight system, front fog lights, and installing high-intensity projectors is quite common. The vehicles that violate the law are very diverse, in addition to a few motorbikes, from trucks, passenger cars, containers to family cars, all have added LED lights mounted on the front of the vehicle, license plate, around the vehicle body and even on the rear of the vehicle.

For example, most sleeper buses install LED lights in front of the cabin. They are often connected to the turn signal switch, so when the turn signal switch is turned on to overtake, the lights will glare at oncoming vehicles, which is very dangerous.

With that reality, on social networking forums about cars and motorbikes, there are quite a few indignant opinions. Some people say that "If you are driving on the road and this light shines on you, you are guaranteed to be completely blind for at least five seconds. During that "temporary blindness" period, you can only drive by faith"; "When you see a car with big headlights, you are almost blind, you cannot see the road, you only go by inertia. It is very dangerous, at that time if there is a pedestrian or a bicycle on the side of the road, it is very easy to have an accident"...

However, through research in practice, installing these types of lights is very easy, just go to auto parts stores to install car lights with different types of light and intensity.

Officers of Nghe An Motor Vehicle Inspection Center check the lighting system, limiting the situation of "additional" lights on passenger cars. Photo: Document

At a shop specializing in car "toys" on Mai Hac De Street (Vinh City), a technician said: There are many types of LED lights, xenon lights to attach to motorbikes and cars, with prices ranging from 250,000 - 750,000 VND depending on the brightness of each type of light. For lights with higher effects such as strong lighting, continuous lighting, flashing when honking, asking to pass... the price is higher.

In addition, if xenon bulbs are installed, the brightness increases by about 250-300% compared to the original halogen bulbs, and the light color can be selected. According to this person, nowadays car owners not only "upgrade" the front and rear lights, but also "upgrade" the fog lights, rearview mirrors, license plates, car doors, and for passenger cars, they also design a set of lights on both sides of the car, on the roof...

Need for coordinated processing

Mr. Tran Nhan Quang, a long-time auto mechanic at a high-quality auto repair center in Vinh City, said: Installing additional lights on cars is potentially dangerous for road users because this type of light has a very strong light intensity, causing glare to oncoming traffic.

In addition, on the market today there are many types of lights with unclear origins and low quality, which can easily cause safety risks, not to mention the high possibility of short circuits, fires, and explosions because the vehicle's power source cannot meet the requirements, easily causing overload. "Because in reality, if you want to "upgrade" the lights, you have to change some parts, the structure inside the car, connect more power lines...", Mr. Quang said.

On the side of the inspection unit, Mr. Nguyen Quy Khanh, Director of the Motor Vehicle Inspection Center, under the Nghe An Department of Transport, said: In accordance with the procedures, regulations and instructions in the inspection work, for a long time during the inspection process, the inspection agency will reject vehicles with "modified" lights. But in reality, many drivers have found ways to "circumvent" the law by removing the "modified" lights before going for inspection, leaving only the original lights, but then reinstalling them after the inspection to deceive the inspection agency.

Authorities handle the error of installing additional lights. Photo: Hai Vuong - D.C.

Talking to us, Colonel Cao Minh Phuong - Head of the Traffic Police Department of the Provincial Police said: To prevent risks of insecurity and reduce traffic accidents caused by vehicles using high-intensity headlights in violation of regulations. Up to now, through patrolling and controlling work, the Traffic Police forces of all teams and localities have not overlooked this error.

At Point a, Clause 3, Article 16 of Decree 46/2016 (administrative sanctions in the field of road and railway traffic), only the penalty for cars with additional LED lights installed at the rear of the vehicle is regulated at a level of 800,000 VND to 1 million VND and the driver's license is revoked for 1-3 months. In the case of "modifying" lights in other positions, when discovered, it is required to be dismantled but cannot be fined.

According to Decree 100/2019/ND-CP (replacing Decree 46/2016, effective from January 1, 2020), the penalty has been expanded. Accordingly, the act of installing additional LED lights in any position on the vehicle if it is not designed by the manufacturer, including the front, rear, roof, under the chassis, one or both sides of the vehicle... will be fined (the penalty level remains the same as Decree 46/2016).

Thus, adding additional lighting to a vehicle is an act that should be condemned, because too much light intensity will dazzle road users, easily leading to accidents. Therefore, in addition to educating vehicle owners about traffic culture and responsibility to the community, along with refusing to register vehicles with improperly designed lights, the Traffic Police and Traffic Inspectorate need to coordinate to monitor and handle regularly.

In addition, it is necessary to deploy a separate topic to handle it urgently for a period of time, equivalent to handling alcohol concentration violations. Only then, vehicles with "modified" lights, likened to "death light pillars" will no longer appear, becoming a nightmare for traffic participants as it is today.