The dangers of replacing super bright lights for motorbikes and scooters

Currently, on the market there are many types of lights used for motorcycle headlights such as xenon lights, bi-xenon lights, HID lights, LED lights... These types of lights provide strong light intensity and longer visibility than conventional halogen bulbs built into the vehicle.

There have been many complaints about super bright car lights on auto and motorbike forums... along with many videos shared on social networks about this type of light when participating in traffic.

According to Mr. Le Nguyen Hoang Nam, owner of a motorbike spare parts store in Vinh Long, many people now tend to replace or add super bright lights to their vehicles. These types of lights are quite diverse in form and price, from a few hundred thousand to a few million VND, and the light is also stronger than regular halogen bulbs.

"The demand for buying super bright lights and auxiliary lights is quite high. Some people really want to improve the lighting of their cars, while others just want to upgrade the lights to look cool, to make their cars 'shine' at night," said Mr. Nam.

Because there is no filament and it is less affected by external vibrations, the durability of super bright lights such as LED or xenon from big brands like Osram, Philips... can light up to 2,000 hours (4 times longer than halogen bulbs). It emits white light, almost like daylight.

Not only that, this super bright light also has a luminous efficiency 3-4 times higher than halogen bulbs. LED or xenon bulbs only have a capacity of 30-35 W but give the same brightness as a 100 W halogen bulb.

"However, these super bright lights are not suitable for civilian two-wheeled vehicles, which are originally equipped with halogen headlights. Installing super bright lights on halogen headlights will affect the visibility of oncoming people," Mr. Nam added.

Currently, the law does not stipulate that changing the car lights is a change in the structure of the car and there is no administrative penalty for this behavior. However, using super bright lights that dazzle oncoming drivers will pose a risk of causing traffic accidents.

Furthermore, the low-quality super bright lights sold on the market today can also damage the vehicle's electrical system, posing a high risk of fire or explosion. These lights have different prices. In addition to LED and xenon lights imported from Japan or European countries that cost 100-300 USD, others cost only 200,000 VND to 1 million VND.

Many cheap users often choose to buy LED and xenon products from China, which are of poor quality compared to genuine xenon lighting systems.

When flashing in Fa mode, the ballast and starter must disconnect and restart. Continuously switching on and off the circuit further reduces the life of the lamp, and the ballast is also easily damaged. In addition, the heat emitted from "fake" lamps is quite high. If not the same standard size, super bright lamps can block the heat dissipation holes on the headlight, easily leading to fire and explosion.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, a motorcyclist in Tien Giang, said: "The headlights of oncoming vehicles are too bright and will blind other road users, especially those who wear glasses like me. My motorbike also has auxiliary lights, but they are installed to shine down on the road surface and are only used on dark, deserted roads, but it is quite vague about whether the law allows the installation of additional lights or not."

Pursuant to Decree No. 171/2013/ND-CP and Decree 107/2014/ND-CP supplementing Decree 171, then:

Article 17: For motorbikes and mopeds, the fine is from 100,000 to 200,000 VND if:

“Using a horn that does not meet technical standards for each type of vehicle; does not have a muffler or smoke reducer, or has one that does not meet environmental standards for emissions and noise.

No near or far lights or if there are lights they are not effective; no braking system or if there are lights they do not meet technical standards and lights are used that do not meet the design standards of each type of vehicle.

The general standards for motorcycle and motorbike lights are as follows: the direction of the light beam must be in the direction of the vehicle's movement, the main light direction must be downward, and the light color of the lights is white or light yellow.

Thus, if you install headlights or auxiliary lights on a motorbike that are a color other than yellow or white, have a light direction different from the direction of the vehicle, or install headlights that shine directly into the eyes of oncoming drivers, it is a violation of the law. However, there are no specific regulations on penalties for installing LED, xenon, etc. lights with strong light intensity.

To ensure safety for yourself and other road users, traffic participants need to be aware when installing and using headlights. If replacing car lights, use lights that do not spread out haphazardly, causing glare to oncoming drivers. Switch lights from Fa to Cos when there is a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. Choose to buy quality, genuine lights to avoid damage to the vehicle.