All motorbikes, scooters sold in India will come equipped with permanent headlights that cannot be turned off, from April 2017.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has passed an order making it mandatory for new two-wheelers to be fitted with Automatic Headlamp On (AHO).
It has been found that AHO is helpful for other road users in spotting the vehicle easily and improves their response time, as per a report in Deccan Herald.
Nearly 30% of all accidents in Karnataka in 2015 involved two-wheelers, as per government data.
National Crime Records Bureau data showed that of the 1.4 lakh people who died in accidents, 32,524 were two-wheeler riders.
The feature is quite common in developed countries but the Indian government decided on it only last year, the report says.
Meanwhile, agitated riders of new vehicles have been running to the showroom to find a way of switching off the headlights.
“Pedestrians and people coming from the opposite side gesture at me to turn off the headlight. I got irritated and went to the showroom, seeking an explanation. I came to know about the rule only later,” said Alok Jhadav, who bought a new bike with AHO last month, as per the report.
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