Drivers are complaining about the use of off-road LED lights on vehicles and acting Traffic Chief Jairam Ramlakhan says that the Traffic Department is working towards reducing their use.
In a letter in yesterday’s edition of Stabroek News, writer Richard Francois raised concerns about the LED light bars that he described as being a “dangerously disturbing trend among many vehicle owners in Guyana.”
“These lights are not only extremely bright but they are blinding when switched on at night and pose a very serious risk to night drivers,” he said, while noting that most drivers are “impulsive high-beam users” who proceed with little regard for the visibility of oncoming traffic and the addition of LED bars makes the situation even worse.
“Something must be done by the authorities to eradicate this dangerous practice of vehicle owners installing additional off-road LED lights on their vehicles and using them on our roadways. Vehicle owners must not be allowed to install and use additional lighting on their vehicles that have the potential to be harmful and dangerous to other users,” he added.
John Britton, another driver, who usually travels along the East Bank Highway, said that the amount of vehicles that are equipped with the LED bars have been increasing over the years. “It’s been getting more popular and sometimes even before the night falls these drivers would throw on these bright lights,” he pointed out.
“Even if you driving on the road and you flashing them down to take it off, they wouldn’t ’cause they usually don’t care about you,” he added, while stating that whenever he is approaching someone who has one of the lights on, he would usually have to pull into the corner and wait until the vehicle passes. He pointed out that the lights are so bright sometimes that it is impossible to see the road in front of him. “Plus, some of the road lights don’t even work on the East Bank, so you can’t rely on them to help you out,” he added.
Another driver, James Brutus, who frequently uses the East Coast public road, pointed out that he encounters the same issues. “I don’t know if the drivers take their vehicles in the bush cause then it’s understandable because most of the times it’s fans and they need that but they need to take it off. However, sometimes you would see normal cars have them on for style and it’s very irritating,” he said.
“Sometimes, you does got to close your eyes because of how bright the light is and pray it passes fast,” he added.
“We know the place not that bright and it does be hard to see in certain areas but there’s no need for that type of light. Your high-beam does do enough for the roads and when you see traffic, you supposed to be courteous and drop it to the low beam but some people don’t care,” another driver, Ramdatt Persaud, said.
When contacted yesterday, Ramlakhan pointed out that whenever a traffic officer spots a vehicle outfitted with the LED lights, they would usually stop them and order them to remove it. “It would be a breach under the fitness because you’re not supposed to have those long ones on in the urban areas,” he said. He explained that while some persons would have them on their vehicles because they would need them in the interior, others would use them for style.
“So what we do is revoke their fitness and when they come with it for their fitness and they have it on, they would have to remove it but some people would get their fitness and then add it on later,” he added. Ramlakhan said that he continues to encourage drivers to observe the 5Cs [care, courtesy, consideration, common sense and caution]. “…You see courtesy is one of them and that’s what these drivers need to take… into consideration when they are driving with those bright lights,” he said.
In addition to the LED bars, Ramlakhan also pointed out that newer vehicles are now equipped with the “white” LED lights as their standard ones as opposed to the “brown” Halogen lights. “Everyone is being affected and even with the newer lights being the LED ones, drivers need to use their high-beams less,” he pointed out.
Ramlakhan said any driver who notices anyone using the LED bars or any other bright light can take the number plate of the vehicle down and report it to the police.
In the event that someone refuses to turn off theirs, Ramlakhan said that the safest thing to do is to slow down and pull into the corner until the road becomes visible again.
