Motorists who drive with their lights on high beam can be found guilty of an offence.
That warning comes from head of the Traffic Division of the Royal Barbados Police Force, Assistant Superintendent Roland Stanford, when asked about the potentially dangerous practice yesterday.
Noting that any concern of the public is of concern to the force, Stanford said they have been monitoring the situation and action has been taken in some cases. He said the requirements for headlamps are clearly outlined in Regulations 22 – 8, paragraphs A and B in the 1984 Road Traffic Regulations.
“All lighted headlamps should carry a main beam and a dim and should be able to be dimmed accordingly so as not to negatively affect oncoming drivers. If a person is driving on his main beam, then on the approach of other vehicles he should dim his lights. If he fails to do so, he commits an offence of driving without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road,” Stanford said.
In terms of policing the offenders, he said if a motorist is pulled over for using the high beam and cannot demonstrate that the lamps can be dimmed, the officer is authorised to issue him/her with a memo to take to the Ministry of Transport & Works to have the lamps checked. The experts there will issue them with instructions, which could include removal of the lamps. The department follows through with MTW, and is given a copy of the instructions issued to the driver.
Drivers can also take the registration number of the offender and pass it on to the police, Stanford said.
“I would also encourage motorists who are so affected by the lights to slow down and draw as close to the left as you can. It doesn’t make sense, if you cannot see the road ahead because of the lights, to continue driving and probably collide with something,” he added. (YB)
