MOTOR VEHICLES (Use of headlamps)

Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs if he will consider making it compulsory for the headlamps of motor vehicles to be lit after a certain time of the day.

Dr Koh Lip Lin: Question No. 5, Sir.

Mr S. Dhanabalan: Sir, statistics show that about 40% of fatal road accidents occur between 7.00 pm and 7.00 am. The Traffic Police Accident Study Unit together with the Registrar of Vehicles and the Public Works Department are, therefore, studying the frequency of road accidents caused by poor visibility including inadequate lighting of some roads, poor lighting by vehicles and poor visibility of objects and persons on the road.

The use of headlamps will not only help the driver to see better but also make the car more visible to other road users. If the study shows that it is necessary to require motorists to switch on their headlamps when driving after dark, the Motor Vehicles (Lighting) Rules will be suitably amended to make the practice compulsory.