howtotreatpot

[howtotreatpot]

Headlight on during the day on the highways is still a must?

The Committee of Constitution and Justice and Citizenship (CCJ) of the House of Representatives approved, last Thursday, 21, the Bill  that dispenses with the use of the beacon lit during the day on roads and highways integrated to urban areas. The low beam obligation on Brazilian highways emerged in 2016 with Law 13.290 / 16.

The approved text also requires daytime running lights (DRL) to become mandatory equipment on new vehicles from the fourth year of the law, in the form and timeframe to be established by the National Traffic Council (Contran). These lights will equate to the use of headlights when on roads and highways.

The matter analyzed by the committee is the substitute for the Road Transport Committee, elaborated by Deputy Hugo Leal (PSD-RJ). The original bill (PL 5608/16) was presented by former Deputy Laerte Bessa (DF).

As it was conclusively approved, the bill that wants to end the daytime low beam requirement on highways integrated with urban areas should go straight to Senate review.

Penalty change

The text also increases the penalty for those who travel with their headlights off at night, to differentiate from the new requirement for daytime headlights. The infringement is now considered serious.

The Headlight Law on  Highways

Law 13,290, passed on May 24, 2016, obliged drivers to use the headlight on highways during the daytime. The disobedience of the rule was considered an average infraction, with a fine of R $ 130.16 and four points in the driver's license.

In September 2016 the Federal Court suspended the Lighthouse Law through an injunction. The reason was that the country's roads were not signposted enough to indicate the need for the low beam or daylight in the morning and afternoon. The measure did not last, and by October the rule was back.

Since the law came into force on July 8, 2016, President Jair Bolsonaro has opposed the ruling. At the time, the then deputy polled on social networks to find out what his followers thought about the subject.

Is the low beam during the day really effective?

In the first month of application of the "low beam law" there was a 36% reduction in the number of head-on collisions in single lanes, according to a survey released by the Federal Highway Police (PRF). Another important data is that the number of run over fell 34%.

“If only one death is avoided, the headlight law is already justified,” PRF inspector Aristides Júnior said at the time. It was also found a decrease of 56% in deaths from frontal strikes and 41% for pedestrians affected.

A member of the Technical Commission on Vehicle Safety of the Society of Mobility Engineers (SAE), Alessandro Rúbio states that using low light during the day makes the vehicle easier to perceive. However, data regarding the efficiency of the measurement are difficult to measure, as there are several variables involved on a road