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| Newly Registered Vehicles With High IntensityDischarge Headlamps To Have Auto-Levelling Feature |
- With effect from 1 January 2010, the Land Transport
Authority (LTA) will require all newly registered vehicles fitted with High
Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps to be equipped with an auto-levelling
feature, which is a mechanism that automatically adjusts the headlamp angle
and direction based on road and driving conditions.
- HID headlamps are allowed to be fitted on vehicles
registered here as they not only meet the relevant safety standards but are
also more energy efficient and can improve the visibility of drivers as
compared with standard halogen lamps. Unlike standard halogen headlamp
systems, HID headlamps do not use a filament. Instead, they contain an inert
gas (Xenon), which emits light when it comes in contact with high-voltage
electrical arc. HID lamps also produce up to twice as much light as halogen
lamps, with a bluish-white cast and minimal fading at the periphery of the
beams.
- With the increasing trend on the use of HID headlamps,
there has been more feedback from motorists that such headlamps are brighter
and tend to cause glare. In view of this and with the advancement in
technology to reduce the glare caused by such headlamps, all new vehicles
fitted with HID headlamps registered from 1 January 2010 will have to be
equipped with an auto-levelling feature.
- The auto-levelling feature helps to reduce glare to drivers
of oncoming vehicles without compromising the improved visibility these
headlamps offer to drivers. For example, if the vehicle is carrying a
heavier load and the rear is lower, the headlights would adjust downwards to
reduce glare to on-coming traffic without compromising the improved
visibility HID headlamps give to drivers. On the other hand, if the vehicle
is carrying a lighter load and the rear is raised, the headlights would
adjust upwards to illuminate the road properly.
- The LTA had worked with the Motor Traders Association of
Singapore and the Automobile Importer & Exporter Association (Singapore)
on this new requirement. The requirement will not be applied retrospectively
to in-use vehicles with HID headlamps as extensive modifications would have
to be made to the vehicle's headlamp system. The two-year lead time was
reached after taking into consideration the feedback from motor traders that
their vehicle manufacturers require that amount of time to comply with the
new requirement.
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