Hyderabad: All new two-wheelers will need to have the ‘automatic headlamp on’ system, which keeps the headlight on when the vehicle is in use, from April 1, as part of the Supreme Court guidelines.

Some manufacturers have begin selling two-wheelers with the system. The guidelines were based on recommendations made by a committee appointed by the Supreme Court to study methods to prevent road accidents.

The committee found that in the case of many head-on collisions, the reason was lack of proper lighting on the two-wheeler. The committee recommended the implementation of the automatic headlamp on system, which was adopted by many European countries in 2003.

Hyderabad joint transport commissioner J. Pandurang Naik said the RTA had not received any guidelines on the matter. “There is no communication from the Central. If we get either an order or a notification, we will implement it strictly,” he said.

Former additional transport commissioner C.L.N. Gandhi said the Centre has to either amend the Motor Vehicle Act or introduce a rule to make the system mandatory. “The government can issue a gazette notification before the date of implementation,” he said.

The system which is available on some two-wheelers is leaving owners confused. Mr Mirza Beigh, an employee with the fire department, said there was on/off button for the headlight. When the engine is started, the headlights turn on automatically. Unwary road-users keep signalling him to switch off the headlamp, he said.