Mayo’s road safety officer Noel Gibbons is swooping on the hordes of cyclops, which are prowling the darkness on the county’s roads and threatening our safety.
In a new campaign, Mr Gibbons is highligting the danger of what he has dubbed ‘road cyclops’ - vehicles with one failed headlight.
“Sadly, it is far too evident that many motorists are not checking that both of their vehicle’s headlights are working correctly,” he said.
“At the start of every journey, drivers should take 60 seconds to ensure that each headlight is working and adjusted correctly.
“To have full vision on the road you need all lights functioning,” he explained.
“The easiest way to check your vehicle is by looking for the headlights’ reflection on a window, or against a wall or fence or switch on your lights and walk around your vehicle.
“Having a headlight out is dangerous in two ways. Not only can the driver of the vehicle not see properly in an unlit road with only half the usual light available, but the defective headlight means that other road users will have difficulty spotting the vehicle properly (or in some cases, knowing even what it is ).”
Cars with only one headlight working could easily be mistaken for a motorbike – a major danger when overtaking. And he added that a vehicle with only one working head or tail light could be almost as dangerous as having no lights on.
However, changing a failed headlight bulb on a modern car may not be a quick and simple matter.
“For some cars it means a visit to a dealer or following the directions on the vehicle’s manual. But drivers do need to check their headlight bulbs and to remember, they can be committing an offence by not having correct lighting,” finished Mr Gibbons.
