The Uganda Police Force's Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety has launched a crackdown on vehicles fitted with extremely bright and hazardous additional lights, deemed “illegal lights.”
"We are stopping vehicles with these lights, instructing drivers to remove them immediately, and recording their registration details in our database," said Michael Kananura, Spokesperson of the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety.
"If you are caught again with these illegal lights, you will be taken to court," Kananura warned.
The police operation aims to address the growing concern over the safety risks posed by these lights, particularly at night.
Road-safety experts have long cautioned that excessively bright auxiliary lights—such as high-intensity LEDs, bars, and coloured beams—create dangerous glare for oncoming drivers.
Glare reduces a driver’s ability to see the road ahead, slows reaction time, and can temporarily blind road users, especially motorcyclists and pedestrians.
The problem worsens at night because the human eye needs several seconds to readjust after exposure to intense light, increasing the likelihood of head-on collisions or failure to detect hazards.
These lights also distort depth perception by overpowering standard headlights, making it harder for other drivers to judge distance and speed.
In addition, coloured or flashing lights can mimic emergency-vehicle signals, causing confusion and unpredictable reactions among road users.
"If you are reading this message and your vehicle has any of the lights mentioned above, please remove them," Kananura urged drivers.
The move is part of wider efforts to enhance road safety and reduce accidents in Uganda.
