Giao thong Newspaper hotline received a question from a reader asking if a car with an additional separate fog light placed above the headlights would pass inspection?

Regarding this issue, a representative of a registration center in Hanoi said that Circular 43/2023 amending and supplementing Circular 85/2014 regulating the modification of motor vehicles stipulates one of the cases where a car has changes but is not considered a modification, which is: Installing additional separate fog lights, the car is still registered normally.

However, additional fog lights must comply with installation regulations to ensure safety.

Specifically, Circular 30/2024 regulating the inspection of motor vehicles clearly states that to pass the inspection category of additional fog lights, the installation position of the lights must be more than 400mm from the outer edge of the vehicle and less than 250mm in height. In particular, they must not be installed above the front lights because they can cause the light beam of the lights to shine upwards, causing glare to drivers of other vehicles traveling in the opposite direction, potentially posing a risk to traffic safety.

This is also the case of a reader of Giao thong Newspaper asking, so if fog lights are installed above the headlights, the car will fail this item, which means failing the vehicle inspection.

In addition, the representative of the inspection center said that the additional fog lights must meet a number of other criteria to be eligible for inspection. Including: The number must be 2 lights, installed symmetrically; the light color is white or yellow; installed to turn on and off independently of the front lights.

Explaining why fog lights must be turned on and off independently from the front lights, this representative said that fog lights with a common switch with headlights are very dangerous to use, especially when driving in the city, on roads other than highways such as village roads, district roads, provincial roads, national highways, etc.

The reason is that the light emitted simultaneously from these two types of lights will cause glare, even temporary blindness for other road users, reducing visibility, leading to the risk of traffic accidents.

"Currently, the situation of cars installing fog lights in violation of regulations is still common, leading to failure of vehicle inspection. When installing, car owners need to pay attention to the above regulations to ensure traffic safety and convenience when taking the car for inspection," emphasized the representative of the inspection center.