LUCKNOW, Feb. 6 -- Headlights switched to high-beam - blinding drivers - have turned night driving into an ordeal for motorists, yet transport authorities admit they lack both the tools and the system to act against the menace.

Enforcement agencies concede that there is no practical mechanism to check or penalise the use of illegal or excessively bright headlights.

For 59-year-old advocate Ramesh Mishra, the problem has already altered his life. He has stopped driving at night altogether. "When a high-intensity headlamp hits my eyes, I am blinded for a few seconds. That itself can cause an accident," he said, adding that unchecked use of headlights on high beam and illegal modifications have made city roads unsafe.

"I hardly drive at n...