Referral of Lawsuit to Enforce Penalties for Using High-Beam Vehicle Lighting to the State Commissioners Authority .. Hearing Set for December 6
The Administrative Court of the State Council has referred to the State Commissioners Authority a lawsuit filed by the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, acting on behalf of a taxi driver, against the Minister of Interior in his official capacity and the Director of the General Traffic Department in his official capacity. The suit seeks enforcement of the provisions of the Traffic Law mandating comprehensive measures to curb the use of high-beam vehicle lighting, given the serious risks it poses to public safety and the lives of road users. The case is scheduled for a court hearing on December 6, 2025.
The lawsuit, registered as Case No. 71759 of Judicial Year 79, petitions the court to stay execution and annul the administrative authority’s negative decision to refrain from enforcing the penalty prescribed in Article 72 bis of the Traffic Law, specifically violation No. (2) under item (b), which mandates sanctions for the use of high-beam lighting in vehicles. It further seeks a ruling obligating the administrative authority to implement specific regulatory measures, including: regulating the use of vehicle headlamps; establishing approved technical specifications for standard headlights; prohibiting the import or use of non-compliant headlights; and incorporating headlamp inspection into the periodic vehicle licensing process.
In its statement of claim, the Center explained that the plaintiff works as a taxi driver operating within the Greater Cairo governorates, a profession requiring extended working hours—particularly during nighttime—to support his family. With recent enhancements and expansions to Egypt’s road network, particularly in Greater Cairo, drivers have increasingly relied on their vehicle lighting systems, especially following the government’s decision to reduce street lighting, except in certain locations such as bridges and city entry points.
However, the absence of effective oversight of the automotive lighting market has fueled a concerning trend—the installation of extremely bright LED or xenon headlights—which cause temporary blindness or visual impairment to other drivers, whether approaching from the opposite direction or via side-mirror glare, thereby posing a direct and imminent risk of traffic accidents.
The lawsuit further noted that such headlights are frequently marketed under labels such as “daytime lights” or “long-range lighting,” which makes them appealing to certain drivers despite their significant hazards and the lack of any effective legal deterrent to their use.
The statement of claim cited research published in the United Kingdom in 2022, revealing that 89% of British drivers believe certain vehicle headlights are excessively dazzling and cause severe visual disturbance, while 64% reported having been involved in, or narrowly avoided, accidents as a result. The study concluded that the human eye cannot adjust quickly enough to intense lighting during driving, thereby undermining road safety.
The Center stressed that the statutory provision mandating the suspension of a driver’s license for no less than one month and no more than three months for the use of high-beam lighting is not being effectively enforced by the competent authorities. This lack of enforcement has led to the widespread use of such headlights without fear of sanction, placing the plaintiff and other road users at continual risk.
