Motorway Police Start High Beam Crackdown on Punjab Motorways

Motorway Police have started a campaign against drivers who keep their high beams on at night on Punjab's motorways. A Motorway Police spokesperson said on Sunday 27 September 2026 that drivers are being stopped on the M-2 between Lahore and Islamabad, the Lahore to Sialkot motorway and the M-3.

The campaign is on the orders of the Inspector General of the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP), Sultan Ahmed Chaudhry. On the M-4 near Pindi Bhattian and the M-5 between Multan and Sukkur, officers are running an awareness drive for now rather than a crackdown.

We checked the NHMP website on the same afternoon. The campaign was not yet on its press releases page, where the latest entry was dated 15 September 2026. So the details below come from the spokesperson's statement as reported, while the law and the rules come from the National Highways Safety Ordinance 2000, which we read in full on the NHMP site.

The high beam campaign covers four Punjab motorways

Enforcement is under way on the M-2, the Lahore to Sialkot motorway and the M-3, in the NHMP's central region. The M-4 and M-5 are getting awareness only for now. The spokesperson said action has already been taken against drivers in the central region.

The reason given is simple. A high beam aimed at an oncoming driver blinds them for a few seconds. In the spokesperson's words, there is a risk of failing to notice the road, sharp turns or barricades in time. On a motorway at 120 km/h, a few seconds is a long way.

No end date was given. Treat it as running until NHMP says otherwise.

The law makes failing to dip your headlights an offence

The National Highways Safety Ordinance 2000 tells every driver to dip their headlights for oncoming traffic and when following close behind another vehicle at night. Failing to do so is listed as a standard penalty offence and also carries 2 penalty points on your licence.

The rules sit in the Eighth Schedule of the ordinance, the "rules of the road". On lights, a driver must:

• switch on lights from sunset to sunrise, and in mist, fog, rain, dust storm or snow;
• dip the headlights when a vehicle is coming the other way on an undivided road;
• dip the headlights when driving close behind another vehicle at night;
• not keep headlights on when the vehicle is parked;
• not fit any lights other than those the rules allow.

The ordinance also lets a driver flash the headlights a few times at night to signal that they are about to overtake. A quick flash is allowed. A beam held on the car ahead is not.

The fine for high beams has not been published for this campaign

NHMP has not said what drivers stopped in this campaign are being charged. The ordinance's fine schedule lists "failing to dip headlight for other traffic", but the scanned copy on the NHMP site does not show its amount clearly, and a 2023 revision did not list it.

That revision, an NHMP list of new fine amounts under the Twelfth Schedule reported in September 2023, raised several light-related fines. We could not find that list on the NHMP website itself, so treat these figures as reported:

The penalty points matter more than people think. Under section 86 of the ordinance, more than 10 points in two years brings a warning, and more than 20 points gets your licence suspended for six months, which can be extended by another six. Offences are checked through your driving licence record, so points follow you.

A car with bright aftermarket HID or LED kits is the likeliest to be stopped. Those lamps throw glare even on low beam if they sit in a housing built for a halogen bulb.

Using your dipper correctly takes five habits

Use the high beam only on an empty, unlit road. Dip it the moment you see headlights coming or tail lights ahead. The Motorway Police spokesperson asked drivers to switch off high beams as soon as an oncoming vehicle approaches, on divided motorways too.

1. Start on low beam. Switch to high beam only when the road ahead is empty.
2. Dip as soon as you see an oncoming vehicle's lights, not when it is next to you.
3. Dip when you close up behind another vehicle, because your beam fills their mirrors.
4. If an oncoming driver does not dip, look towards the left edge of your lane and slow down. Do not flash back at them.
5. Flash briefly, a few times, only to signal that you are overtaking at night.

Check your own lamps too. Headlights that are aimed too high dazzle people even on low beam. A workshop can check and reset the aim, and it is worth doing after fitting new bulbs.

Call 130 to report a dangerous driver or get help

The Motorway Police helpline is 130. Use it to report a driver who is dazzling traffic or driving dangerously, or to ask for help after a breakdown or accident on a motorway or national highway.

NHMP also posts road updates on its official social media accounts, @NHMPofficial. The same handles are the place to watch for an official statement on this campaign. For night driving in winter, fog closures on the same routes are explained in fog and motorway closures in Pakistan, and the exits along the M-2 are listed in every M-2 toll plaza in order.

Common questions

Is using high beam illegal on Pakistan's motorways?

High beam itself is not illegal. Failing to dip it for oncoming traffic, or when close behind another vehicle at night, is an offence under the National Highways Safety Ordinance 2000.

What is the fine for high beam on the motorway?

NHMP has not published the amount for this campaign. A 2023 revision, as reported, set Rs 2,000 for HID lights and Rs 5,000 for driving at night without proper light.

Which motorways are covered by the crackdown?

The M-2, the Lahore to Sialkot motorway and the M-3. The M-4 near Pindi Bhattian and the M-5 are getting an awareness drive.

Do I get penalty points for not dipping my headlights?

Yes. The ordinance gives 2 points for failing to dip headlights. More than 20 points in two years suspends your licence for six months.

What number do I call to report a driver with dazzling lights?

Call the Motorway Police helpline on 130, the number listed on the NHMP website.

Last checked and sources

Last checked on 27 September 2026 at about 15:30 PKT. The campaign, its routes, the IG's instruction and the safety reasons are from a Motorway Police spokesperson's statement as reported on 27 September 2026; the campaign was not on the NHMP press releases page when we checked. The headlight rules, the offence of failing to dip, the 2 penalty points and the section 86 thresholds are from the National Highways Safety Ordinance 2000, as published on the NHMP site. The Rs 2,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 1,000 fines are from an NHMP revised fine list reported in September 2023 that we could not find on the NHMP website. The helpline 130 is from the NHMP website.