Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-02-28
TO AVOID HEADLIGHT TROUBLE

| Editor Honolulu Star Bulletin.
Sir: If anybody has kept tab on tn:
auto accidents, from the Inin,r scrap
ing of tenders to the actual killing OF
human beings, that have occurred
alter dark in tnis city. it will be seen
that nearly all of them have been
caused by the dazzling effects OF bril-.
liant auto lamps, and in connection
with all this il can be stated that the
headlight that causes the most dazzle
or glare is not necessarily the most
effective and efficient headlight The
! lamp, in its entirety, so constructed
and adjusted on its standard that it will
direct all or the greater part of its
rays upon the road surface and not up
into the atmosphere is the most sue
cessful lamp. =. Z. :. 4
1t shOald be remembered by all auto
owners that the object of headlight
is to illuminate the road or street, and
not to show how big a mass of light
can be- scattered around in the air
above the road
From more than one ACCIDENT that
has occurred here. some of them re.
sulting in death, it has been learned
that 1t is positively dangerous to do
any night driving with dimmed or
shaded lights when being approached
by pair of glaring head lamps; and
while we have a law against I'm.
dimmed headlights, it is unreasonable
to ask any motorist to alter his lamps
unless the law is brought into opera.
tion to protect him against the effects
of powerful, undimmed lamps on other
cars.
The auto headlight dimming law,
like many other laws of this city, is
being observed by about two-thirds of
the auto owners, while the other one
third apparently don't give whoop
for any law. and there seems to be no
intention on the part of the law off,
GERS to force any obedience to the Law.
Putting aside all questions of law or
no law, the writer is convinced that
the majority of cases of glazing head
lights are the actual results of ignor-
ance on the part of the chauffeur,
rather than a desire to 'shog the road"
at night.
The deadly, glare" of any headlight
can be reduced to a minimum if the
driver of the machine will only be.
stow as much attention on the lamps
as he does on the carburetor and other
parts Of the engine.
Every electric headlight consists of
a parabolic reflector, at the center of
which is mounted an electric bulb.
Without going into detailed account
of filaments. focal p6ints, parallel
rays, angles of projection and mathe-
NAUTICAL compactness, will simply say
that the moving of the electric bulb
In or out, viii produce a light rang
ing from parallel beams that sufficient.
ly light the road directS in front. to
the spreading of the light In the form
Of rings that blind the sight of an APP
preaching chauffeur until he has fairly
passed the offending headlights.
After q lamp has been properly TO-
cussed It win be noticed that con
siderable portion of the light rises
above the height of the lamps. It is
this light that is Objectionable and
positively dangerous to the otherusers
Of the highway. To eliminate this,
place the car on a level road and tilt
the lamps forward so that the upper
part of the light beam does not rise
more than 40 inches above the pave
ment.
Bending the standard that supports
the lamp is very easy matter If
large monkey wrench lis used. This
proper adjustment of lamps not only
improves the chauffeur's view of the
road directly IN front of his car, but it
also has the effect of reducing the
glare of approaching lamps by cutting
out the contrast between the lighted
and unlighted part of the street
Find the focal point of your lamps
by adjusting the bulb and note the
advantage to all concerned
CHAJIEEEJIR