Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1917-07-26
NEW STATEWIDE LAW
FOR AUTOMOBILES
How to Comply With Regulations For
Lights on Motor Vehicles

The state Board or Motor Vehicle
Headlight Inspection of Maryland has
issued the following bulletin:
"It is always a difficult matter TO
get the public to understand any new
law, due either TO its inability to
comprehend, or its lack of interest,
generally resulting in criticism being
placed upon those IN authority desig-
mated to enforce said law
This is evidenced by the motor
lists. regarding the new Statewide
headlight law.
Before it was passed 80 per cent
of the motorists bitterly complained
of the dangers of driving upon the
highways at night, due to glaring
headlights.
Now they are complaining of the
law being so complicated that they
cannot tell what to do to meet its
requirements.
sThe Society of Automobile Engi-
neers has been endeavoring to solve
tie headlight problem for the past
several years, spending as high as
$4,000 in experiments, with the re-
suit that the best solution is that
headlights shall be so designed, de
flected or arranged that no portion of
the beam or reflected light projected
to the left of the axis of the vehicle,
when measured rs feet or moresahead
of the lamps shall rise above AZ in
ches from the level surface on which
the vehicles stands under all condi
tions of load.
1T is intended that this law shall
be universal. a number of States al
ready having adopted the same.
The following is the new law:
How To Comply With The New State
Wide Law Regulating Lights ON
Motor Vehicles.
Clear Lens--If the motorist does
not wish to go TO the expense of pur-
chasing a non-glaring lens, he can
readily comply with the law by hav-
ing his headlight brackets tilted for
ward from one-eighth to one-half
inch, as may be necessary,so that the
reflected beams of light will not rise
more than AZ inches from the level
surface on which the automobile is
standing at a distance of IS feet in
front of the car.
A clear glass lens may be used
when this is done and will conform
with the lNy
Non -Glaring Lens-If, on the other
hand, the motorist does not care to
bend his lamp brackets he must pro-
ceed as follows, in order to comply
with the law:
1st. Brackets-See that the head
light lamp brackets are not bent, so
that the axis of the front of the
headlight, when mounted on the
brackets and measured up and down
and from side to side, will be per-
pendicular and horizontol respective
ly to the level surface upon which
the car stands.
End Bulbs-See that the electric
bulbs in the headlights are both of
the same candle power. and prefer
ably of the same manufacture.
3rd. Focus-See that the electric
bulbs in the headlamps are properly
focused
To do this turn the current into
your headlamps, cover one Of them
up, take off the door of the remaining
headlamp and by means of the focus
ing device move the bulb either back
ward or forward until the reflected
beam of light ahead of the car is par
allel with the road
Up to the present time non-glaring
lenses such as More-Lite, Warner,
Osgood, Lancaster, Corning (clear
glass;, Corning (novial glass;. Lega-
lite. etc, have been inspected by the
State Board of Headlight Inspection
and duly approved.
All machines whose lights comply
with the Staae law will have seal
placed on the right hand lamp, but it
is not compulsory to have the seal
in order to comply with the law.
These extracts are published at the
request of the State Board of Motor
Vehicle Headlight Inspection, for the
benefit of the local owners of automo-
biles.
Repairs at St. Anne's