Evening star., 1919-12-07

ment in the driving OF an automopiie
i that has not kept pace with automo-
\ bile progress is the statement OF q
/ prominent Illuminating engineer: Inat
has been in the matter of headiamp
glare, the cause of many night acct
dents, to say nothing of>the strain on
the nerves of car drivers and pas,
sengers. Headlamp, glare is one OF
those problems OF whacn tne en.n .t
country has been aware for years past
! The Society of Illuminating Engineers.
| in a report pointed out some time ago
that the ideal solution OF the ohding
headlight problem lay in the tilted or
detected light by means Of control,
| able refieetors. This report was based
| on scientific tests which were EN-
bodied in the anti-glare law OF New
York. So y
Engineer's Comment.
The engineer comments;
"One Of the reasons the oihding
glare menace has not been soiVed 10
the failure Of state and government
authorities to get together and urge
| a uniform laboratory and road test py
such recognized authority as the SO.
tciety of Illuminating Engineers. ana
! based on the recommendations o. TN, tn,s
! "Headlamps, for driving at night, are
lust as essential as the motor itself;
| in fact more so. because proper head.
lamps mean SO much to the safety ane
COMFORT OIL uElNcIS,s
nesestrians Most methods of control
ing headlamp glare do not accomplish,
in country driving, the purpose 1orf
which they are intended because they
do not give sufficient light. nor In
many cases, eliminate glare.
..ft is Just as dangerous to have
motor vehicles travelling the roads
at night without proper illumination
for the driver as it is to have them
run without lights. So the problem
| c~s., 1rsS hn
light necessary for absolutely clear
vision under ordinary circumstances,
at the same time controlling the pro-
jected beam SO as not to dazzle or
blind the other users of the high
way; also in emergencies, to be able
the occasion demands they may be
projected upward and ahead to de-
termine road hazards.
what the Country Needs.
What the country needs is definite.
uniform action along the line I sug.l
gest, that this last undesirable fea-
ture of the automobile may be elimi-
mated. A study of the laws In some
| of the states shows the utter lack
Of uniformity and the dangers of the
situation.
"Ohio, for example, provides that
headlamps must be dimmed when
within 500 feet Of an approaching
| automobile. Dimming of lights. as
] have said, bears an element Of dan
ger. especially in country driving.
Michigan provides that motor ve-
hicles must display at least one light
in 'front.' and also calls for the dim
ming of lights when another car is
approaching. One light is not suffi.
cient on the front of an automobile
| because of possible confusion as to
the character of an approaching We
hicle.
Law in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts, provides that light
rays must not be higher than three
! and one-half feet. or fifty feet ahead.
That is somewhat of an Improvement
over some Of the state laws. because
! level they should not hit the eyes of
| the driver Of an approaching auto.
! mobile. But the trouble has been to
| get the device that would do that
and still disclose danger signals and
hazards ahead. Who is to determine
IL this law is being complied with?
How and what are his or their quail
! ifications to determine this question?
! New jersey has similar law. but
1t increases the height Of the light
fault there as in Massachusetts,. New
Hampshire's law is as good as worth
less. 1t provides that the driver OF
an automobile must dim his lights
| to an approaching car If he can do
so without danger to his own auto
1t is to avoid this that this lamp
was designed to insure safety when
driving.
Long Stride I'm PennsyIvania.
Pennsylvania has taken the long,
est step toward a solution of the
problem, it seems to me. This state
provides that headlamps shall be linn
tied to thirty-two candlepower and
has provided that no dazzling rays of
4 light shall. at point of seventy
| feet or more ahead of the lamps, rise
| more than forty-two inches above
car stands.
IAN important Pennsylvania law
provision is that the state highway