Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-05-07
AUTO HEADLIGHTS
MUST Be LAWFUL
Industrial Commission Issues
Warning to Car Owners.
Don't Take Chances
Get Right Lens.

Automobile accidents are on the
increase and glare from headlight is
one of the principal causes. Both
insufficient light and unnecessary
dazzle are dangerous.
To remedy these evils and to make
the use of the highways safe for all
persons, the 1919 legislature passed a
law requiring all motor driven vehi-
cles to be equipped with lights which
will enable motorist to distinguish
a substantial object 200 feet ahead,
but which at the same time must be
free from dangerous glare or dazzle.
The legislature also made it the duty
of the Industrial Commission to fix
the standards which will meet these
general requirements.
The Industrial Commission has
now discharged this duty, and upon
the advice of a committee of experts
in this field and after extensive pub
lie hearings has issued orders on au-
tomobile lights. These orders be-
came effective May 1, 1920, and have
the force of law. If an accident hap
pens and your lights do not comply
with these orders, this is, in law,
conclusive evidence of negligence on
your part.
Motorists cannot satisfy the new
orders by merely painting the top Of
their lens. 1t is entirely possible to
comply with the new orders without
buying any patented devices, but to
do so motorists must pay attention
to having their lamps OF the proper
candle power rating, to the proper
focusing of lamps in their retiectors,
and to the proper fitting Of the hea d.
lights, if any is required. Instruc-
tions upon how motorists may COM
ply with the new orders without buy
ing special lenses are now in the
hands of the state printer. A card
addressed to the Industrial Commits
sion, Madison, will bring you copy
of these instructions. Do not at
tempt to make adjustments without
having these instructions, or else
consult your garage man.
Many motorists will prefer to buy
the better kinds of special lenses be-
cause they are not expensive and if
properly adjusted will give superior
results. No specific type of lens
or other non-glare device is required.
The regulations state the results
that must be secured, and any device
that complies with these require
ments is legal. There is no approved
list of lenses. Even the best lens
will not meet the requirements if it
is not properly adjusted.
When you buy patented lens be
sure that you get the right kind of a
guarantee. A guarantee which
merely states that a particular lens
meets the state requirements is
practically useless. To be worth
anything the guarantee should con-
tain a Statement Of the largest size
lamp bulb, in candle power, for both
the vacuum and gas filled types, that
may be used, the tilt of the head light
(if any that is required, the focal
adjustment required and instructions
how to obtain such focal adjustment t.
The guarantee should state also that
the conditions specified therein are
in accordance with the results of
tests made by an independent labor
atory of recognized standing, and the
name of this laboratory should be
given.
Motorists should also know that
quite few of the patented lenses do
not comply with the orders, but par
ticularly those that broadly scatter
the beam of light through wide an
gle, such as lenses of t1orentine,
ground, stripped or all frosted glass
and some special lenses based on