The Washington times., 1924-11-21
Include Glaring Headlight
Fiends In An Aggressive
Police Campaign
By BILL PRICE.

there is to be aggressive police campaign IN the Dis
ict against speeders wey auto drivers
and criminals holding drivers permits under fictitious names
the police should likewise include fragrant vators Of glazing
headlight regulations.
traffic bureau Of police headquarters matter from
what high official they may get orders as to policies has
learned by this tmehe higher ups alsothat Washington
people intensely aroused to the past failures Of the traffic
police to concentrate their greatest activities the killers
manners Of and women who have been adding to the
ghasy list Of determination in this city while much
time expended in nabbng parking voators and similar
small fry who fail to remember that they drove about
knocking people down they would probably get off with
light fines
The parking problem an irritating one but there is
curious lack Of proportion in compelling parking volator
20 put up $40 collateral for overtime Of public streets
and virtually the collateral for speeder who Injuries
q pedestrian and away.
There always will be people who will spend their lives
sraning at trivial things and utterly falling to efficiently
much easier Serious problems require constructive thought
These police campaigns against speeders have been all too
brief in the past Why not make this one longer and more
effective? And the campaign should take in auto drivers who
make practice Of flooding oncoming machines with blind
Ten letters received by this writer relative recent
editorial urging drastic action against the binding light fends
who make Of saving their precious skins while
dangeng the lives Of others who obey the laws to the
Of auto lights
The editorial referred commended by all the writers
but auto and light manufacturers commended that every auto
mobile manufacturer in the United States qups his
give the band Of light you mention in the last para
graph Of your editorial
We have made effort to verify the statement that ALL
manufacturers equip in this satisfactory manner but
that does not apply to thousands of District and Maryland
manufactured in past years
Assuming however, that the majority Of machines in
here and in Maryland and Virginia do contain these adjustable
lights the responsibility for binding others with glazing lights
goes straight home to the drivers Of cars just does
sponsbiy for inuring and killing human beings The plain
truth too is that this personal responsibility has been
driven home to volatos should be- The laws
enient in this respect Fines stop few from wrong doing
Stiff jail sentences do.
The auto driver with modern car light mechanism adj
wav long itv
street or country road who deliberately floods thorOughare
with brilliant light when machines pedestrians travelling
in his direction not only deliberate dangerous viOla
Of law, but Of every rule Of decency and fairness
The Westinghouse Lamp Company, of New York. writes:
I'VE heartily in accord with the spirit your editorial
and have done all in power educate the motoring
public to the necessity Of proper adjustment of headlights
Not much education ought to be required. Every auto
driver knows what fair and square thing and certainly
knows that he at least dim his lights when approaching
cars and people travelling the opposite way Yet both
and decency nightly violated in thousands bf instances
in and around Washington
Traffic policemen have plenty of opportunities make
arrests and the courts should SOAK every voator The
police frequently make arrests because a lights"
burning Half the time the drivers that
thing has happened to their lights Every driver
know however when his front lights burning and whether
they used in accordance with law.