Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-16
Headlight Laxity Seen.
Two Out 81 Five Declared Not
Adjusted Properly.

A0JuetcQ frOpcrlys
TO the Editor Of The STAR.
After driving from Capitol Hin
up North Capitol street. then into
Q street to Connecticut avenue. and
out to Tilden street, went into my
home and read The Evening Star.
and on page found an article
headlined Headlights In d. G. Re-
ported Better"
During my trip home I can say
without exaggeration that two OUT Of
every five auto lights met were'un-
adjusted. The siarsng lights on these
autos are q positive danger to every
motorist going In the opposite direc-
ton. In the article Mr.. Eldridge him
self IL quoted az saying that Of all
cars sent to the Traffic Bureau for
inspection. not more than per cent
are found fit."
What 10 the cause Of this? Either
the bright headlight II wrong or the
superintendent Of police and Mr..
Eldridge do not enforce the regula-
ssVAt Nst1S 00NA4 t1bAA8 AI0uS0 8hbO0AeA
be adjusted properly. That the fault
lies with the Police Department and
Mr.. Eldridge II shown by his own
statement In the, article quoted,
wherein he says: 1--WE have one police
oficer who does nothing else but
patrol the streets looking for head
lights not In keeping with the regu-
Just think Of 1t: with the 1oo. 900
autos In Washington. 80 per cent of
which undoubtedly are in operation
at night, with but one officer cover
Ing all the streets trying to enforce
the regulation! Will Mr.. Eldridge
admit that he has only one officer 10
catch unintending offenders OF the
regulations covering parkingf II 40.
why II 1t admitted that 1000 persons
have been before the Trafic Court
for parking overtime and only IS for
having glazing headlights?
II goes without argument that hav-
Ing glaring headlights and staying
overtime In one place cannot be COM
pared az 70 the seriousness Of the Of.
Tense. The former n most dangerous,
and has been the cause Of many seri.
Gus accidents. The latter simply I'm.
plies perhaps an Inconvenience to
some one else.
Now, az Il 10 acknowledged. that
from experience since the bright. light
regulation went into effect over a
year ago, o. great majority Of the
autos In operation ct night are using
unadjusted headlights. which to the
ordinarily careful motorist IL mex.
ctisable. why r. not determined ef.
fort made by the superintendent OF
police and Mr.. Eldridge to enforce
the regulation, or to abolish It?
There In no sense nor need of any.
body having glaring headlights on
the principal boulevards, but I have
seen many glaring lights on Pennsyi-
vania avenue. r and q streets, Six.
teenth street and Connecticut avenue.
I have already made q suggestion
how TO corral an exceedingly large
number Of Intentional vioIators OF the
light regulations. and Il would not
take many men to do II.
Place men at each end OF the
Connecticut avenue and Sixteenth
street bridges and stated positions
on the boulevards. Any officer with
any kind Of sight can see when an
auto ID coming toward him whether
the lights are rejecting up or down.
HG would md at least two out Of
every ave with lights straight in his
eyes. The bicycle officers on the
botilevards could attend to the glar-
ing lights without much exertion.
VIII the superintendent Of police and
Mr.. Eldridge undertake to stop the
glaring lights, and thus save both
pedestrians ana motorists from this
serious menace?
CHARLES J. HAPPIER. \