Evening star., 1926-10-05
HEADLIGHT GLARE
PANACEA LACK|NG|
But Motorists Can Help Solve
Problem, Says Speaker
Before D. c. Dealers.
BY WILLIAM ULLMAN.

taken by all motordom-manufactur
er dealer and owner alike-in eltm1
mating the greater part Of the blind
ing beams Of light that CLINT danger
ously on Americas streets and high
ways.
This is the substance of a brief ad
dress made last night by DR.. j.
Franklin Meyer Of the United States
Bureau of Standards. before the
Washington Automotive Trade AS
sociation, local organization of motor
car dealers, that is leaving no stone
unturned in it's efforts to solve the
safety problem generally and the
headlight problem particularly.
Eighty per cent OF the fatal auto
mobile accidents In this country in
volve criminal negligence on the part
of the driver. the dealers were told
by A. F-rankel, safety expert OF New
York City.
Driver Chiefly Blamed.
1t isn't the victim, it isn't the cor
ner policeman or the traffic regula'
tions that are responsible. he said
but it is the "loose nut" that holds the
steering wheel.
tremendous steps remain to be
taken in removing headlight glare, but,
steps," said DIR. Meyer. 1T is tmpos-
sihle to remove glare completely. A
beam Of light travelling over a hill
top, for instance, always will be aimed
straight into an approaching drivers S
eyes Bumps in the roads will throw
the best-directed light ray out OF
line"
Much Of the responsibility for pres.
ent headlighting conditions was laid
directly at the door Of the automobile
industry by the speaker.
The first step to be taken it seems
Is in the automobile factories" DR..
Meyer declared. 1.-THE big fault >of
headlights today Is that they are made
too cheaply. 1t is impossible to adjust
many automobile lamps. Others can
be adjusted, but remain correctly
placed only for a short time.
1.-The next step is public education.
We never can remove this thing call
ed glare until we realize that 1t isn't
always the other mans lights that are
out of adjustment. How about our
own? How many Of you associated
with the automotive trades have your
cars lights focused properly right
now? There is where we must start.
You must be taught and must be
taught to look upon the headlights
of our cars as needing constant at
tention-the kind Of attention we pay
to our fuel supply in the gasoline tank
and the oil supply in the crank case.
No matter what the makers of head.
lights achieve, we will not solve the
problem Of glare until motorists take
this attitude.
Getting headlights into proper ad-
justment requires technique, grant
you. 1t Is, however, a simple tech
niQue. 1t can be acquired very quick
ly and every motorist can acquire 1t.
With modern lighting equipment one
needs only a screwdriver, a wrench
and a line painted on the garage wall
or door.
"There are three things to be done
in the adjustment of headlight. The
first is the focusing of the bulb. If
the bulb Is in focus, the rays Of light
make a perfectly round spot Of light.
If it is not, the rays are DETECTED and
this is not a difficult matter to deter.
mine.
Aiming Lamps Properly.
mo matter how we'll one has placed
ones lights in focus, the step Is
worthless in removing glare unless
one aims the lamps properly. A
lamp, just a few degrees out Of line,
will cause the worst kind of glare.
"The third step in proper headlight
adjustment concerns the lens. This
must be in exactly the proper posi-
ton, proper position depending, Of
course, upon whether the lens is de-
signed to diffuse or defect the light
rays.
"Now these are three comparatively
simple operations. Any motorist can
be taught how to do them. It Is up
to you, as automobile dealers, to teach
motorists this fact. 1t is up to us to
help you and 1t is the duty Of the
manufacturers of headlighting equip
ment to turn out products that can
be adjusted"
Preceding DR.. Meyers talk, repre-
Of the Westinghouse Elec-
trio Co. discussed the efforts being
made by manufacturers to solve the
problem Of glarfng lights and de-
scribed the two-filament light that is
regarded as the nearest thing to per-
feet headlighting now being used.
This type Of light furnishes the long
beam necessary for country driving,
but enables motorist to concentrate
the lights on the roadway directly in
front Of the car when passing anoth-
er car.
Slides Illustrate Problems.
Lantern slides were used to illus
trate the various problems confront
ing the electrical engineer and to
show what he is doing in solving
them.
Mr.. Frnnkel described the drive
sanely" campaigns that are being
conducted by the company in metro
politan centers.
1.-The one way to get safety across
is to keep everlastingly repeating
some safety message. or slogan until
you are bored and every one else is
bored with IT," he said. THAT Is the
one method that gets safety results.
"The driver Is c,1minally negligent
often when the court does not hold
him to be. Isn't he negligent when
he allows his brakes to become de-
fective? Isn't he criminally negligent
when he takes his car on the road
with weak headlights, bad clutch
or defective steering?'
The regular monthly business
meeting of the organization pre-
ceded the speeches. The session was
held in the blue room of the City
Club.
Stanley Horner, president Of the
Washington Automotive Trade Asso-
ciation, presided.
SUICIDE DUE TO GRIEF.