The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-08-23
AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT
REQUIREMENTS IN STATE
Synopsis of The Law Relative
Thereto and Will be Enforced

The following synopsis of the Mary
land State law relative to automobile
headlights has been furnished The Re-
publican with the request that it be
printed:
Section 1913 of the law provides that
all automobiles shall carry two white
lights in front visible for'200 feet, and
in the rear one red light, which can be
seen for a distance of 200 feet.
Twenty-one candle power for head
light bulbs is sufficient; it is illegal to
have them exceed 80 candle power.
The law further provides:
No vehicle of any kind, including
motor vehicles and horse-drawn vehi-
cles, shall at any time, whether in mo-
ton or at rest, use on any public high
way of this State any lighting device
which shall throw a dazzling or glar-
ing light to heigth of more than AZ
inches above the surface of the road
when measured on a level road at a
distance of rs feet or more ahead.
1t shall be unlawful to use dazzling
headlights under penalty of from 81
to $25 for the first offense, or of more
than 500 for the second or any sub
sequent offense. Such penalties shall
be enforced by any Justice of the
Peace having jurisdiction.
However, should legal and approved
lenses be in use upon any automobile,
but said lenses be not in proper adj
| justment, in that case the owner or
driver shall be warned to have the er-
Tor corrected and shall not be fined for
the first offense. If not corrected it
shall be misdemeanor and may be
subject to fine of from SIS to $50.
How Owner May Test Headlights
At night, or in a shaded room, if in
daytime, place the car upon level
floor with the headlights exactly par
allel or equally distant from verti-
cal wall exactly 25 feet from the wall
which should be white or of as light a
color as possible. Next measure the
exact height of the light bulb from
the floor and draw a horizontal line
upon the wall at exactly the same
| height. Measure the distance be-
tween the two light bulbs and draw
three perpendicular lines, one opposite
each bulb and third half way be-
tween, or in line with the center OF the
car In all adjustments it is neces-
sary to bring the top of the beam OF
! light to the horizontal line correspond
ing to the kind of car on which the
adjustment is being made and the
question as to whether the car is then
carrying its normal load must receive
some consideration, for when the rear
springs are loaded the front OF the
car and the lamps are raised further
from the roadbed and the beam Of
light should be lowered in conse-
| Quence. .
Adjust one lamp at a time, keeping
the other lamp covered, and bring the
| center of the beam from each lamp to
the verticle line corresponding with
the center of that lamp.
There are two adjustments provid-
ed on the headlamps of all late model
cars. The body of the lamp may be
tilted up or down or to the right or
! left by loosening the headlamp clamp
ing bolt with a wrench. The bulb it
self may be pushed away from the re-
fiector or backward toward the re-
fiector by turning the focusing screw,
either to the right or left as may be
required.
By using this adjustment after the
reflector and lens are in place, the
beam of light should be brought to q
narrow sharp ribbon or band Of light
on the screen, after which the head
lamp should be tilted up or down until
the beam of light is below the proper
horizontal line on the screen or wall.
Old model cars are the hardest to
put in proper adjustment and as they
are the worst offenders they should be
! looked after carefully.