Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-12

GlarinS auto headlights. wors
menace of night driving, continue tc
swell the toll Of trafic deaths and in.
juries and It is noted throughout tht
Nation that this evil is coming more
and more under the regulatory eye Of
the Law. Among the States which are
waging an unceasing campaign against
slarins lights is New York, where sta
tistics have been gathered to show how
many auto mishaps may be traced d.
rectlv 10 the dazzling rays which tenn
porsrilv blind the night driver. Ac-
ccrding to these figures, the glare men
see caused 364 accidents in the state
in 1897 as Of which resulted In death,
And. in the opinion Of motor officials
the numbers are undercStimated.
Although statistics showing separate
causes Of automobile accidents in other
States have not been made available,
PENNSYLVANIA. New Jersey. Connecticut,
Rhode Island and Massachusetts, indi-
cate that they are wide awake to the
fact that dazzling lights constitute the
worst peril of night driving,
Held Most Dangerous.
In these States. vehicle authorities,
automobile societies and clubs hold
that this comparatively modern menace.
which is an nutrrowth Of the improve
ments made in the range Of headlights.
il more Of a danger than that result
Ing from machines insufflciently illumi-
mated They contend that with tn
increasing popularity Of the small
cheap car. whose lights ere not as we'll
regulated or as adaptable 70 ADJUST
ment. nearly IS out of every 100 ma
chimes ere rolling along the roads at
night With lights which are menace
70 tl,e approaching driver. They also
feel that there are many miShaps re-
sulting from glarine lights which are
not SO indicated in the accident reports,
Views Of New York Official.
The New York Bureau Of Motor We
hicles, in 1925 and 1926, waged cam
paign against headlight glare and the
director Of enforcement has the follow
ing 10 say of the results Of the cam
paign,
This campaign consisted chiefly Of
stopping those vehicles equipped with
improper headlights. Those motorists
who had not had their headlights at
tended 10 in q reasonable period pre-
vious to the time when they were APP
pretended, were required TO have their
lamps adjusted within q certain short
time. under the penalty OF a drivers
license suspension. In fragrant cases,
summonSes we're issued.
This campaign was carried out for
two years. during which time the per-
centage Of improper headlights was
reduced from so to 30 per cent, With
the poorly constructed headlamps eX-
isting at that time "a condition which
is now somewhat improvedl. 1t is prob
able that the 80 per cent condition is
about as low as could be expected.
This was due chiefly to the fact that
both headlights cid not remain in
proper adjustment for any consider
able length of time.
Percentages Are Noted.
OF the old devices-that Is. those
headlights which are equipped with ap-
proved lenses-the percentage Of i'm
properly adjusted head lamps is some
what over the so per cent mark OF
the newer types of lamps-thst is, those
which have been approved as complete
lamps and which aTe in all cases more
rigidlv constructed-the percentage of
poor adjustment is about 40 per cent.
Discussing the question from the
viewpoint Of the automobile nanufac-
turers who have to comply with head
light regula tons. the director said
The manufactures is required 10
eduip his cars with headlights that
have either been approved by the COM
missioner of motor vehicles as complete
units or have on them improved lenses.